First, my hat's off to the twelve and twenty-four hour riders, and their crew. Cold and drizzle is no fun. Same to the six hour solo riders.
Continuing from the previous post, since I decided to switch to the road bike, several changes had to be made. While I really like my bomb-proof, fifteen year-old Rolf Vector Pros, there is no denying the Zipps roll faster. So, I switched wheels. But, if I wanted to stay in the big ring (more on that shortly), I had to also switch my 11-32 cogset to the Zipps. I lubed the chain but didn't bother cleaning the bike since it was going to get filthy anyhow. And, I went with Continental 4000's rather than racing tires. So my bike was ready.
Next, clothing. I packed all my rain gear: booties, helmet cover, pants, jacket. Given the forecast, I only expected to wear the jacket, but better safe than sorry. I packed four kit changes, four pair of socks, tights, four shirts for base layers, one of which actually was a base layer garment. Clif bars and a tube of Nuun, a gallon of water, one water bottle. Two of my kits were skin suits, two regular jerseys. I was hoping for maybe a dry lap, didn't happen. I was prepared for riding, not prepared for waiting. Angela brought her Snuggie. I wished I had one to bring.
On to the race itself. We're talking fifty degrees and more or less racing in a cloud. The road was wet, sometimes more wet than others, with sometimes drizzle messing with your glasses, sometimes not. A light wind, but you could tell when it was in your face. Lots of rollers, a couple of decent downhills. Jim and I decided we would do two laps then hand off. A lap was 6.12 (or .21 whatever), so we were looking at more or less twenty minutes for Jim and twenty-two minutes for me. I started.
To repeat, we were in it for fun and exercise, not that we had any expectations of placing well. There were folks who were really serious about their racing. That being said, I intended to give it my best. That didn't happen (body, yes, bike no). I knew last year that my shifters were beginning to wear out. The left one (front chain ring) sometimes goes walkabout when I hit it. Multiple clicks and cajoling might finally get it to switch. This is all well and good on a recreation ride, not so much when racing. That is why I left it in the big ring. Well, maybe it was the cold and damp, but the right one started acting up.
The start of the race tilts down then a big decent. I brought the cadence up to speed and clicked for the next gear. Nothing happened. Four clicks later it finally moved, but by then I needed three more gears. A whole bunch of clicking and swearing and I got it down, but by then everybody had moved away. And because this is a rolling section, I needed some more clicks to bring it back up the cassette. Then down, then up. Bah! Eventually, it started working right about 90% of the time. Even with the shifting difficulties, I managed the first lap in twenty-one minutes. And the second one, so I handed off to Jim after forty-two minutes.
I waited around with a pullover, getting chilled, for his first lap, but then went to the car and changed my base layer to a dry one. This was more of a chore than anticipated. I made a big mistake in choosing my old skin suit to start the race. It is one piece, with long sleeves. To change the base layer, I needed to wriggle out of the upper part. That accomplished, it was back to the pit to await my second section. An aside, being old and cold means an over-active bladder. Going in the skin suit was quite a chore.
Jim was right on time, I was not. I thought I was ready but had forgotten to take off my clip covers. We lost maybe a minute, not that it mattered. I thought my second section went faster than the first, but alas, I lost fifty-three seconds for the two loops. This time I didn't wait for the cold to set in, but took a change of clothes to the car. Picture this: sitting in the passenger seat, divesting a jacket, sweat shirt, rain jacket, then putting on a dry base layer and jersey, then removing the tights and replacing the shorts. Fortunately the parking area was devoid of people. I delayed putting on the rain jacket since it was wet inside and out. Anyhow, I missed cheering Jim on for his second lap.
He was a model of consistency. I thought my third go around had more wind and a tad heavier drizzle. In any case, I lost another minute. I was protecting my protesting hamstrings. Interesting enough, even given the cold and wet, I wasn't uncomfortable on the bike. I certainly didn't get overheated. I spent more minutes out of the aero bars on this go around, and my cadence slowed a bit.
Once again I changed out the base layer, but this time it was quite easy. I spent more time in the car with the engine running and heater blowing, and again missed Jim on his first lap. The ladies, Annette and Angela, decided early on that they would alternate laps, thus not waiting the extra twenty minutes getting chilled. I think my body needed the extra rest to recover. Be that as it may, I dreaded what it would do on the forth foray.
The hamstrings did not revolt, and I made it around, although losing another forty seconds. Still, I originally figured forty-five minutes for the two laps, and my slowest was under that. I packed up while Jim finished up, but managed to cheer him on to the second lap. Done.
I was more than done. The race finished at 6:00 pm and awards were to be given out at 7:00 pm. Refreshments were available, and a food truck. I didn't think my body could handle hanging out for an hour, then the awards, then the seventy-five minute drive home in the dark and drizzle. With apologies, I headed home.
I slept well, but I need to spend today loosening up all the very tight areas which were abused yesterday. All the knuckles on my hands are swollen. This afternoon I'll get my two bikes back to normal. Maybe tomorrow I'll be back riding.
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Thursday, February 2, 2017
MY TIME TRIAL BIKE
At the Bicycle Sport Shop club kickoff party the other night several of us were discussing the upcoming Pace Bend 6-12-24 race. I was whining about the change of venue, in that I'd planned to ride my TT bike, but would now switch to the road bike in view of the terrain and possible rain. I then remarked that in the seven years of racing time trials on this bike, it had never (ever) been wet. I have never washed it, only a damp cloth on occasion to remove the dust. Raised eyebrows. True. If it is wet out, I train on the road bike and aero bars. I've been lucky in that actual races were dry (except one that I did on the road bike).
I truly love my TT bike. Jack (of Jack and Adams) spent a whole lot of time getting me fitted just right, and I can spend fifty-five minutes in an hour in the aero position. It is a Felt B2 Pro, with Dura Ace and Zipp 404 and 808 wheels. I became a minute faster overnight (See my March 23, 2009 post).
