Day 4

Monday, September 3, 2012
Escanaba - Epoufette
117 Miles

Ride Data

Sleeping at the Ludington Inn was like sleeping on a prison bed without a mattress.  Not that I would know…. It was a long night and I woke up tired and sore.  Heather and I went and grabbed breakfast at the same Diner we ate at the night before.  Back in the room I went through what was becoming a daily routine of filling bottles, packing bags, and sorting out nutrition for the day ahead.  I had also gotten in the habit of previewing the next day’s route the night before so I had the day fresh in my mind.

Going north out of Escanaba

Down on the street I kissed Heather goodbye, not realizing that it would be my last real contact with people for a few days.  It was right then that I made a crucial error that would have major consequences a few days later.  Earlier in the week, in Green Bay, I had discovered a large crack in my front wheel.  The wheel was still inflated and didn’t seem to be a problem so I had just kept riding on it.  I had called Heather from Milwaukee before she left and told her to bring my spare set of wheels along with some other parts.  So now, standing on the street in front of the Inn on Ludington I had a chance to switch out the wheel before Heather left.  But it was already later in the morning and I was in a hurry to get going.  I didn’t want to unpack everything and take the time to switch the wheel so I just told myself, not to worry, and that everything was going to be ok. And now, I was now officially on my own. 

View of the bay going north out of Escanaba

After saying our goodbye’s I headed out into the morning sun going north again.  The morning was cooler and a bit overcast which was a change from the previous three days.  The sky darkened progressively as I went north threatening rain which never came.  I rode along the lakefront with the ease of a nice tailwind until I started making the turn east branching onto Highway 2 going into the UP (Upper Peninsula).


Making the turn around the bay and onto Hwy 2



View of my path at the dead end.  My path forked to the right.

Highway 2 is about the straightest road I’ve ever seen.  It runs east – west through the UP and is the only paved road that runs along the lakefront in the southern half of the UP.  My plan was to detour off 2 and ride some back roads that would be more scenic and free from traffic.  After turning off the highway, I made my way down a side road but after about a mile abruptly came to a stop.  My Garmin showed me continuing straight but the actual road ended in a giant stand of trees.  There were no other options but to backtrack to Highway 2, the “road” in front of me was nothing more than a hiking path.  I realized that these back roads shown on the map were not roads but some sort of off-road trail system.   With a 120 mile day in front of me, and daylight burning, I didn’t want to take any more chances.  I decided to call an audible on the days planned route and stick to Highway 2 all day. 




Satellite view of my dead end showing no road going forward

Street view of the dead end.  The road forking to the right ends at the trees.

I rode along in piece, on a nice wide shoulder and with a pretty calm wind.  I put on a book-on-tape and cruised for about two hours.  Somewhere along the route I stopped at a gas station at the top of what had to be the only hill in the UP.  I was sitting on a bench eating a bar when a rusty Ford Pickup truck pulled up.  An old bearded farmer stepped out and raised an eyebrow at me.  I said good morning and smiled at him.  After briefly giving me what can only be described as a “look” his face softened and he said good morning too.  We got to talking and he informed me that he was there to get all the expired milk from the gas station.  He explained that when the dairy products reach their expiration date they just give them away for free! He’s telling me all this in a low whisper as if someone might hear him and edge in on his scheme.  After he proudly told me his plan, he reached in the back of his truck and into some sort of cooler and pulled out a half gallon jug of 2% milk and asked me if I wanted it.  I was quite surprised and didn’t know what to say at first.  I didn’t want to be rude but also I have a general rule of life that goes “Don’t drink expired milk from the back of a stranger’s pickup truck.”  But, I was pretty hungry and thirsty so after a noticeable hesitation, that he didn’t seem to notice, I decided what the heck.  Making it even more weird was that he stood there waiting for me to drink it in front of him.  But I decided if I got sick there would be plenty of traffic along the road to pick me up, so after chugging most of the milk and saying our goodbyes I was on my way again.



