Michigan/Wisconsin Solo Tour 2011 Week 1

Day 1-storm damage from the night before. Tree down over Racine county trail. I was able to just squeeze by. Then a large limb that three of us trail users managed to drag off the trail. Made it to the ferry at about 11:00, very chilled. Lake Michigan was quite rough,with six foot seas. Many passengers were seasick, myself included. Very happy to make landfall and start cycling. There is a bike path in Muskegon that takes you all the way around the harbor and ends on the road that leads to Muskegon State park. Wildlife: 6 rabbits, 2 deer, 1 turtle

Day 2- Muskegon to Ludington. Followed the League of Michigan Cyclists Shoreline tour route to Ludington. Route runs mainly along the shoreline (duh!) of Lake Michigan. Lots of fancy lakefront homes and little touristy towns. Towing my BOB trailer for 90 miles was exhausting! Not to stable getting out of the saddle, so climbing has to be done seated. Really need more gear (more teeth) to get over some of the steeper hills. Happy to see the Super 8 in Ludington after a long, rainy, chilly day of riding.

Day 3-Ludington to Interlochen-waited out the rain. Much happier cycling with dry feet. Moving inland today, following the Adventure Cycling route. Another 90+ mile day made longer by a detour near Garlets Corner due to a bridge out. The detour was pretty scenic (and hilly!) Overnighting at Interlochen State Park. Facilities at the MI state parks are really great.

Day 4-Interlochen to Boyne City-Nice and sunny (finally!) Some potentially dangerous riding today on the "Breezeway" between Ellsworth and East Jordan. No shoulder, steep hills, fast traffic...bad combination. Luckily, I made it thru safely. Had to walk three (yes, three!) hills. A first for me, but towing an extra fifty pounds really slows you down. Great burger and banana split in East Jordan. Little did I realize that I had 10 more miles of hills to traverse before getting to Young State Park just outside of Boyne City.

Day 5- Boyne City to Mackinaw City. Five star cycling day. Beautiful weather, beautiful route. Helped that it was a short day of only 65 or so miles. Incredible sand dunes in Wilderness state park. In Mackinaw City I Stayed in the Super 8 Beachside, with nice views of Lake Huron. Scouted out the ferry situation for tomorrow and acquired a tour mascot (a plastic turtle now named Fred). Wildlife: 1 coyote walked out into the road maybe 50 yards in front of me. I yelled at him to send him on his way.

Day 6- Mackinaw City to Germfask. Started with a ferry ride to Mackinac Island and another to St. Ignace. Nice smooth lake. It was another 5 star cycling day. Great sunny, warm weather. Hwy 2, which I would follow most of the day, has a very wide, clean shoulder making for pretty comfortable riding. The shoulder does disappear when in towns, but there aren't too many of those on this end of the UP. Met my first fellow cyclotourist today, Dan and Anna, who are doing the same route as me, but in a clockwise direction. Had a serious mechanical incident today when my chain got jammed between my wheel and cassette when shifting to my largest gear. Tugged and tugged on the chain until I managed to get it loose. Broke one spoke. Luckily, I bought some 32 spoke wheels for this tour, so the broken spoke didn't make it wobble too much. Want to get to a bike shop as soon as I can. Worried every time I shift to my 27 (which I really need to climb). Stayed at Big Cedar Campground, my only private camp on my trip. Facilities were pretty good, but the mosquitoes were awful.

Day 7-Germfask to Escanaba. Brisk tailwind made for fast ride until I had to take an extended break to fix a rear flat. Why did my LBS put an 18-23 tube in my 28 tire? The tube managed to last 500 miles, but then went poof. Quick ride into Gladstone (just outside of Escanaba) and found the bike shop listed on the Adventure cycling map. Great shop. Fixed my wheel and derailleur. I bought a new Road Morph pump, since my old one was not registering the tire pressure anymore. Ditched my prepaid campsite for a cushy Super 8 room in Escanaba (with a recliner!) Wildlife: close encounter with a Turkey Vulture