After typing the last sentence I looked up my time trial results with this bike. I've raced 51 times in Texas and podium'd 49 of them. At Senior Games Nationals I placed 13th and 18th, but first from Texas. I admit that most of the races had thin fields, and were age-grouped, so I don't get too chuffed up about it. Besides, it's the bike that makes the difference.
I truly love my TT bike. Jack (of Jack and Adams) spent a whole lot of time getting me fitted just right, and I can spend fifty-five minutes in an hour in the aero position. It is a Felt B2 Pro, with Dura Ace and Zipp 404 and 808 wheels. I became a minute faster overnight (See my March 23, 2009 post). After typing the last sentence I looked up my time trial results with this bike. I've raced 51 times in Texas and podium'd 49 of them. At Senior Games Nationals I placed 13th and 18th, but first from Texas. I admit that most of the races had thin fields, and were age-grouped, so I don't get too chuffed up about it. Besides, it's the bike that makes the difference.
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
THE FIRST RACE OF 2017
For starters, for me it isn't a race at all, just an opportunity to ride faster than normal. But, let's start at the beginning. Originally this six-hour race (there are also twelve and twenty-four simultaneously) was to be held at The Driveway. I've never ridden it, just cheered the BSS racers and others, on Thursday evenings. This was a perfect opportunity to experience the 1+mile course with little elevation on my TT bike, a much needed training ride in advance of my first actual race at the end of February. Teamed up with Jim Hungerford, I anticipated six half-hour sections.
Just like in real life, sometimes there are hurdles to overcome. Due to construction delays, The Driveway would not be available and the venue was changed to Pace Bend Park. Pook, Ding-fu!! I've "raced" twice at Pace Bend and have also done a few practice rides. There are no fond memories.
Several years ago, like maybe ten, when I felt much stronger and in better shape, I thought I'd do the Walburg/Pace Bend weekend. Walburg was a tough ride. For Pace Bend, while I felt good warming up, my legs lasted about half a lap and I dnf'd in a hurry. The next year, having learned my lesson, I skipped Walburg and toe'd the line full of vim and vigor. My plan was to be mid-pack, but somehow I mis-placed the start line. Not by a lot, maybe twenty yards. Once I realized the error, I moved up, but now at the back. I was ready. Too ready. I botched the clip-in, needing two pedal strokes to get up and running. That's all it took. The pack was full gas from the get-go and I could never close the gap. In my defense, these guys were ten years younger than me and I had no illusions of hanging with them for more than half the race anyhow. I didn't finish last, but did the whole race more or less alone.
From the start, Jim and I were just in it for the fun, so that hasn't changed. Rather than passing the start/finish line every five or six minutes, it will be more like twenty to twenty-three. We figure two loops before handing off, so something like four sections each. Rather than my TT bike, I'll be on the road bike with aero bars, regular helmet. Rain is forecast, but with luck will be done by the time we start. If not, I'll have my rain gear.
Check back next week to see how we fared.
Just like in real life, sometimes there are hurdles to overcome. Due to construction delays, The Driveway would not be available and the venue was changed to Pace Bend Park. Pook, Ding-fu!! I've "raced" twice at Pace Bend and have also done a few practice rides. There are no fond memories.
Several years ago, like maybe ten, when I felt much stronger and in better shape, I thought I'd do the Walburg/Pace Bend weekend. Walburg was a tough ride. For Pace Bend, while I felt good warming up, my legs lasted about half a lap and I dnf'd in a hurry. The next year, having learned my lesson, I skipped Walburg and toe'd the line full of vim and vigor. My plan was to be mid-pack, but somehow I mis-placed the start line. Not by a lot, maybe twenty yards. Once I realized the error, I moved up, but now at the back. I was ready. Too ready. I botched the clip-in, needing two pedal strokes to get up and running. That's all it took. The pack was full gas from the get-go and I could never close the gap. In my defense, these guys were ten years younger than me and I had no illusions of hanging with them for more than half the race anyhow. I didn't finish last, but did the whole race more or less alone.
From the start, Jim and I were just in it for the fun, so that hasn't changed. Rather than passing the start/finish line every five or six minutes, it will be more like twenty to twenty-three. We figure two loops before handing off, so something like four sections each. Rather than my TT bike, I'll be on the road bike with aero bars, regular helmet. Rain is forecast, but with luck will be done by the time we start. If not, I'll have my rain gear.
Check back next week to see how we fared.
Thursday, January 19, 2017
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION
OK, I'm calling this desire to ride more a New Year's Resolution but it actually it just happens to be how things fall into place. We start with Senior Games Nationals in June. I skipped the ones in 2015 and was 12th and 17th in 2013. I'm hoping to do better this year. In order to do better, I need to race more (reality check: no where close to top eight). Therefore the early months have me doing more time trials.
The first scheduled race is late February, but Dame Fortune has inspired the good folks at The Driveway to host a 24 hour race Feb 4th. They also offer 12 hour solo and team and 6 hour solo and 2 person team. I intended to do the six hour solo but my friend Jim asked me to partner with him. Serendipity. Now I can do six 30 minute time trials (which I haven't broached to Jim yet). Today I got on my time trial bike for the first time since last June. Legs were good, my neck is killing me.
As things turned out, I have two races in February, one in March, then the Senior Games State Finals the second week of April, USAC State Finals the third week of May, and then Nationals the first week in June. If that isn't enough, I can go down to Castroville once a month.
My good friends at VeloView Bike Tours have a gravel grinder in Arkansas right after I get home from Nationals. Regular readers know that Arkansas is on my to-do list for 2017 and I was the first person signed up for this. Right after returning home from Arkansas we have our annual get-together in the North Georgia Mountains (and yes, I take my bike).
There are other local bike rides happening, so the first half of the year is full. Last year I skipped the USAC State Road Race Championships and Tour de Gruene in the Fall. They are back on the agenda this year.
