Hot Days in Michigan and Vest a Dog Meet-up

Hey all,

We have had a rather hot and humid last two days but have. It let that stop us from having a great time. Despite more breaks for water refills we have been able to cover a decent amount of ground and are either going to reach Ontario tomorrow night or the next morning.

Yesterday we got to travel on an awesome paved rail trail for a bit. It is so nice to see all these repurposed routes that get tons of use. I wish there was so a convenient and safe path in Worchester or in my dream world one that connected right to Grafton and the Tufts campus. While on the path we met a very nice group of women who all get together to bike and run. They were very outgoing and kind; they all offered us a bed in their houses later gave generous donations to our fundraiser. However, we had already arranged to stay at warm showers hosts Jen and Bills's house who had already picked up new chains for our bikes. Jen and Bill were so nice, they put on our chains for us and fed us dinner all before they had to leave for a cycling competition they were competing in today. They left us with their four adorable black labs and various other dogs that were boarding (Jen is a trainer) and Jen's very sweet mother.

Today we had a bit of a shorter day due to the humidity and a very special rendezvous. We met up with a contingent from Michigain's Vest a Dog chapter. Along with them were Officer Stacer and his canine Canjo who work for the Saginaw PD. We were so honored that they all took time out of their days to drive to some rural road on our route and greet us. They were also very generous with donations. We can't express our gratitude enough and how great it made us feel to get to meet some fellow Vest a Dog people. Many thanks! 

We later took some time to cool off and eat some cheese from the touristy yet fun Frankenmuth, home of the Frakenmuth Cheese Haus. We then decided to have a short day and only go about 25 miles further to the Otter River Campground which some cyclists coming the other direction had recommend. The campground is crowded but nice and has a great little beach on the lake which we used to cool off. Now we are resting up for what could be a long day tomorrow if we push to make it across the border. Once we are in Canada I might not be able to update depending on internet access since using cellular data out of country is undesirable. So don't fret- we will be fine I am sure and eating lots of crepes.

Best,

Casey

Michigan!

Hey all,

Today is our second night in. Michigan! We are finally back in Eastern time and can't believe how far we have journeyed. 

Yesterday we woke up early to make sure we had plenty of time to catch the ferry. As we were leaving Cliff Heights park, we startled a doe and her two tiny fawns- a perfect start to the day. We then had a really pretty ride in back roads through rolling farm land to Manitowac. We had plenty of time to get our bikes checked out at a shop and grab lunch before boarding the SS Badger. The ferry was actually set up with a "cruise" intention. Private rooms with beds were available for extra money but we were content to sprawl on the chaise lounge chairs on the ship deck. We also did not play bingo or watch the movie been shown on in the cinema room or pay to get our faces painted. Call us lame but dosing off while reading was good enough for us. We did enjoy some beer and popcorn though.

After the four hour ride and with the hour time shift it was 7:30 by the time we docked in Ludington, Michigan. We only had to go less than a mile, however, to warm showers hostess Claudia's house. She fed us a delicious dinner and directed us to the very popular (with a twenty minute line at 9 pm on a Thurs to prove it) House of Flavors ice cream shop for dessert. Today we got a late start due to still adjusting to the time change. It was hot and humid once we got out of the cool lake breeze. We took our time with the ride stopping for food often and at a library so I could do some financial aid stuff for school (boo)! We arrived in the small town of Le Roy about 6 miles from our campground tonight around dinner time. The town was having a little street carnival/fair/beauty pageant. We obviously had to check it out for a bit. Long story short we had a long day and didn't arrive to the Sunrise Lake state campground until a little later than normal. Still, we had plenty of daylight and are in no rush. Now we are tired and ready to sleep. Hopefully the dude across the campground will realize soon that not everyone at the campground is as into the classic hits he is blasting as he is and we can get some rest.

Best,

Casey

 

Last Night in Wisconsin

Hey everyone,

We are spending our last night in Wisconsin at the Cliff Heights State Park. The wind is keeping the bugs at bay for which we are very thankful as they have been bad. Tomorrow we will leave bright and early to get to Manitowac and the ferry that will take us across Lake Michigan. 

