Month: July 2013

July 31st

Posted on by mikebike

Ridgeway Ontario to Lewiston New York, via Niagara Falls. 39 miles. 3068 miles from the Pacific. Paul and Alex and I broke camp at 7 a.m. and headed towards Niagara Falls. We spend most of the day viewing Niagara from every angle. Wow what a beautiful place. I used my leadership skills to lead the two others across the wrong bridge to the USA. We went through customs without any problems. I was singing “Back in the USSA” a modified version from Sir Paul. That’s when Alex noticed that the street signs did not match our map. Opps – my bad. We spent about 20 minutes figuring out how to get to Lewiston when a biker flew past and I hailed him down. He showed us a bike trail that took us most of the way. It was a real challenge at times but we took our time and figured it out. A great day to be on the bike. Enjoy the pictures of Niagara
Take care, Freebird

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July 30th

Posted on by mikebike

Port Dover to Ridge Way Ontario 71 miles, 3036 miles from the Pacific and another great day to be on the bike. I go through the harbor towns along the north side of Lake Erie. The water is bright blue with sailboats bobbing at their mornings. It reminds me a little of New England. The day is cool with big puffy clouds overhead and a light breeze at my back.
Willie and I right past fields of sunflowers and huge barns with solar panels. Green energy is serious business here in Ontario. White and yellow water lilies fill the ponds next to the road. I stopped for lunch at Long Beach and have a picnic in the sand and take a relaxing walk on the beach. See photos.

I finally catch the two riders that are also going to Bar Harbor. I have been hearing about them for the last couple days. We chat for a while and talk about camping together tonight. Both of them started in Seattle and found each other a couple weeks ago. Paul is a retired CPA, and Alex is a engineering student at the UW Madison and hails from Minneapolis. In the late afternoon I pull into the campsite and set up camp happy. Paul and Alex arrive about an hour later. I go for a swim, eat some cold chicken out of my food bag, and then crawl in my tent for the night.
Take care, freebird

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July 29th

Posted on by mikebike

Port Stanley to Port Dover Ontario Canada. 68 miles, 2966 miles from the Pacific. Another great day to be on the bike. The weather is cool, the sky is overcast, and the wind is at my back. I have a nice view of Lake Erie most of the day. The road hugs the north shore of the lake with several steep climbs up the bluffs and then racing back down. It’s hard to remember the last time Willie and I have a good climb. I passed through the towns of Port Bruce, Copenhagen, port Burwell, and Port Rowan on my way up the north coast of Lake Erie. Roadside stands are at many intersections selling fresh blueberries, cherries and every vegetable you can think of. I ride past fields of asparagus, peppers, orchards filled with ripe cherries, and more wind farms. And just before Copenhagen there is large fields of tobacco. Maybe it’s just a coincidence. I arrived in Port Dover and get a room, a shower, and a short nap. I walked down to the beach and to the lighthouse that overlooks Lake Erie. It’s peak tourists season, however the cooler weather has many people inside today and I have the place mostly to myself. I sit on the breakwater and eat a huge plate of nachos while watching the boats go by, and feel grateful for being able to live this dream of mine.
Take care, freebird

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July 28th

Posted on by mikebike

Wallaceburg to Port Stanley Ontario. 81 miles, 2906 miles from the Pacific. A great day to be on the bike. the wind was in my back most of the day and the countryside was flat. Beautiful stone and brick farm houses dotted the landscape. Big wind mills spin like giant fans in the stiff breeze from lake Erie. I meet several bikers today. Valerie and Luke from Switzerland are having lunch and I stopped to chat for a while. They have bicycled through India and USA this year. They mentioned that it was 126 degrees in death valley. Ouch.
Take care. Freebird