Every year my goal is 8,000 miles. Every year I fall short. Doesn't keep me from setting it. I know if I do 800 miles per month, my speed and stamina are where they should be (January and December are down times).
The first scheduled race is late February, but Dame Fortune has inspired the good folks at The Driveway to host a 24 hour race Feb 4th. They also offer 12 hour solo and team and 6 hour solo and 2 person team. I intended to do the six hour solo but my friend Jim asked me to partner with him. Serendipity. Now I can do six 30 minute time trials (which I haven't broached to Jim yet). Today I got on my time trial bike for the first time since last June. Legs were good, my neck is killing me.
As things turned out, I have two races in February, one in March, then the Senior Games State Finals the second week of April, USAC State Finals the third week of May, and then Nationals the first week in June. If that isn't enough, I can go down to Castroville once a month.
My good friends at VeloView Bike Tours have a gravel grinder in Arkansas right after I get home from Nationals. Regular readers know that Arkansas is on my to-do list for 2017 and I was the first person signed up for this. Right after returning home from Arkansas we have our annual get-together in the North Georgia Mountains (and yes, I take my bike).
There are other local bike rides happening, so the first half of the year is full. Last year I skipped the USAC State Road Race Championships and Tour de Gruene in the Fall. They are back on the agenda this year.
Every year my goal is 8,000 miles. Every year I fall short. Doesn't keep me from setting it. I know if I do 800 miles per month, my speed and stamina are where they should be (January and December are down times).
Friday, December 30, 2016
HITTING THE ROAD, LITERALLY
After a recent incident, I posted that in the last thirty years I'd crashed seven times and have been fortunate enough to have escaped without a breaking a bone. That number was "off the top of my head" but now I have taken the time to remember all of them, not counting falling over after just getting my first set of clips.
The first time came as I was following my son out of the neighborhood (McNeil Road and I-35 for those in the Round Rock area). We have to cross railroad tracks. Yes, we know how to cross them. But for some reason, maybe traffic, he swerved and got caught and went down, and I swerved to miss him and also caught my wheel and went down. More embarrassment than anything, we got up and continued riding.
My second crash happened in the garage. I recently purchased a set of rollers to assist in winter preparation for my coast-to-coast journey (2001). Like a sophomore, I became over-confident. The rollers were situated next to a wall so I could use it to help in balancing. One day my mind wandered and when I finished my workout, I applied the brakes rather than put my hand on the wall. Next thing I knew, I fell over (like that tv clip of the guy on a trike falling over). No time to unclip. Big bruise on my hip. Forever after, I don't use a wall, rather something I can get a hand around, like the side of my pick-up, or the back porch fence.
The third time I was along the I-35 access road near Jarrell. I had the right-of-way, but it was on an incline and my speed only in the 5 mph range. I saw the pick-up slowing for his stop sign, mentally registered he was stopping and kept peddling. Rather than a complete stop, he rolled through and we collided, my front wheel to his left front fender. This was a long ride, therefore I had my Camelbak on, and it took the brunt of me and the bike hitting his fender. He was most apologetic and paid for a new wheel, in addition to transporting me back to my car. I only had a big bruise and minor road rash.
The fourth time I got caught in a drizzle after a long dry spell. The smooth asphalt was slick. Anderson Mill and 620 for those in the area. I cautiously made the right turn off 620 but the back wheel slid out from under me and I slid across the lane and into the raised median. Neither I nor the bike sustained any damage. But the reason I remember this so well is the lady going north, waiting for the red light to change. She steadfastly refused to acknowledge my presence, only a few feet under her car door. Lucky for me, I didn't have any traffic waiting for me to extricate myself and get righted.
Number five was the scariest. It was my Sunday morning ride, on Bee Cave Road just west of 360, going downhill at close to 40 mph. As I approached Addie Roy Road, a stopped pick-up pulled out right in front of me. I hit the brakes and swerved right, into Addie Roy, but my rear wheel slid on gravel and I went down really hard. Again, the Camelbak rescued me, but I lay in the middle of the road for a good three minutes, just trying to breathe and mentally check my body. The pick-up kept driving, but apparently his conscience got the better of him and he circled back (it took several minutes). The irony in this was he was a cyclist going out to start his ride! I had to call my wife to gather me and the bike up.
Number six happened on a group ride. Our group leader is very conscientious about safety, and always gives a briefing before we start out. One of his points is that on left turns we shouldn't be cutting the corner into the lane of oncoming traffic, but keep it wide into our own lanes. This was in the fall (actually winter, but it was when the trees shed their leaves). On one particular corner the combination of turning wide and wet leaves in the gutter had me once again on the ground. Pook ding-fu! I had a cut finger, and my left knee had a few gashes. I still have the tatoo they left, three years since, but it is slowly fading.
And the last one. Another group ride, Christmas Eve. A nice twenty mile (was going to be thirty, but things happened so we cut it short) to downtown Austin and back. I really enjoyed the riding, and tucked in behind a friend with whom I've ridden before. We were on a concrete hike/bike trail when he lost concentration and wandered off into the grass. A slight over-correction on his part, and slow reaction on mine, and wheels touched. I went down in a hurry. Again, I had the Camelbak, this time festooned with lights. So many times, this type of crash results in a broken collarbone. I escaped with only minor road rash. Not even my jersey (my Christmas one) was torn.
Each accident has taught me a lesson, and I remain quite thankful it didn't come with a broken bone. Maybe after reading this, you too will change a bad habit or become more aware of your surroundings when out riding. As Professor Moody would exclaim: CONSTANT VIGILANCE!
The first time came as I was following my son out of the neighborhood (McNeil Road and I-35 for those in the Round Rock area). We have to cross railroad tracks. Yes, we know how to cross them. But for some reason, maybe traffic, he swerved and got caught and went down, and I swerved to miss him and also caught my wheel and went down. More embarrassment than anything, we got up and continued riding.