Two days ago we were in Northern Michagan where it looked at lot like Maine. There were lots of lakes and pine trees. Also there were some very paved nice bike paths that we were able to use. We ate lunch in the touristy yet cute Boulder Junction and then pedaled on to national forest campground in Hiles. The campground was nice but very buggy.

Yesterday we had quite the day. Due to limited camping opportunities, we opted to go for a century day with the promise of a luxurious Super 8. We even took a dirt/crushed stone tiny trail that was listed as a shortcut on our map. Perhaps of was a risky move, but it turned out to be fine- although a little slippery in places with our thin slick tires and loaded bikes. When we finally made it to the town on Shawana- 101 miles later- we were dead tired. We almost fell asleep in our margaritas at the Mexican place we ventured to for dinner.

Today we traveled through a landscape more inline with the mental image I had of Wisconsin before this trip. Lots of corn fields and LOTS of dairies. The smell of silage and cows permeates everything. Again, there are no campgrounds or even motels in these little towns. We had to venture 5 miles off route to this state campground and settle for being farther from Manitowac and the ferry than we had wanted. Oh well, the campground is beautiful and we will have no problem catching the ferry which leaves at two. We are excited to be back on eastern time and to arrive in our last new (as in never traveled to before) state. 

Best,

Casey

Hilly Days

Hello All,

We are splurging tonight on a motel in the cute little lake town of Mercer. The las few days have had their scattered showers but have been mostly beautiful although a little hot. We have been on lots of little back roads that wind their way around the region's numerous lakes. There have been a lot of little but steep hills. But every up comes with a down and the big turns make the downs especially fun.

Yesterday we spent the night in a small campground in Hayward where we met a nice couple who were generous enough to share some of their nicer than our ramen food. It hit the spot after a long hot day of riding. 

Today we had a shorter day to to limited places to stay in our target mileage. We ended up in the Mercer at about four thirty and took a much needed map before having a delicious dinner at the bar of a hopping restaurant. The bar tender, owner of the place, and fellow bar patrons where all very enthused by our trip. Meeting people and sharing storied is one of our favorite parts about this trip so we left the bar happy and full. Now we are back in our luxurious room which is completely devoid of mosquitoes and quieter than the packed for the holiday weekend campgrounds have been. We are going to take advantage of it and get a good night's rest.

Best,

Casey

Halfway There! And in Wisconsin!

Hello all,

Today we reached to important landmarks: we crossed into Wisconsin and we hit 2,200 miles on the odometer which is our approximate halfway point. Overall, we are very excited and feel     like we are kicking some serious butt. We were also pleased to reach the halfway point on the Fourth of all dates. We had been thinking it might be sometime around the date but were astounded when it actually worked out.

The last two days have been beautiful: sunny and warm but not too hot. Yesterday we had some difficulty finding camping so settled to huck it seven miles off route to Wild River state park. The park was beautiful and very remote, although crowded. We were also kept up by a cunning raccoon who managed to unravel our strapped and rolled shut pannier and unscrew and eat our jar of peanut butter!

Today we strayed a little off route so we didn't have to zig and zag since we had camped so far off route. Our detour took us to Taylor Falls and St. Criox Falls where we in investigated the "Glacial Potholes" at Interstate Park. As 

far as we could tell, these were very large very cool holes natural ancient holes in the rocks. After satisfying our curiosity, we climbed the grueling hill out of the St. Croix River Valley. We rejoined our mapped route after lunch. After a lot of rolling hills (and reaching 2,200) we made it to the RV park in Heugen. The park is packed and full of friendly rednecks who think we are crazy for riding our bikes so far. Maybe we are, but we are having a blast and wouldn't have it any other way!

