Day 4 – Monday, September 2, 2013

Escanaba - Epoufette

The hotel we stayed at in Escanaba is right on the lake at the North end of town.  I slept like a baby with the lake breeze and waves crashing in my ears.  Waking up refreshed I knew it was the last of the 118 mile days but it was going to be a tough one.  The wind had picked up overnight and was coming straight out of the north and the first 25 miles of the day were straight into it.  The front had also brought cooler temperatures and that morning was in the 40s with heavy cloud cover and a light drizzle.

View from our hotel room in Escanaba

Dad, Karna and I getting ready to leave

Me and my beautiful wife Heather

Heather, Karna, Dad and I gathered downstairs and went to a little local diner for breakfast.  We took our time and relaxed and enjoyed the company.  Back at the hotel I got ready to go and Heather got ready to head back to Chicago since she had to work the next day.  As we got ready to load the blue bin into dads’ car we realized he had a flat tire.  Since I was in a hurry to get going I waited until AAA showed up then left to get started while they stayed behind to fix the tire.  It was sad saying goodbye to Heather knowing that we wouldn’t see each other for another week.  It also put the trip into perspective about how long it was going to take.  I knew exactly what was in store and the difficult days ahead.

  

Leaving Escanaba with the bay on the right

On the road, I fought the wind for the first hour before the rain started.  I was going unbearably slow and with nothing to block the wind on the exposed stretches of road I was getting punished.  Eventually, I made the right turn onto Highway 2 which runs east all the way to Epoufette.  I would never pray for a crosswind like that put when it comes down to that or a direct headwind I was thankful for it.  It was also about that time that it started to rain.  It was never a hard rain just a cold misty drizzle that continued all day.  I had my jacket on and with the cold wind and rain I knew the next 5 hours were going to be miserable.

View looking west in Manistique about half way through the day

Eventually I stopped at a gas station to take a gel and ran into Dad and Karna as they were headed up to visit my Aunt Aurea that night in Grand Marais which was about 40 miles north.  They would drop the bin at my hotel first then go on up so I would have the computer, tools, and clothes that night.  They continued on and I rode on in the rain.

It’s weird when you ride for long stretches like that you tend to get in a zone.  The next few hours kind of went by in a blur.  There were no hills and not much scenery.  The road followed the lake but you couldn’t see the lake.  The terrain looked eerily similar from mile to mile and it was easy to get lost in it over the hours.  The wind was biting and dampness saturated every part of my body so that when I stopped later in the afternoon for a quick bite to eat I got chilled quickly.

Typical view of Highway 2 going east

Lookout over the bay about 10 miles from the hotel

I watched the miles tick away and was somewhat surprised when I got within 10 miles of town.  The rain tapered but the rain and wind continued until I made it to the town of Epoufette.  The term “town” is misleading because it contains a restaurant, hotel, and gas station.  But all three are very nice and it was twice as nice on a day like today.  When I got to the hotel I jumped into the hottest shower I could stand and tried to relax.  I went across the street and got a smoked fish stick like I did the year before and went back to relax in the room for an hour.

Hotel in Epoufette across from the store where I bought smoke salmon

View of the lake from the hotel patio

After all the excitement of the previous days and with all the stress of the computer, flat tires, heat, rain, etc. it was really nice to have a calm moment alone in the room to just relax in silence.  I chowed down on Cheese-Its which Heather picked up in Green Bay and was my reward at the end of each day.  After a short rest I got up and cleaned the bike and aired out my bike clothes. 

Sunset over the lake

Later on I walked the 50’ to the restaurant and settled in for a delicious dinner.  I had never had a Pastie before which is a specialty in the UP.  It’s like a pot pie, with meat, vegetables, and potatoes but wrapped up like a Calzone.  It tasted so good after the long day but when I was done there was still a little more room.  I chased the pastie with a huge chocolate cake and ice cream sundae for desert along with 2 huge chocolate milks.  I enjoyed every bite of the meal and in the setting overlooking Lake Michigan it doesn’t get much better.

That night I slept with the windows open so I could hear the wind in the trees and the waves crashing on the sand below my window. But the bed was so uncomfortable I hardly slept and I had to call numerous times to have them come turn the heat on which seems silly now since I had the windows open.  I guess there is just something about being up north that makes me want to hear the beautiful sounds of the outdoors.