Day 3 – Sunday, September 1, 2013

 Green Bay – Escanaba

Start of Day 3 out of Green Bay, WI

The Bayview Inn had a nice continental breakfast and the waffle I made that morning was 100 times better than the Perkins the day before.  Fueled up for the day I headed out into the crisp morning air.  I could see dark clouds building in the western sky and knew it was going to rain… it was just a matter of when.  20 minutes later I was riding through a steady downpour on my way out of Green Bay.  My revised route kept me off most of the busy roads and since it was an early Sunday morning there was hardly any traffic.  Despite the rain there was absolutely no wind and I was riding well.  The first 60-70 miles seemed to fly by and there were hardly any hills to deal with.  The rain continued off and on and was raining when I crossed the border into Michigan.  Just past Marinette I hooked up with Highway 35 despite a minor detour due to heavy road construction.  It was drizzling when Heather met up with me a few miles past Marinette at our predetermined meeting spot.  I had a few pieces of leftover pizza which tasted delicious and rested for a few minutes before continuing on. 

View from the cockpit.  I love Shot Bloks this snack was one of my favorite parts of the day

Crossing the river into Michigan at Marrinette

Long lonely road

Beautiful view West 

 Highway 35 is a lonely stretch of road that runs right along the lake into Escanaba.  The rain tapered off a bit and with no wind at all I made great time during the afternoon.  The highway is not very safe because the shoulder is small and the traffic flies by. I was nervous all afternoon and made good use of my rearview mirror.  At one point in the afternoon I looked off to my right and saw a cop arresting some guy on the ground in front of a house.  He had him on his chest and was handcuffing him. 

Stopping for lunch with Heather at the start of Highway 35

As I rolled into Escanaba the clouds had cleared and the sun was shining brightly.  I was running a 20.7 mph average for the day and although my legs and butt were sore I was feeling good.  I was feeling so good that I detoured through the state park to enjoy the lakefront and historic lighthouse that are right on the tip of the peninsula.

View of the lake coming into Escanaba

Finally reaching Escanaba

Lighthouse in Escanaba

 When I arrived at the House of Ludington in Escanaba I was surprised to find all the doors locked and no one there.  I knew the hotel was not going to be open but they were supposed to leave a key out for me in the box.  As I tried to figure out what to do and left messages for the owner and for Heather a young couple walked out of the hotel.  I asked them about the key and luckily found out that they lived there and helped run the place.  The lady let me in and checked me into my room just as the owner returned my call and realizing they had forgotten to put the keys outside. 

Hotel room at the House of Ludington in Escanaba

It all worked out and after checking in and resting for a little while Heather and I headed out to grab dinner.  My Dad and Karna, who were driving from Iowa to support me over the next few days, were meeting up with us later in the evening.  We enjoyed a delicious burger and chocolate milk and relaxed in the quaint uptown restaurant.  When we left the sun was setting and there was a chill in the air.  The wind also was picking up out of the north and I knew instantly that tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Heather and I at the beach in Escanaba at the end of the day

Weather rolling in across the lake.  Looking out from our hotel room

Just around dark Dad and Karna arrived at the hotel.  Heather was heading back home tomorrow because she had to work on Monday.  Dad and Karna were going to follow me for the rest of the trip.  Dad brought the laptop upstairs and I was able to download both days’ worth of pictures and save them to my portable drive.  Thankfully, due to my fast time today all the pictures fit on the memory card and I was also able to recharge the GoPro batteries using a portable recharger Heather had bought.  For the 6 ½ hour days I was going through 3 batteries.  This whole video thing might just work out after all.

Day 2 – Saturday, August 31, 2013

Milwaukee – Green Bay

Picking Airbnb for a hotel was an excellent choice and it paid dividends because I slept like a baby. The next morning I got up early and drove the car up to revisit the “Worst Perkins on Earth” which I had cleverly named last year after getting literally the worst breakfast ever.  The Perkins succeeded in living up to its namesake with what can only be described as an oily, soggy, yet burned waffle and limp, greasy, bacon.  I listened to two old guys in the next booth discuss their favorite episodes of MASH and how plastic bumpers on cars are so much worse than the old metal ones.  It was entertaining and I smiled as I listened to them finishing my waffle. 

Getting ready to leave Milwaukee

Back at the house, I packed the bag which took only minutes, filled the water bottles, and headed out the door.  Amazingly when I went into the garage to get the bike I looked down and saw a hammer sitting literally right next to the bike.  Going back to the night before I had torn the garage apart looking for something to hammer the metal piece back flat and finding nothing had to use the end of an axe.  My mind was just going in a million different directions…

It was a cool morning and a little overcast but looked like it was going to be a nice day.  I headed out into the Milwaukee suburbs via a bike path to avoid traffic and then continued out into the country.  The clouds parted and the sun came out and made for a beautiful morning.  Within a couple hours I reached the Kettle Moraine State Forest and the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive which cuts straight through it.  It is a very beautiful ride but full of hard climbs and with a strong headwind it made for a tough go for the latter part of the morning. 