Best,

Casey

Minnesota

Hey all,

We are now about half way through Minnesota! We have had some great days. Since we opted to take advantage of Minnesota's paved bike trail system for which we don't have the ACA maps, I have been busy planning travel and lodging these past couple of nights. Sorry, about the delay in entries, but I really was too tired to look at maps for an hour and then write. Anyways, the day after we stayed in Gackle, it was sunny and the winds were with us. We took advantage of the day and rode all 130 miles to Fargo. We stayed with lovely warm shower's hostess Ann and fellow cyclists Shawn and Tim. Ann offered us refreshments and made a delicious dinner and we shared tips and insight to the road ahead with Shawn and Tim. 

The next day we spent the morning in Fargo getting our bikes tuned up and replacing our tires (we decided we wanted to switch to narrower slicks instead of our wider knobbies. The historic district of Fargo has a lot of character and fun shops so we did some window shopping. Then we spent the afternoon biking. Since Fargo is right on the border, we quickly crossed into Minnesota (sorry we crossed where there was no welcome sign to pose with).  Despite some weather and strong cross winds, we traveled 60 miles to Pelican Rapids where we stayed with another warm showers hostess Gretchen and her three affectionate cats and lovable golden retriever. Pelican Rapids is an adorable town and although it was raining we enjoyed walking around the Main Street.

Yesterday it rained on and off all day. However, we made it onto the bike trail system and was refreshing to be off the roads. The trail was once a railway and thus parallels the county roads and on occasion the interstate. It maintains it's distance for the most part though and makes a very peaceful path through woods, fields, and the region's numerous lakes. 

We went around seventy miles and since camp grounds are spaced out and it was cold and rainy, we splurged on a super eight in Alexandria. Alexandria is home to Big Ole, the world's largest viking. Pelican Rapids was home to the world's largest penguin. It seem's Minnesota towns have a thing for having "world's largest" statues.

Today was finally beautiful, sunny and 85 with a gentle breeze. We were on the trails for most of the day and had a great lunch (consisting of breakfast food and pie) at Charlie's Diner in Freeport, MN. We saw a large group of cyclists who are riding in  the other direction setting up camp about 15 miles from our destination. They are riding for MS research are fully supported and are mostly around college age. It was nice for me to meet some tourers my own age as we have mostly been meeting retirees. Also, they gave us cookies. We are now back to traveling on roads and are camping in the backyard of a lady who welcomes cyclists. Tomorrow we are aiming to make it to a campground 92 miles or so from here since other than one 32 miles away it is our only lodging option. So, I better rest up because even though the weather looks good, it is going to be a long one tomorrow.

Best,

Casey

The Girls are in Gackle

We have made it to Gackle, ND where we are staying at the Honey Hub biker hostel. Yesterday we had a long day biking the nearly 100 miles from Glen Ullin to Hazelton. The winds were not with us and picked up as the day went on which made the miles a little harder. We bumped into our friends traveling in the larger group again which was very nice. They stopped in Bismarck but we only took a pit stop for lunch and kept on going to Hazelton. Although the trip was pretty the rolling hills and unfavorable winds drained us and we were very tired when we arrived in town. Since there was a thunderstorm alert, we hunckered under the pavilion at the city park. We managed not get to wet and set out today for Gackle.

On the way out of the campground we encountered some serious mud on a road undergoing repaving. I got sucked in and took a digger. Luckily I was fine but mine and Mom's bike were covered in mud. So we spent the next half hour hosing me and the bikes off with a gas station hose. Then we battle rain and winds into Napolean where we grabbed lunch. After Napolean the winds were more in our favor and we cruised along until some serious sidewinds slowed us down. Then they shifted once again and pushed us right into Gackle. We settled in at the Honey Hub Hostel and grabbed some pizza and milkshakes. We are off to bed early in hopes that tomorrow will be a long and productive day.

Thanks to all the lovely poems (Grandma S and Todd) and all the other comments people have written. We appreciate all of your support. Please also remember that we are raising money for Mass Vest a Dog and to visit our go fund me page (see link on side bar). Every little bit helps and we appreciate any donation whatever the amount. If you have already donated, thanks again- you rock! 

Best,

Casey