My second crash happened in the garage. I recently purchased a set of rollers to assist in winter preparation for my coast-to-coast journey (2001). Like a sophomore, I became over-confident. The rollers were situated next to a wall so I could use it to help in balancing. One day my mind wandered and when I finished my workout, I applied the brakes rather than put my hand on the wall. Next thing I knew, I fell over (like that tv clip of the guy on a trike falling over). No time to unclip. Big bruise on my hip. Forever after, I don't use a wall, rather something I can get a hand around, like the side of my pick-up, or the back porch fence.
The third time I was along the I-35 access road near Jarrell. I had the right-of-way, but it was on an incline and my speed only in the 5 mph range. I saw the pick-up slowing for his stop sign, mentally registered he was stopping and kept peddling. Rather than a complete stop, he rolled through and we collided, my front wheel to his left front fender. This was a long ride, therefore I had my Camelbak on, and it took the brunt of me and the bike hitting his fender. He was most apologetic and paid for a new wheel, in addition to transporting me back to my car. I only had a big bruise and minor road rash.
The fourth time I got caught in a drizzle after a long dry spell. The smooth asphalt was slick. Anderson Mill and 620 for those in the area. I cautiously made the right turn off 620 but the back wheel slid out from under me and I slid across the lane and into the raised median. Neither I nor the bike sustained any damage. But the reason I remember this so well is the lady going north, waiting for the red light to change. She steadfastly refused to acknowledge my presence, only a few feet under her car door. Lucky for me, I didn't have any traffic waiting for me to extricate myself and get righted.
Number five was the scariest. It was my Sunday morning ride, on Bee Cave Road just west of 360, going downhill at close to 40 mph. As I approached Addie Roy Road, a stopped pick-up pulled out right in front of me. I hit the brakes and swerved right, into Addie Roy, but my rear wheel slid on gravel and I went down really hard. Again, the Camelbak rescued me, but I lay in the middle of the road for a good three minutes, just trying to breathe and mentally check my body. The pick-up kept driving, but apparently his conscience got the better of him and he circled back (it took several minutes). The irony in this was he was a cyclist going out to start his ride! I had to call my wife to gather me and the bike up.
Number six happened on a group ride. Our group leader is very conscientious about safety, and always gives a briefing before we start out. One of his points is that on left turns we shouldn't be cutting the corner into the lane of oncoming traffic, but keep it wide into our own lanes. This was in the fall (actually winter, but it was when the trees shed their leaves). On one particular corner the combination of turning wide and wet leaves in the gutter had me once again on the ground. Pook ding-fu! I had a cut finger, and my left knee had a few gashes. I still have the tatoo they left, three years since, but it is slowly fading.
And the last one. Another group ride, Christmas Eve. A nice twenty mile (was going to be thirty, but things happened so we cut it short) to downtown Austin and back. I really enjoyed the riding, and tucked in behind a friend with whom I've ridden before. We were on a concrete hike/bike trail when he lost concentration and wandered off into the grass. A slight over-correction on his part, and slow reaction on mine, and wheels touched. I went down in a hurry. Again, I had the Camelbak, this time festooned with lights. So many times, this type of crash results in a broken collarbone. I escaped with only minor road rash. Not even my jersey (my Christmas one) was torn.
Each accident has taught me a lesson, and I remain quite thankful it didn't come with a broken bone. Maybe after reading this, you too will change a bad habit or become more aware of your surroundings when out riding. As Professor Moody would exclaim: CONSTANT VIGILANCE!
Monday, September 19, 2016
CYCLING IN THE UP OF MICHIGAN
Unlike the District of Columbia D.C., the abbreviation for the Upper Peninsula is UP (without the periods). Longtime readers of the blog or my books Bicycle Journeys with Jerry or Gotta Go! know that my "thing" is taking vacations which include cycling. Usually it is strictly a bike tour of some sort, either with a tour company (like VeloView or Black Bear Adventures), or something that I put together myself. Occasionally it is in conjunction with other touristy activities which are mainly touring with some cycling thrown in. This is one of those.
I've said it many times before, I "go" places but Marilane is the real tourist. She expressed an interest in seeing the UP and even found me a century (100 mile) bike ride. The fact that the Door County Century is located in Wisconsin didn't slow us up a bit, since it is either on the way to or from the UP. She did her "thing" of researching what all was available to see and we mapped out a route to take. If she were going by herself, it would be by air and rental car.
With 1500+ miles to cover, we took it easy with stops in Little Rock, AR, Springfield, IL, and Cadillac, MI. Our first tourist stop was the well-advertised Mackinac Island. Only a few hours from Cadillac, we figured an early start would give us a whole day of exploring. What we overlooked was that on Labor Day about 40,000 people walk over the five-mile long bridge. If we had left Cadillac earlier we might have eaked through before all traffic was stopped, but as it was, we stopped at the Mackinaw City end of the bridge. For almost an hour. Finally, at eleven o'clock, traffic began moving. Keep in mind that folks started walking over one lane of this bridge at 7am. As we inched our way up and over, Lake Michigan on the left and Lake Huron on the right, the one lane was full of people -really from one end of the bridge to the other. Even though the official start time ended at 11am, there were still late-comers beginning their walk. A serendipitous happening.
The other end of the bridge is the city of St. Ignace. In St. Ignace is a reputed pasty place. First we located our hotel, then plugged in the address to find our pasty (yes, they have vegetarian, but not vegan). Now is a good time to get off-track a bit and give a shout out to WAZE. Our son and son-in-law touted it to us when we were in Georgia, so we down-loaded the app. The first thing it did was cut about a hundred miles off our route from Little Rock to Springfield and put us on a brand new road with no traffic. I'm impressed. On this day, it routed us around the still-congested bridge traffic to our pasty place. Also an explanation, of sorts, as to why we wanted to try a pasty in the first place. We are great fans of Lillian Jackson Braun and her Cat Who books. In many of them she refers to pastys, and while she never says the setting is the UP, we are pretty sure that is her reference. Now that we have tried them, all I can say is they are pretty bland, but filling.
