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.