Cadillac to Big Rapids, MI

HI Everyone,
Been trying to upload pictures to this site, and having some trouble from our hotel room. We all needed a respite from the routine of set up and tearing down camp, in addition to biking of 70 miles a day. Was dreaming this would work better. Hope to have pictures at some time soon.

So we started our 4th official day of biking from Cadillac, MI at a state park called Mitchell State Park. We awoke to a beautiful day of sunny skies, light winds, the lake was like glass. our hope was to get an earlier start than past days. With the time change, not getting dark until after 10, it really has thrown us off. And I find it hard to wake the camp before 8, having had such a full day the day before. But Steve, Zoe and I headed off around 10:30 in the hopes of covering 70 miles today. We biked some really beautiful roads, full of horse farms, some more lightly traveled than others. We did some hills, for sure, had a few encounters with some friendly dogs: one a Great Dane that chased Steve on his recumbent, and the dog was taller than he was. And also near Woodville, a little dog chased Zoe, got away from this older woman who was getting her mail. Evidently the woman puts her dog in a basket on her bike, and he wanted to catch a ride with us....

We ended at Woodville with zoe and i grabbing an ice cream cone, opting for a hotel at Big Rapids, and then I biked from Woodville to Big Rapids, only an extra 7 miles.... I was really proud of Zoe completing her first 65-mile day when i think she had had enough by 40 miles. As hard as I tried to catch up with her on her bike this afternoon, she was always out of reach.

The forecast for Saturday doesn't look very favorable for biking. We might drive the 50-60 miles as not to get behind, and have a really long day on Sunday. Eric, who drove today, doesn't want to miss more than 1 day of biking in a row.

We are all learning to be flexible with each other, what the day has in store, the route, the ending point, really you have to be flexible every step of the way when dealing with 4 people's desires.....

I know we will have challenges along the way, more than I can even imagine. It's what makes this such an incredible journey.

Trudi

Boyne City to Traverse City

Finally my first day of riding. I had the pleasure of biking with Zoe and Eric, and the mileage was looking like a 70-mile day. It was a cool morning at Young State Park, but warmed up when we hit the road at 11 a.m. As we climbed out of Boyne City away from the lake, we had no idea what lay ahead. We certainly didn't think we'd be on a roller coaster road for the next 15 miles, with a fair amount of traffic. but the winds were light, the temp near 60, and the sun was shining. We were making very slow time, and had only gone 21 miles at 1:30. it was going to be a long day. we were looking forward to riding along torch lake, 20 miles. we thought it'd be flat, but a lot of it was away from the lake. as the mileage grew to near 40, zoe and eric both agreed going 50 was plenty for the day, and Steve came and picked them up in Alden, and I continued on to Traverse City. To Eric's credit, he had gone 70 miles the day before, and zoe hadn't been on her bike in month. It's a train as you go.

as I'm writing this, Zoe and I are sitting in a great cafe having lunch. I'm going to catch Eric and Steve on the road this afternoon, and our destination tonight is Cadillac, MI.

St. Ignace, Michigan - Monday, June 8th, 2009

Hi Everyone,

After what I hope is the worst weather day we will experience on our trip, it was between 55 in Menomonee Falls this morning, to 45 near Escanaba, Mi, and rainy and windy. We traveled 360 miles by car to our destination this evening, St. Ignace, Quality Inn on beautiful Lake Huron. With a warm dry bed, cable TV, and internet, what could be better, as the temps are in the upper 40s and it has rained all day, it was an easy decision not to camp tonight.

We are all so excited and eager to start biking tomorrow morning. Eric has called for a 7:30 a.m. wakeup call. We're going to drive across the bridge (as we cannot bike across) and start at Mackinaw City, with a destination near Boyne City, Young State Park, about 65 miles. I've volunteer to drive the first day and find our first campsite. My family does not know there are a few yarn stores on the route I plan to visit.....

We did leave Madison on Sunday, June 7th, but with the bad weather outlook, we decided to surpise Grandma Delain in Menomonee Falls with a visit. Eric did a stir fry in his prized wok on the weber grill. it was great, and we enjoyed a great dinner on her 3-season porch. For some reason, it took us until close to 10:30 to get on the road, and with a stop at Target it was close to noon.

Looking forward to some sunshine, sweet tailwinds, great scenery, lovely roads, great people on our first day of biking in Michigan!!!!

Trudi

Eye on the Prize

I just had to share with you what Holly Powell told me this morning in the kitchen at the coffee pot. When I told her we'd be leaving later than June 1st, and that it has been such a rollercoaster ride, she said to me "keep your eye on the prize". It is so very true. It will all be worth it, once we're feeling the freedom of the road. Patience is not a virtue I possess...

Beautiful Sunday Morning

A little too abstract, A little too wise.
It is time for us to kiss the earth again.
It is time to let the leaves rain from the skies and let the rich life run to the roots again.

I came upon the bit of a poem from another blog and thought i'd share it with you all...

It's the most beautiful day, and I wish I was out biking, but have to get some work done first.

Our bike trip is becoming a little more clearer as each day passes. One of our housesitters has moved in, so reality is setting in... Our start point has been determined, driving to Rhinelander to stay with friends Kaye and Jim, and then biking to Mercer/Boulder Junction to catch the route East. Lots of details to take care of, but the freedom of the road is within our grasp!

Trudi

Decision Time

To update everyone, the training is coming along. Got a 75-miler under my belt, so I'm feeling good about that. The details are a bit overwhelming at this point, as I knew they would be... How does one leave their life for 5-6 weeks. Yes, our trip has been shortened, and a decision made to travel east from Wisconsin on June 1. Our launching point is Rhinelander, where we'll bike north to connect with our route and then head east to Escanaba, Michigan and beyond, with our sights set on Bar Harbor Maine.... more later,

Trudi

Devil's Lake Ride

We wanted to get another ride under our belt before the big adventure, and always like Devil's Lake as a destination. I was joined by Evan, Hillary and Zoe. It was Hillary's first ride of the season, and she made it 20 miles. It ended up being quite challenging due to the head and crosswinds we faced the whole way... a 38-mile ride that took 4 hours is a tough ride.... the girls were real troopers in dealing with the winds and hills... it will make them really appreciate really good days of riding ahead. One of Zoe's comments today was "don't you think you're being a little bit unrealistic about this upcoming trip".... an interesting question... it's all a great unknown. we'll just have to deal with things as they come up....

Trudi