Stopping for a snack in the afternoon after the milk break



View of me taking a break along the beach

Going along Highway 2 in the UP

Shortly after the gas station stop I came upon (and passed) another group of cyclist.  I said hello as I passed them but didn’t give them much thought as I was deep into my Dark Tower book on tape.  A while later something came up on my left and I was startled to see a lady in a full race kit huffing and puffing alongside me.  I took my headphones out and she exclaimed that she’d been giving chase for a few miles trying to catch me.  At this time it was early in the day and I was flying along pretty good.  We chatted briefly and she invited me to eat lunch with her group a few miles up the road.  Since we were both riding pretty quick we didn’t really talk much but they were on some sort of tour around the UP over the holiday weekend.  They had a van with support that would go ahead and set up lunch.  It sure sounded good and I had every intention of stopping, but when I got to town (Manistique) I never saw the van.  They must have been on a different route and I never saw them again. I was really disappointed to miss out on that lunch.

Mid afternoon, long straight roads, not a hill to be seen

I rode through Manistique and was headed west again along Lake Michigan.  The afternoon crept along as I rode along unbelievably straight roads with a hot summer sun cooking away.  The final straightaway was 25 miles of pancake flat road with no towns and no trees.  It was easy riding and a nice tailwind had picked up making the riding easier.  By late afternoon I was close to Epoufette, my stop for the day, and passed an overlook of Epoufette Bay.  I stopped and took a picture and enjoyed a beautiful view from a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan and the Bay.  The fall colors were just beginning to turn and the heat from the day had turned into a cool breeze. 

View from the bluff where I stopped just outside Epoufette

Me in the room at the end of day 4

20 minutes later I was in the town of Epoufette. Calling it a town is a bit misleading. There was a motel, restaurant, and a small gas station. That was the “town.” My feet were killing me, I was dog tired, and desperate to get off the bike. Looking to the west where I had just come the sky was darkening and threatening rain again, but this time it looked serious. I checked into the small motel, which was a bit rustic but overlooked Lake Michigan on a tall bluff maybe 100’ above the water line. The view was spectacular as the sun was beginning to set over the lake. As I unpacked and changed for the day I heard a rumble of thunder. I quickly changed and ran across the street to a small stand selling smoked fish. I bought some smoked salmon and crackers along with some beef jerky. Just as I was running back across the street the sky turned black and the rain started pouring in buckets. I sat in my hotel in a little chair next to the window and watched the rain pour down in torrents while I ate my fish and listed to the waves crash against the beach far below. It was amazingly relaxing after such a long day and I felt so grateful to have a nice comfy roof over my head for the night.

The Skyline Motel where I stayed in Epoufette

View from my room in Epoufette at the end of day 4

After half an hour or so the rain changed from a downpour to a steady fall.  I headed next door to the restaurant for dinner.  The restaurant was built out over the bluff and had a beautiful deck to take in the view.  The interior reminded me of a log cabin, which a very fitting atmosphere given my location.  The walls were paneled in knotty pine and hunting trophies adorned the walls.  The place was surprisingly busy and considering the rain storm no one was going anywhere for a while.  I settled in and ordered a chocolate milk and read a little of the news on my phone.  I used my cell phone for everything; Updating my blog, tweeting, calling friends and family and for all my contact with the world.  It was surprising how much I depended on it during the course of the trip.  I ordered a UP favorite for dinner, pan fried Whitefish, and relaxed and ate dinner by myself. 

Outside view of the restaurant just before storm.  Motel is white building off to the right.

View of the inside of the restaurant

After dinner I headed back to the room which thankfully was only about 50’ away and got ready for bed.  I made some phone calls home to my family, checked my route for tomorrow, and watched a little TV.  I was very excited to cross Mackinac Bridge tomorrow and I had a hard time getting to sleep due to my excitement.  I also had a hard time getting to sleep because I was sleeping on box spring with a sheet on top.  It may have actually been a mattress?  I’ll never know.  The rain continued to fall all night long.