Day #30 Aug 22, 2007

Day 30
Wednesday August 22, 2007

Coloma, MI to Symsonia, KY
493 miles today (19,907 – 20,400)
6290 miles total

3 new states today: IN, IL & KY
15 states total

Wow! What a day today. 493 miles of nearly all freeway. To me,
that is the worst kind of riding. Sure, I can make great time and
cover a LOT of miles, but it is just so dull and boring, kind of lifeless.
And I am back in the heat again. Marion, IL at 5PM (gas stop)
showed 103 degrees on one bank thermometer.

I was awakened about 2:30AM this morning with thunder and then
lightning! Got up, looked at the sky, saw stars, but thought I better
try to check the weather. I hauled the laptop out and packed it to
the front door of the store at the KOA, probably 75 yards away.
Ah ha, a wireless signal finally, but protected by a password!
Grrr…why didn’t the lady at the desk last night tell me that?! So no
internet, and no weather update. I went back to bed, thinking the
storm was out over Lake Michigan. I was awakened again at 5:30 by
the pitter patter of rain drops on the tent. Oh oh! I hustled out to
get the stove and coffee pot into the tent and to cover up the bike
with the tarp. I began to pack away all the gear inside the tent I had
gotten out the night before. By the time I got all the gear put away,
and ready to tear the tent down, the rain picked up. I put my dry
clothes, towel and shower bag under the tarp with the motorcycle. I
folded the tent up, in the rain, and of course everything got put away
wet. Didn't want to do that, but hey, that's the way it is sometimes.
I showered, dressed, then put on all my riding gear and rain gear, and
headed toward Chicago about 8AM.

The sky was heavily overcast, and the roads were wet. The trucks
were spraying me as they passed by, but there was not any rain
falling from the sky, thankfully. About 10 AM I pulled into a truck
stop to try and check the weather channel on my laptop. No signal,
but the weather channel was on a TV in the truck stop. I saw a
national map with Doppler radar and saw Iowa, right where I was
headed, covered in rain. Right then, I decided KY would be my
destination. So I got the map out and wrote the route #s down on
paper so I’d know where to go. When the weather is nice, I’ll write
the route #s down on my mirrors with a dry erase marker. When
the weather is not so nice, I’ll record them on paper and slip them
in my tank bag so they show through the clear map case.

I wanted to go to Chicago and drive down the South Lake Shore Drive.
When I got about 30 miles out of Chicago, at 10AM in the morning
(already missed rush hour) the traffic was so heavy. And reader
boards showed construction at the intersection of two major
interstates. I wasn’t even close to downtown yet, and wasn’t about
to detour in and around Chicago, so when the turn off to I-57 came
up, my route to the south, I peeled off and took it. This proved to
be a good decision. I didn’t pull into KY until after 6PM. It would
have been a LOT later if I’d detoured to downtown Chicago.

Once I got here, I called Nat. The lawn is burnt up, the bushes
nearly dried up, and dead leaves all over the back yard. It looks
“dead” and it saddens me. I called Nat and told her I’d arrived.
The air conditioning was on, the hot water was on, and the house
was in MUCH BETTER SHAPE inside than outside.

God really protected me again today. Where I would have been
heading in Iowa is receiving record rainfall. What a disaster I
avoided. The rain has “chased me” since I left Fargo on Saturday
morning. This morning, it finally caught me!

I’ve unloaded the trailer, put my food in the fridge, set up the tent
to dry, and put the bike away in the brick building. Tarps are hung
on the fence to dry out. That should be quick, as the high
tomorrow is forecast for 101 degrees! Friday is to be 98. Rain is
forecast for Sat-Tuesday. I’m wore out tonight. Tired.
My rear end hurts after nearly 500 miles! I should sleep well.

Day #29 August 21, 2007

Day #29
Tuesday August 21, 2007

Mackinaw City, MI to Coloma, MI

363 miles today (19,544 - 19,907)
5, 797 miles total

Stayed in beautiful Michigan all day!


















Got up at 5AM today. Made a cup of coffee and then transferred all of
last weeks photos to the laptop. I heard NO WIND last night and
slept great! I checked out of the campground (turned in the key to
the cabin for deposit refund), got gas and ice, stopped for breakfast
and then hit the road. The sky was clear, but I am heading where
the rain was yesterday, and for several days prior.

I made great time the LAST 150 miles of the day. However, the first
200 took over 6 hours! The last 150 were all 4 lane, most of it I-196
on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. But the first 200 were US 31.
Lots of small towns. Lots of stop lights in the towns. Some had a
very “tourist” feel to them. Saw some beautiful older homes, either
very well cared for or they’d been restored. Typically they would sit
up on a hillside with US 31 between the house and the lake. Some of
the little towns just gave the appearance of summer places where the
wealthy would come for their annual summer vacations. There was
a nostalgic feeling to them.

I went through Holland, MI where I saw a vendor I used called
Holland Barstool Co. That was a surprise! I’d forgotten all about them.