After lunch we attended the Ojibwa Museum, a very interesting place. Among new things we learned was how they get the birch bark to make a canoe. We checked into the hotel, I rested, Marilane went exploring. Later we walked along their boardwalk/trail along the lake, bought fudge (because that is what you do when here), and strolled back to the hotel. We had a balcony overlooking Lake Huron. Quite peaceful. Great sunrise.
The next morning we took the ferry to Mackinac Island. No automobiles of any sort are allowed here. We disembarked and immediately made our way a few blocks to book a carriage ride. I've done carriage rides in Central Park and Acadia National Park. They do the best they can with what the've got, but it was pretty boring. Another thing the island is known for is it's fudge. We purchased Murdick's last night and Joann's today. Joanns wins easily. We also found a decent restaurant for lunch, getting inside and hiding from the brief shower that came blowing in. When she started the research, Marilane originally wanted to skip Mackinac. Well, we've been here. To be fair, we didn't pay the extra to see the Grand Hotel.
The coffee (and breakfast for that matter) at the hotel was below par, but at the other end of the parking lot was Java Joe's. Great. What the write up on my link says is right on. We had a nice chat with the owner, a Peace Corps volunteer and civil rights activist when he was young. Then we hit the road.
First stop was Sault Saint Marie and the Soo Locks. This is where the big ships move between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. I've seen and been through locks before but these are famous so I didn't want to come this far and not see them. Managed to see one ship as it finished exiting. They have a nice viewing area, but other than that ho-hum. It would be awhile before the next ship, so we didn't wait around.
Our drive to Curtis was circuitous, visiting the Tahquamenon Falls, both upper and lower, then out to Whitefish Point and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. Our take-away from the museum was that, not counting the Edmund Fitzgerald, most of the shipwrecks were because the captain did something stupid.
We finally made it to Curtis and the Chamberlin's Ole Forest Inn. This was an interesting place, in that you had to schlep your bags through the restaurant to the stairs to the rooms above. Their porch looking out over Manistique Lake rates an A+, and we had breakfast the next morning doing just that.
Finally, some cycling. The first of three planned rides, forty-five miles from Curtis to Grand Marais. So far we had excellent weather, both on the drive up to Michigan and while here. Today was no exception. I had no map, but there were only three turns, two of which were in Curtis. The appeal in the UP is on the lake shores. The middle is pretty much rural and wooded, and on this ride devoid of anything scenic. But I had a great, smooth road shoulder, minimal traffic, super weather, so had a flat, peaceful ride into Grand Marais. Marilane said she would give me an hour's headstart, so I anticipated seeing her around an hour and a half into the ride. As it turned out, she spent most of the morning on the porch enjoying the solitude and the lake. As I decended the hill into Grand Marais, she passed me. Perfect timing. Grand Marais is very small and was just a pick-up point on our way to Munising. It is noted for it's sand dunes, but neither of us had much interest.
I intended to take the scenic route along Lake Superior to Munising but when I turned and found it to be a gravel road, changed my mind. Again in Munising we had a balcony overlooking the lake. Our plan was to take the sunset cruise to the Pictured Rocks, so we trekked on over to pick up our tickets before finding a place to eat. They informed us that the waves were the 2-4 foot variety and it would be rough. Ok, we can do that (Marilane would love it, Jerry less so). As it turned out, by the time we set out, the waves were 6+ feet and forty-five minutes into the trip, before we hit the really big waves, our boat turned around. Money was fully refunded, so we had a nice hour and a half boat ride for free.
Finding places to eat that can keep me on my plant-based diet is very challenging. In Munising, the Falling Rock Cafe and Bookstore was up to the task. This is a cool place and highly recommended. I donated a book to them, after perusing their sport section and not finding any on cycling.
My second ride involved driving to Marquette and cycling back to Munising while Marilane checked in with Weight Watchers and had a mani/pedi at The Studio Design Team. As you can tell by the fact that I made it a link, she highly recommends it. The forecast called for rain about 1:30pm, but I'd be done by then. We arrived in Marquette and I had a pit stop at McDonalds. This was several miles before my planned departure, but after seeing the road had heavy traffic and no shoulder into town, decided I'd leave from here. Once again, I had a wide, smooth shoulder but this time a few hills were on the route. I also had the wind more or less at my back and Lake Superior on my left.
It was an uneventful ride. Marilane, on the other hand, spent an inordinant amount of time at the salon, and had no time for exploring Marquette. I had finished my thirty-five mile ride and cleaned up before she left Marquette.
With rain in the forecast, we decided to drive out to the Pictured Rocks rather than take the cruise. Our first stop was at Castle Rock. It was interesting, but the best way to experience this phenomena was by boat. We noticed that the lake was now smooth as glass, so decided to give the cruise another chance. As it turned out, our timing couldn't have been better. Marilane got the last two available tickets to the afternoon cruise on the catamaran. This is a much bigger, faster boat and downright luxurious compared to what we were in yesterday. Seeing how the minerals in the water seeping over the rocks creates murals is pretty spectacular. The only downside to this cruise is because the boat is so wide, in order to give everyone a photo op, they go slow and stop both on the outbound and inbound treks. We had the starboard side, so took our photos on the way out and were pretty much bored on the way back. But taking the bigger boat was much the better deal. We missed the sunset cruise, but I calculated that cruise would have been completed by sunset anyway, so figured we didn't miss much.
My third cycling foray was to be forty-five miles from Munising to Manistique, getting picked up, a quick run through Manistique and see Lake Michigan, then drive to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin for a century ride. The forecasted rain finally arrived, not just a drizzle. So, we changed plans, kept the bike in the car and drove through it. The driving route skipped Manistique but takes you south along Green Bay and at the bottom through the town of Green Bay and back up the Door County peninsula. The rain had stopped by then and we arrived in Sturgeon Bay first at packet pickup, then to our B&B. Once again, WAZE guided us quickly and surely to our destinations.