Entering Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive

I rode by the little general store that I stopped at last year but didn’t take full advantage of the stop.  The hills and headwind were slowing me down and I had set a time to meet Heather for lunch and was running behind.  I stopped anyway to take a quick energy gel and talked a little with a couple who were sitting at a picnic table.  I was able to tell them a little about my trip and about World Bicycle Relief.  They reacted in the familiar way with shock and amazement of the distance and wished me luck on the rest of the journey.  I headed back out into the late morning sun as the day heated up.

 

Free Range turkey farm I rode by

Gotta be Wisconsin when there is a Cow Crossing Sign 

Heather was driving up from Milwaukee and we had set up a place to meet off the highway.  It was hard communicating on the bike so it worked better to set up meeting times before hand.  Last year we had tried this but it just never seemed to work.  After leaving the general store I rode for another 30 minutes or so before we met up just outside the town of Glenbeulah, WI.  I was so surprised that she made it to the meeting point ahead of me I claimed it was like Mary appearing on a tortilla… a Miracle!  She was not pleased with the comment.

Lavender field for the afternoon ride

It was really nice to take a few minutes off the bike and have a bite to eat even if it was cold leftovers from our dinner the night before.  We both sat on the trunk of the car and talked and ate and enjoyed the afternoon sun.  I had about 50 more miles to go and was anxious to keep moving, so after about 10 minutes we said our goodbyes and I headed off to finish the day.  As I left I was singing a song I made up to the tune of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing”  only I changed the name to “Bobo’s Oat Bars” because that was one of my main food staples of the trip.  I got it stick in my head for hours…  It doesn’t seem as funny now but at the time it was I thought it was the funniest thing in the world.  Again, I think the heat was doing things to my brain.

Cool old building on the way to Green Bay

The afternoon heated up a bit but the wind started to die down and I enjoyed a nice afternoon ride over the hilly country roads.  I knew what was coming up and sure enough just at the 100 mile mark I turned off onto a gravel trail that led straight into Green Bay.  The trail was a safe alternative to the highway but after 5 ½ hours on the bike my body was already sore.  The bumps seemed to shake me right to the core and I knew it was still another 20 miles to Green Bay.  I rode along the trail and enjoyed the shade from the wind and sun that the woods offered.  The miles ticked away and after 45 minutes the path transitioned into pavement for the last 5 miles or so.  I knew I was close…  The last few miles flew by and when I approached the river bridge into Green Bay I knew I’d made it.  A few turns later and I was less than a mile but just as I was about to turn down the final street I hit a set of train tracks with a freight train going by and had to stop and wait for almost 10 minutes for it to pass.  Finally it did and I rode the last few miles into the hotel.

Almost there.  On the gravel road into Green Bay

Crossing bridge into Green Bay

On the bridge looking South

Heather was already there and she met me for an arrival picture before I retreated to bed to rest.  I was exhausted but happy to make it through the first big test of the trip.  I quickly did my laundry in the sink and took a shower which felt amazing after 120 gritty miles.  Washing off the film of sunscreen, sweat and caked on bugs became a daily tradition on this trip.  When I finally laid down in bed I knew I wasn’t moving for the rest of the night even though it was only 7pm.  I broke out the leftover spaghetti Heather brought from home and chowed down as I started to download the pictures from the day’s GoPro.

Finally made it to Green Bay and end of day 2.  118 Miles

Bug splatter at the end of the day

Immediately I had problems with the computer and regretted not bringing a backup.  I managed to get the pictures downloaded and backed up on the portable hard drive I brought.  Just after finishing with the pictures as I was checking my email and updating the blog and the entire computer crashed and would not turn on.  I ended up spending the rest of the night trying to get the computer working and struggling to link the GoPro with Heathers computer.  Her computer would not recognize the camera or my portable drive and finally after hours and many failed attempts I gave up on both computers and tried to figure out a plan B to make my stop motion movie.

Daily ritual of cleaning and lubing the bike at the end of the day

If I could make it to Escanaba I could meet up with dad and download the pictures to his laptop.  But that meant storing 2 days’ worth of pictures on the memory card.  I didn’t know if there would be enough room and what was going to happen but I was going to give it a shot.  The night was almost a total blur, dealing with the computer, camera, and gps issues I was tired, frustrated, and unprepared for the next two days.  

Day 1 – Friday, August 30, 2013

Chicago – Milwaukee (93 Miles)

My chariot for the next 10 days

I woke up fairly early Friday morning after not sleeping very much the night before.  I was excited and nervous about the trip.  I got a cup of coffee and while watching the news saw that the temperature was going to be into the upper 90’s today.  Knowing what was in store I wanted to head out early to beat the heat.  I gathered the last of my gear and put the spare parts in a bin that Heather would take with her in the car.  I wouldn’t see her again until I got to Milwaukee that night.  When she left for work it was a strange feeling knowing that the only way for me to get to Milwaukee was on the bike.  It seemed a little overwhelming because at that point everything I needed for the trip I had to carry with me.