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July 27th

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Imlay city michigan to Wallaceburg Ontario, Canada
70 miles. 2825 from the Pacific Ocean. I great day to be on the bike aye. I am back on the adventure cycling route after yesterday’s detour to get my bike fixed. I feel much better today and almost back to full strength, and Willy is running like a well oiled machine. We passed through the town of Emmett, Wadhams, Marysville, St Clair, and then Marine City on our way to the canadian border. The day starts out cloudy and cool with a sky that looks like rain. It starts to sprinkle near Emmett, so I pull into town to get some breakfast and wait out the rain. The sun peaks out just after breakfast and I ride another 20 miles and it starts raining again. Willy and I take shelter under the overhang of a pit toilet that is next to Wadhams to Avoca bike trail. It’s raining hard but we stay dry. I meet eric and nikki a couple training for a marathon. They stop and take shelter with me. They have run further then planned and are out of water and very thirsty. Luckily I have just filled my bottles and have plenty to share. They were both grateful to have run into me. We chatted for a while and watched it rain. Soon the shower passed and willy and I were on our way again. The rain held off until I entered marine city. A big black cloud and rumbles of thunder had me looking for shelter once again. That’s when I saw a nice lady named Laura and her son Alex. They were sitting on the front porch and waved me over. I parked my bike in the garage and joined them on the porch. She has a house with one of those gorgeous open porches that seem to say – come and sit for awhile. Alex gets me some cold water, and we all sit and chat for a while and watch it rain. It turns out that Laura is
originally from Racine and her dad still lives in Montello wisconsin. She is a recently retired engineer from chrysler and the conversation turns to engineering things like engines and trucks. Alex wants one with the cummins engine in it. The rain stops and she gives me directions to the ferry to canada which happens to be right down the street. I thank them for their kindness and Willie and I hit the road again. The ferry ride to canada is short and beautiful as of crosses the saint clair river. The water is blue and the wind has the waves breaking over the bow of the ferry. It cost one dollar for the ride. I entered canada and then turn south along the river. Everything seems a little calmer on this side of the border. nobody was in a big hurry. Beautiful canadian flower gardens filled many of the lawns of the homes along the river ( photos).
Take care. Freebird

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July 26th

Posted on by mikebike

Frankenmuth to Imlay michigan 36 miles. 2710 miles from the pacific. Beautiful weather again today. I got some of my energy back. My neck and back spasms are almost all gone. I rode with a guy named John for a few miles. He was on his way to Boston from Seattle. At Millington, he turned south to catch up to his group and I turn east onto the southern links trailways toward Otter Lake. Shortly after getting on the trail Willie made a noise I never heard before. After this many miles together we know each other well. I know it his ever creak and squeek, and he knows mine. At first I thought my chain came off. But I look down and it was still connected to the sprockets. The rear cassette was moving but no power was being transferred to the wheel. It was free willing backwards and towards. Something was broke in the rear axle but I wasn’t sure. I know there are small clutch dogs that act as a ratchet that engages when I peddle forward and disengaged when I stop peddling. This is the brand new hub and wheel that I just purchased last week. I got off the bike and picked up willy’s rear end and drop him on the pavement. It worked, the clutch dogs engaged and I was on my way. But I knew that I had to find a bike shop soon. Just up the trail is where I met Janelle and Erica, my angels of the morning, and my new friends that helped me out. Erica called her friend for some advice about bike shops in that area. When we reached Columbiaville, Janelle loaded my bike in her vehicle and drove me the 15 miles to the bike shop in Davidson. Jeremy the Mechanic at the bike shop went right to work on Willy. The retaining ring that holds the clutch dogs in place had the broken. In less than an hour Jeremy had the wheel spinning just like new, and we were back on the road for a grand total of 20 bucks. And once again I was taking care of by the kindness and generocity of perfect strangers and for that I am truly grateful and humbled.
A sign at the bike shop said ” if your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough” Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. I asked the bike shop owner about the sign. And he told me the story about his dream to have his own bike shop. But he was afraid to pursue his dream. Then one day he saw that quote somewhere. The next day he went to the bank and got loan for his business. Al’s Quick Release bike shop was born. It looked to me that Al has a successful business and is living his dream.
Take care freebird

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July 25th

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Clare to Frankenmuth Michigan 76 miles. 2710 miles from the Pacific. I unzipped the door to my tent this morning and saw three deer lounging at my campsite. Once they got a look at me they decided this scamper off into the nearby words. I packed up camp happy and ate a camp breakfast of peanut butter, honey, and fresh Michigan blueberries on flatbread. I rode on the Pere Marquette bike trail for most of the morning. Michigan really knows how to set up and maintain their trails. As I approached Midland there were bikers rollerbladers and strollers on the trail. A biker told me that on the weekends it gets really really busy. I was thinking what a great way to keep the population healthy. Everyone from eight to eighty was out enjoying the cool summer weather. Us Wisconsinites could take some lessons from this great Michigan example. the weather was awesome today but my energy was sluggish. By after noon i was riding through Bay City Michigan. The route was a real challenge to figure out and the roads were busy without shoulders and they were full of potholes. I was happy once I made it back into the countryside on my way to Frankenmuth. I have been nursing a pinched nerve in my neck and back, which makes it difficult to sleep and painful when the road is rough. It was better later today so I’m hoping a good nights rest in the hotel will take care of it. and I can catch up on my laundry.
The news about my friend Ruth is good. She is recovering from a skull fracture and ruptured ear drum. She drank some water on her own, and talked a complete sentence. She is still in the hospital because of the bleeding on the right side of her brain. But things are going in a positive direction.
Thanks for all your good karma and prayers for her.
Take care, one tired freebird.