The White Lace Inn is located in the historic district, so is central to downtown. This is a small downtown, we are only talking about a few blocks. An added bonus, when we looked up the location of the Catholic Church we found that it was half a block away. I napped and Marilane went exploring, followed by church. The next morning I was out at 5:45am therefore missed the excellent breakfast that was served at 8:00am. By then I had done thirty miles on my bike. Full story in a separate post.
After riding, pasta lunch, and a nap, we wandered up and down main street and found a nice restaurant for dinner. The next morning we packed the car for our return then sat down for breakfast. A sumptious breakfast and plant-based diet are not compatible. I had oatmeal and fruit.
In looking at the map last night, it occurred to me that I had made a serious error in routing our return. I can't for the life of me remember why I took us to Quincy, Illinois for the first night. It is several hundred miles out of the way. Long story short, we put WAZE on the job and Marilane on the phone cancelling our reservations. We made it to Farmington, Missouri and the next day were back in Little Rock in time for an afternoon tour of the Clinton Library. This was our third presidential library. The next day we arrived home.
I've said it many times before, I "go" places but Marilane is the real tourist. She expressed an interest in seeing the UP and even found me a century (100 mile) bike ride. The fact that the Door County Century is located in Wisconsin didn't slow us up a bit, since it is either on the way to or from the UP. She did her "thing" of researching what all was available to see and we mapped out a route to take. If she were going by herself, it would be by air and rental car.
With 1500+ miles to cover, we took it easy with stops in Little Rock, AR, Springfield, IL, and Cadillac, MI. Our first tourist stop was the well-advertised Mackinac Island. Only a few hours from Cadillac, we figured an early start would give us a whole day of exploring. What we overlooked was that on Labor Day about 40,000 people walk over the five-mile long bridge. If we had left Cadillac earlier we might have eaked through before all traffic was stopped, but as it was, we stopped at the Mackinaw City end of the bridge. For almost an hour. Finally, at eleven o'clock, traffic began moving. Keep in mind that folks started walking over one lane of this bridge at 7am. As we inched our way up and over, Lake Michigan on the left and Lake Huron on the right, the one lane was full of people -really from one end of the bridge to the other. Even though the official start time ended at 11am, there were still late-comers beginning their walk. A serendipitous happening.The other end of the bridge is the city of St. Ignace. In St. Ignace is a reputed pasty place. First we located our hotel, then plugged in the address to find our pasty (yes, they have vegetarian, but not vegan). Now is a good time to get off-track a bit and give a shout out to WAZE. Our son and son-in-law touted it to us when we were in Georgia, so we down-loaded the app. The first thing it did was cut about a hundred miles off our route from Little Rock to Springfield and put us on a brand new road with no traffic. I'm impressed. On this day, it routed us around the still-congested bridge traffic to our pasty place. Also an explanation, of sorts, as to why we wanted to try a pasty in the first place. We are great fans of Lillian Jackson Braun and her Cat Who books. In many of them she refers to pastys, and while she never says the setting is the UP, we are pretty sure that is her reference. Now that we have tried them, all I can say is they are pretty bland, but filling.
After lunch we attended the Ojibwa Museum, a very interesting place. Among new things we learned was how they get the birch bark to make a canoe. We checked into the hotel, I rested, Marilane went exploring. Later we walked along their boardwalk/trail along the lake, bought fudge (because that is what you do when here), and strolled back to the hotel. We had a balcony overlooking Lake Huron. Quite peaceful. Great sunrise.
The next morning we took the ferry to Mackinac Island. No automobiles of any sort are allowed here. We disembarked and immediately made our way a few blocks to book a carriage ride. I've done carriage rides in Central Park and Acadia National Park. They do the best they can with what the've got, but it was pretty boring. Another thing the island is known for is it's fudge. We purchased Murdick's last night and Joann's today. Joanns wins easily. We also found a decent restaurant for lunch, getting inside and hiding from the brief shower that came blowing in. When she started the research, Marilane originally wanted to skip Mackinac. Well, we've been here. To be fair, we didn't pay the extra to see the Grand Hotel. The coffee (and breakfast for that matter) at the hotel was below par, but at the other end of the parking lot was Java Joe's. Great. What the write up on my link says is right on. We had a nice chat with the owner, a Peace Corps volunteer and civil rights activist when he was young. Then we hit the road.
Finally, some cycling. The first of three planned rides, forty-five miles from Curtis to Grand Marais. So far we had excellent weather, both on the drive up to Michigan and while here. Today was no exception. I had no map, but there were only three turns, two of which were in Curtis. The appeal in the UP is on the lake shores. The middle is pretty much rural and wooded, and on this ride devoid of anything scenic. But I had a great, smooth road shoulder, minimal traffic, super weather, so had a flat, peaceful ride into Grand Marais. Marilane said she would give me an hour's headstart, so I anticipated seeing her around an hour and a half into the ride. As it turned out, she spent most of the morning on the porch enjoying the solitude and the lake. As I decended the hill into Grand Marais, she passed me. Perfect timing. Grand Marais is very small and was just a pick-up point on our way to Munising. It is noted for it's sand dunes, but neither of us had much interest.
I intended to take the scenic route along Lake Superior to Munising but when I turned and found it to be a gravel road, changed my mind. Again in Munising we had a balcony overlooking the lake. Our plan was to take the sunset cruise to the Pictured Rocks, so we trekked on over to pick up our tickets before finding a place to eat. They informed us that the waves were the 2-4 foot variety and it would be rough. Ok, we can do that (Marilane would love it, Jerry less so). As it turned out, by the time we set out, the waves were 6+ feet and forty-five minutes into the trip, before we hit the really big waves, our boat turned around. Money was fully refunded, so we had a nice hour and a half boat ride for free.Finding places to eat that can keep me on my plant-based diet is very challenging. In Munising, the Falling Rock Cafe and Bookstore was up to the task. This is a cool place and highly recommended. I donated a book to them, after perusing their sport section and not finding any on cycling.