Picture of me leaving the house taken by my neighbor

I didn’t wait long after Heather left and after filling the camelback and bottles I stepped out into the morning sun.  Coming out of the air conditioning the heat hit me like a shock wave and I knew instantly it was going to be a real hard day.  In the front yard I was about to go knock on the neighbors door to ask him for a picture but he was already outside.  He knew about my ride from last year and was happy to take my picture again.  He still looked at me like I was crazy but told me to be safe and have a good trip.  With that, I hit “start” on the Garmin and headed down the street knowing I wouldn’t be back for another 10 days.

Entering Wisconsin

Immediately I found myself unsure about whether the computer was actually working and fumbled around trying to see what was going on with it.  I had to stop only a few hundred feet from the door to get it all sorted out.  Traffic was bad and I kept starting and stopping until I got onto Ridge Road going towards Highland Park.  Finally I was able to get a little breathing room and cruise at decent speed going north.  It was hot but not a bad ride up to the Wisconsin border but from then on it started getting really hot…  My feet started burning and my butt got incredibly sore.  By the time I reached Kenosha I needed a break so I stopped at Carthage College, which is situated perfectly at 50 miles from home, refilled the water and ate a bar.  I knew the afternoon was going to be even worse.

Leaving Kenosha I was unsure about the route and had to rely solely on my Garmin for directions.  Immediately the new computer failed me by rerouting me onto different roads that I knew were not right.  Every time I would make a turn it would reroute me to another road.  The bad part was the re-route calculation would take a few minutes and the computer had me doing U-Turns and loops trying to find the right track.  Thankfully, I had a faint memory of the route so I just got on a road that I knew would take me north and started riding regardless of what the Garmin said.  This was certainly not ideal, however, because the road was way too busy and dangerous to continue for long.

It was incredibly hot and humid and I was having a really hard time staying hydrated, as I felt worse and worse I started to question how I was possibly going to make it another 9 days if I felt this bad already.  I turned off the main road and onto the dreaded gravel path that went for about 20 miles under some power lines which offered not a single ounce of shade.  The path was sunken in a stagnate, bowl of trees and weeds which was unbearably hot with no breeze or shade of any kind.  I baked out there for an hour and finally when I couldn’t possibly take any more the path ended and I turned off onto a paved road.

Beautiful scenery to start the day riding along the lake

It was here that I realized that I had also forgotten a few miscellaneous items of varying importance at home… not least of which was my wallet!!!  Knowing I had no money for water, food, or even a train ticket should I need it was concerning.  I left a message for Heather to stop back at the house and pick up a few things in addition to the wallet.   The additional items I had her bring were: Magazines, a spare Garmin computer mount, spare bike, and leftover spaghetti from the night before.  Why in God’s name I chose those items I will never know.  Looking back on it but I think the heat was doing something to the circuit board in my head.

Just outside Milwaukee I totally agreed with the sign.

Surprisingly, when I turned off the road I ran into the exact same gas station where I had stopped last year when I felt equally horrible and needed a break.  It was like an oasis in the middle of the desert.  I knew I was getting close and after another hour of pedaling I entered the outskirts of Milwaukee.  I started seeing motorcycles everywhere and as I got into the downtown I realized why I hadn’t been able to find a hotel room for the night.  It was the 110^th Harley Davidson Rally in downtown Milwaukee.  There were bikes everywhere.  Roads were shut down and there were people literally walking out in the streets.  I weaved through it all and made my way through the ruckus north to the bike path that would take me to White Lake and the end of Day 1. 

Downtown Milwaukee bikers rally

Clouds rolling in over the Milwaukee skyline

Since I couldn’t find a hotel room I used a website called Airbnb to find a place to stay.  People rent rooms of their house for dirt cheap and I had found a place for only $40 a night.  It was a gamble but the place looked nice and with no other options I took it.  Dark clouds were moving in as it became late in the day and it was drizzling when I arrived at the quaint residential house in the northern suburbs of Milwaukee.  Sami was the host and she greeted me happily as I knocked on the door.  She showed me to my room which was really nice and we stowed the bike in the garage.  I was so dehydrated that I started chugging water and immediately took a cold shower to cool down.   I lay down for an hour to rest before going out to attend to the bike and proceeded to chug five bottles of water.

Very glad to be done with Day 1.  In front of my Airbnb rest stop.

After a while I felt a little better and I went out to oil the chain and check on the bike.  It was then that I found the rear rack had nearly fallen off during the day.  The metal piece, clamping the rack to the saddle rails, had bent and fallen loose from the saddle.  I took it apart using a Leatherman tool I had stashed in my bag and using the butt end of an axe I found in the garage hammered it flat and put it all back together.  It seemed to work for now but I’d have to keep an eye on it.  This was a critical piece of gear and if it failed I would be totally sunk.

Bent piece (Silver) on my rear rack

Heather arrived later in the evening and we went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner.  I was sore and tired from a long first day and in the back of my mind wondered how I was possibly going to make it another 9 days.  I had to keep telling myself to take it one day at a time.  Don’t look any further than today, just concentrate the road that is directly in front of you.