See if you can spot the moon in the farm picture. Its just above the silos. You will have to zoom on to see it.

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July 24th

Posted on by mikebike

Morley to Clare Michigan 80 miles. 2635 miles from the Pacific Ocean. I crawled out of camp happy just as the Sun what is rising over the Lake. The dawn air was cool and the lake steamed like thermal springs of Yellowstone. I had my breakfast of yogurt mixed with fresh Michigan blueberries that I bought at a roadside stand yesterday. You may have noticed there are two things that Willie and I do not pass up are roadside stands and historical markers. Fresh peaches and blueberries are in season. Most folks would advise me to go to the doctor if they saw my purple tongue.
A great day to be on the bike. Cooler temperatures, low humidity, and the nice smooth Michigan bike trails put me into biker bliss. By afternoon the blue sky begins to fill with high cirrus clouds promising
good weather ahead.
The highlight of my day was riding the whole afternoon with Randy and Tammy. They are from the Lansing area and came to ride the Pere Marquette Trail for the day. We chatted about life, retirement, kids and everything in between. I am grateful for their company. It made the afternoon miles which are always the longest go by fast. We saw several does with fawn along the trail. We went by a Christmas tree farm with at least 10,000 blue spruce. The trail winds along the Muskegon River. I will take it all the way to Midland Michigan tomorrow. I am back on the Adventure Cycling route and that feels good. Finding my own way from Stillwater Minnesota to Madison and then to Michigan worked out just fine but added some stress and some miles when I got lost or ran into gravel roads. Google bike map is still in the beta stage and I felt like a baited beta tester most of the time. I found the nice Pettit City Park Campground here in Clare and set up camp happy . Hot showers, running water and electricity. I feel like I’m staying at the Hilton.
Take care , freebird

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July 23rd

Posted on by mikebike

Muskegon to Morley Michigan. 67 miles. 2554 miles from the Pacific. Just as I left Muskegon I ran into about 20 riders that we’re going to Boston. I rode with them for most the morning on the Musketawa bike trail. After about 20 miles I turn north and said goodbye to my new friends. I zig zagged across Michigan to Cedar Springs where I picked up the white pine bike trail to Morley. The weather is much cooler than last week. I arrive at Newago State Park and set up camp happy. It is beautiful here. My campsite overlooks the lake and I am only 1 of 3 campers in a huge Campground. The rangers said the weekends are full but during the week one can have the place to themselves and the black Michigan squirrels.
some sad news today from my biking friends Meredith, Ruth and Nick that I rode with earlier in my journey. Ruth took a bad tumble off the road and hit her helmetted head. She is in the hospital with a brain injury. Please take sometime today to send her some good energy and prayers. Thank you
Take care, freebird

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July 22nd

Posted on by mikebike

Stoughton wisconsin to milwaukee wisconsin ferry dock. 60 miles. 2488 miles from the pacific. It was great to have 4 days of rest at home.
Sleeping in my own bed was something special after 6 weeks on the road. I had time to catch up with family and friends , and Willy got time in the shop for repairs. The noise turned out to be a broken rear wheel. The rim was split in several place. It was only by good luck that we made it home in one piece.
The morning started out with fog and less than a quarter mile visibility, but much cooler than last week. Willy and I didn’t need the map today. These are the roads that we trained in the months before this journey started. We rode passed old familiar landmarks of lafollette park, lake kegonsa, thru the towns of Rockdale and Cambridge like we had never left. Before Lake Mills we jumped on to the glacier drumlin bike trail. The morning fog had burned off and I was beginning to feel the heat of the day. I stopped along trailside at sandy beach park and went for a refreshing swim in Rock Lake. After snack I head east on the trail which skirts the small towns of jefferson, hellenville, sullivan and dousman on its way to milwaukee. I turned north to Oconomowoc to meet up with my daughter and her husband. After a shower, a nap and some delicious corn cake, we loaded the bike in the truck for the car ferry. I decided that was a safer option then riding in milwaukee traffic at rush hour.
I will arrive in Muskegon Michigan later tonight, ride to my hotel. A great day on the bike, and a beautiful evening on Lake Michigan as the full moon shimmer bounces off the gentle waves. I am living the dream.

I read all your comments, sometimes twice. Sorry I don’t have the time to respond. Please forgive me.
Take care, freebird

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