My second ride involved driving to Marquette and cycling back to Munising while Marilane checked in with Weight Watchers and had a mani/pedi at The Studio Design Team. As you can tell by the fact that I made it a link, she highly recommends it. The forecast called for rain about 1:30pm, but I'd be done by then. We arrived in Marquette and I had a pit stop at McDonalds. This was several miles before my planned departure, but after seeing the road had heavy traffic and no shoulder into town, decided I'd leave from here. Once again, I had a wide, smooth shoulder but this time a few hills were on the route. I also had the wind more or less at my back and Lake Superior on my left.
My third cycling foray was to be forty-five miles from Munising to Manistique, getting picked up, a quick run through Manistique and see Lake Michigan, then drive to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin for a century ride. The forecasted rain finally arrived, not just a drizzle. So, we changed plans, kept the bike in the car and drove through it. The driving route skipped Manistique but takes you south along Green Bay and at the bottom through the town of Green Bay and back up the Door County peninsula. The rain had stopped by then and we arrived in Sturgeon Bay first at packet pickup, then to our B&B. Once again, WAZE guided us quickly and surely to our destinations.The White Lace Inn is located in the historic district, so is central to downtown. This is a small downtown, we are only talking about a few blocks. An added bonus, when we looked up the location of the Catholic Church we found that it was half a block away. I napped and Marilane went exploring, followed by church. The next morning I was out at 5:45am therefore missed the excellent breakfast that was served at 8:00am. By then I had done thirty miles on my bike. Full story in a separate post.
In looking at the map last night, it occurred to me that I had made a serious error in routing our return. I can't for the life of me remember why I took us to Quincy, Illinois for the first night. It is several hundred miles out of the way. Long story short, we put WAZE on the job and Marilane on the phone cancelling our reservations. We made it to Farmington, Missouri and the next day were back in Little Rock in time for an afternoon tour of the Clinton Library. This was our third presidential library. The next day we arrived home.
DOOR COUNTY CENTURY, 2016
I have cycled in thirty-five of the fifty United States and wanted to include a few more (some of them I have absolutely no interest in). We have a large National Geographic map of the US on a wall in the computer room with pins representing where I have ridden. In reviewing it one day I realized that of the four states bordering Texas, I had not cycled in any of them. That became a priority. See my June 21, 2016 entry describing the New Mexico ride. Arkansas and Oklahoma are on the agenda for 2017. You might have to beat me to do something in Louisiana. Then my wife called out from the living room....
Marilane is a real tourist (I go places, but am not really a tourist). She also likes to escape the summer heat in Texas. Michigan's Upper Peninsula had been suggested as a great place to visit. It had the Great Lakes, Painted Rocks, cool weather. As an added inducement, she found the Door County Century (DCC) which is in Wisconsin, either on the way to or from the UP. The timing was perfect. Many of our trips occur for this very reason: the calendar was blank. I could add pins to two more states.
One more thing before getting to the century ride. I planned three 45-mile rides in Michigan: Curtis to Grand Marais, Marquette to Munising, Munising to Manistique. The first two were quite enjoyable rides on smooth roads with good shoulders. The third one was rained out (I don't "do" rain; I have rain gear if I get caught out, but will skip a ride if it is raining). Just as well. We drove from Munising to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin in the rain. The White Lace Inn is in the downtown historic section of Sturgeon Bay and only a mile and a half from the start line of the DCC.
The DCC folks are very clear that this is a ride, not a race. As such, the start times are from 6am to 10am. Start whenever you like, just finish by 5pm. My sleep pattern always has me awake ridiculously early, so I left the inn at 5:45am in the dark. It was a little funny at the start line, in that there were a few people standing under it conversing. I noticed the time, 6:02, and started off. There were a few folks ahead of me, and others behind were clipping in. No mass start.
It was now light enough, about twenty minutes before sunrise. The weather couldn't have been more perfect: 54 degrees, a light wind mostly at our backs, clear. I wore my tights, base layer, jersey, and wind jacket and was quite comfortable. Most folks had less clothing, more power to them. I latched on to a guy, not really on his wheel but our cadence matched and we stayed together about ten miles until I stopped to put my sunglasses on (they were entangled in the map in my pocket, necessitating two hands).
I rode through the first rest stop, about fifteen miles into the ride, hop-scotching the half-dozen riders who had passed me. Because of my early start, and slow pace (15 mph), I wasn't passing anyone, but almost always had someone in sight. The signage for this ride rates A+. Every turn well marked. I cruised along enjoying the ride, getting occasional glimpses of Green Bay. On one stretch of road, with corn on my right and the rising sun at an angle that created a strobe-affect on the sunglasses, I had to stretch out on the aerobars to escape it. A few minutes, I was sitting up straight for the same reason. Eventually, I ran out of corn and back into tranquil shade.
At the second rest stop, I refueled and removed the wind jacket. The wind was cool and dry and the temperature had moved into the 60s, so tights and base layer stayed in place. Besides, my pockets were now full so I had no place to stuff them. When the 70 mile and 100 mile routes split I found myself alone for a few miles. Eventually some riders passed me. We still had Green Bay on our left and a smooth shaded road to cycle.
As we came to Sister Bay, I once again found myself without riders ahead or behind. No problem, I followed the sign pointing to the right, and the next sign going right, and settled in going south on Hwy 57. After a mile or so I began to doubt that I had made the correct turn. But up ahead I saw riders crossing the highway, and when I got there I asked some other riders if this were the 100 mile route. This they affirmed, so I followed them. About a mile further and I realized I had seen this scenery about an hour earlier. Pook, ding-fu! I turned around and returned to Hwy 57 and stopped to consult the map. Unfortunately I couldn't discern where I was in regard to the route, but I knew if I stayed south on 57, I would come to the next rest stop. About a half mile more and I saw riders crossing again. This time I found the cross street and was back on the route. I calculated I'd done at least three extra miles. But the next mileage marker had me down three and a half miles, so apparently I cut off six-plus miles. Later I found out some local had messed with the signs (sending bad thoughts his way).
The breeze was now mostly from the front, but really it served more to keep me cool and dry than a hindrance to speed. The sun was up, the sky clear blue, and now the 50-mile route riders were converging. Ah, finally some folks who were slower than me. Truthfully, I do not remember stopping at the Cave Point rest stop. I must have, to refill my bottle and text Marilane that I would be in at 1:30pm rather than 2:00pm. My rule of thumb is stopping for no more than five minutes unless completely knackered.
The next sixteen miles continued with Lake Michigan on my left. About half mile from the last rest stop another rider finally engaged me in conversation. After the first pleasantries, we were just getting into a discussion when I turned off and he continued. Ah well! I had a mini-Clif bar and topped off the bottle and texted Marilane my arrival time was now 1pm. While I wasn't going very fast, I wasn't slowing down. And there weren't any real photo ops, in that I knew the lake was there, but couldn't see it.
The last five miles were a bit twisty-turny and some riders felt the need to race to the end.
I just meandered in. I was tired but not beat to a pulp. The pasta lunch and free Fat Tire beer, watching the first half of the Packers game (with several hundred Green Bay fans) on a big screen helped ease me back to some semblance of normal. A long nap back at the B&B helped also.
Marilane is a real tourist (I go places, but am not really a tourist). She also likes to escape the summer heat in Texas. Michigan's Upper Peninsula had been suggested as a great place to visit. It had the Great Lakes, Painted Rocks, cool weather. As an added inducement, she found the Door County Century (DCC) which is in Wisconsin, either on the way to or from the UP. The timing was perfect. Many of our trips occur for this very reason: the calendar was blank. I could add pins to two more states.
One more thing before getting to the century ride. I planned three 45-mile rides in Michigan: Curtis to Grand Marais, Marquette to Munising, Munising to Manistique. The first two were quite enjoyable rides on smooth roads with good shoulders. The third one was rained out (I don't "do" rain; I have rain gear if I get caught out, but will skip a ride if it is raining). Just as well. We drove from Munising to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin in the rain. The White Lace Inn is in the downtown historic section of Sturgeon Bay and only a mile and a half from the start line of the DCC.
The DCC folks are very clear that this is a ride, not a race. As such, the start times are from 6am to 10am. Start whenever you like, just finish by 5pm. My sleep pattern always has me awake ridiculously early, so I left the inn at 5:45am in the dark. It was a little funny at the start line, in that there were a few people standing under it conversing. I noticed the time, 6:02, and started off. There were a few folks ahead of me, and others behind were clipping in. No mass start.
It was now light enough, about twenty minutes before sunrise. The weather couldn't have been more perfect: 54 degrees, a light wind mostly at our backs, clear. I wore my tights, base layer, jersey, and wind jacket and was quite comfortable. Most folks had less clothing, more power to them. I latched on to a guy, not really on his wheel but our cadence matched and we stayed together about ten miles until I stopped to put my sunglasses on (they were entangled in the map in my pocket, necessitating two hands).
I rode through the first rest stop, about fifteen miles into the ride, hop-scotching the half-dozen riders who had passed me. Because of my early start, and slow pace (15 mph), I wasn't passing anyone, but almost always had someone in sight. The signage for this ride rates A+. Every turn well marked. I cruised along enjoying the ride, getting occasional glimpses of Green Bay. On one stretch of road, with corn on my right and the rising sun at an angle that created a strobe-affect on the sunglasses, I had to stretch out on the aerobars to escape it. A few minutes, I was sitting up straight for the same reason. Eventually, I ran out of corn and back into tranquil shade.
At the second rest stop, I refueled and removed the wind jacket. The wind was cool and dry and the temperature had moved into the 60s, so tights and base layer stayed in place. Besides, my pockets were now full so I had no place to stuff them. When the 70 mile and 100 mile routes split I found myself alone for a few miles. Eventually some riders passed me. We still had Green Bay on our left and a smooth shaded road to cycle.
As we came to Sister Bay, I once again found myself without riders ahead or behind. No problem, I followed the sign pointing to the right, and the next sign going right, and settled in going south on Hwy 57. After a mile or so I began to doubt that I had made the correct turn. But up ahead I saw riders crossing the highway, and when I got there I asked some other riders if this were the 100 mile route. This they affirmed, so I followed them. About a mile further and I realized I had seen this scenery about an hour earlier. Pook, ding-fu! I turned around and returned to Hwy 57 and stopped to consult the map. Unfortunately I couldn't discern where I was in regard to the route, but I knew if I stayed south on 57, I would come to the next rest stop. About a half mile more and I saw riders crossing again. This time I found the cross street and was back on the route. I calculated I'd done at least three extra miles. But the next mileage marker had me down three and a half miles, so apparently I cut off six-plus miles. Later I found out some local had messed with the signs (sending bad thoughts his way).
The breeze was now mostly from the front, but really it served more to keep me cool and dry than a hindrance to speed. The sun was up, the sky clear blue, and now the 50-mile route riders were converging. Ah, finally some folks who were slower than me. Truthfully, I do not remember stopping at the Cave Point rest stop. I must have, to refill my bottle and text Marilane that I would be in at 1:30pm rather than 2:00pm. My rule of thumb is stopping for no more than five minutes unless completely knackered.
The next sixteen miles continued with Lake Michigan on my left. About half mile from the last rest stop another rider finally engaged me in conversation. After the first pleasantries, we were just getting into a discussion when I turned off and he continued. Ah well! I had a mini-Clif bar and topped off the bottle and texted Marilane my arrival time was now 1pm. While I wasn't going very fast, I wasn't slowing down. And there weren't any real photo ops, in that I knew the lake was there, but couldn't see it.
The last five miles were a bit twisty-turny and some riders felt the need to race to the end.
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