I got to Coloma, MI and the campground is all WET! I mean REALLY
wet. The picture above is just one of the sites, and some of the campers
who had been there a while said the water has really receded a lot
already. One whole section of sites, probably 30 or more, was completely
closed and parts looked like a small lake or pond. I am SO GLAD I
decided to stay an extra day in Mackinaw City! Good decision
(good listening!) and an answer to my prayer for wisdom to know
what to do.

Tomorrow it’s on to Iowa, J&P Cycle and the National Motorcycle
Museum.

Day #28 August 20, 2007

Day 28

Monday August 20th, 2007

Mackinaw City, MI to Mackinaw City, MI

45 miles today (19,499 - 19,544)

5,434 miles total

Traveled little today. The plan was to stay put and NOT go south into central Michigan where LOTS of rain is forecasted. The sky was very overcast here this AM, and a 50% chance of showers. Will consider moving indoors to a cabin while all my gear is still dry.

Plans included laundry (yuk), make pics of the bridge, go to the bridge visitors center, work on blog, work on route planning and read. I hate to take another “day off” after last Wed-Fri in Fargo, ND, but I don’t see any point in riding through a projected DOWNPOUR all day! Besides, I have NO clean clothes!

Decided to move indoors to a cabin. After moving and packing the tent away, I did laundry as planned, rode into town, crossed the bridge and rode on the metal grate lane coming back again. Couldn’t see water, but the wind was fierce! I was leaning pretty significantly, yet still going straight ahead. At two different sections on the bridge there are some modified turnouts (blocked by curbs) that provided a wind break. At that instant, as I came up to those, I nearly fell over for the LACK of wind all of a sudden. It really caught me off guard the first time!

I am not much of a “tourist.” Although I rode through the downtown area, I didn’t bother to park and look in all the little shops that had the same ol’ stuff I’d already seen in a dozen other little tourist towns. I’ll take the roller coaster ride on the bridge anytime!!

Had fun at the little t-shirt shop (pic above) when I asked the clerk if I they got a lot of snow here! Well...I didn't know!! She was silent for about 10 long seconds while she looked me over.

"Are you serious?" she asked in her most "is this guy for real" voice. She asked if I was NEW to town. HA! She proceeded to tell me how the town clears out except for one hotel and one gas station. "NO ONE stays here for the winter" she went on to explain. I even learned that the waterway under the bridge joining Lake Michigan and Lake Huron actually freezes over! I had no idea! Hey! If you don't ask questions you won't learn anything!

The rain never materialized today. Oh well. I’ll sleep good knowing I’m already packed and ready to go tomorrow.

Day #27 August 19, 2007

Day 27
Sunday August 19, 2007

Saxon, WS to Mackinaw City, MI
344 miles today (19,155 – 19,499)
5,389 miles total


1 new state today: MI
12 states total

Set my alarm for 4:00 AM. I wanted to get out of the dirt I was
in ASAP! Had to get up during the night and hit the can. As I glanced
up on my way, stars were EVERYWHERE! Wow! Totally amazing.
There were no clouds, so I felt better about the chance of rain, or
lack of. Reminded me of Piedmont, SD where I camped for the
Sturgis rally with the CMA guys. There is just so much around me,
if I will only take the time to stop and LOOK!

When I got up at 4:00 AM, and headed to the ONE shower,
the sky was different. Now there were NO stars, only clouds. Oh oh,
what it coming? So I showered quick (50 cents for 4:20 of time)
and then fixed breakfast of oatmeal (3 packages) and one cup of
coffee. I’ve got to figure out how to keep the grounds IN the little
coffee screen. I think I need a courser grind. I boxed up my gear,
dressed, tore down, hitched up and was ready to go by 6 AM.

When I pulled out, it was C-O-O-L! Brrrrr. I had to stop down the
road and eventually put on rain gear to help block the wind. I was
cold most of the day before, from Moorhead, MN to Saxon, where
I just left, and now it looked like I would be cold again. I stopped
in Ironwood, WS for gas and coffee. This to warm up! I had just
been through Hurley, MN and made pictures of all the
“gentlemen’s clubs” that lined Silver Street. I made pics of
several banners proclaiming Silver Streets fame, but I’m not
exactly clear as to “why” it was famous!

I stopped in McDonalds in Marquette, MI for coffee. I ate my
sandwich (made the night before), a banana and 2 fruit pies. Took
less than an hour break, maybe 45 minutes or so, just to warm up
good. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is really very beautiful. It
reminded me of both Oregon AND Kentucky. There were stretches
of evergreens for miles, but then there were stretches of hardwoods
for miles. As I got to the Lake Superior Basin, the land turned flat.
Evergreens of some sort would just appear. Often they would line
the road for miles. As I got off of highway 28 and on to US 2, the
terrain became more hilly and rocky. Finally, as I rounded the
corner near Gros Gap, MI, the Mackinaw Bridge appeared. YIKES!
What a sight. I heard it was 5 miles long.

I am staying in Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground. Very nice spot.
The breeze (i.e. wind?) is blowing off the lake. I suspect it will blow
all night long. That is one thing I DON’T miss about Sturgis, the
stinkin’ wind! The lady who runs the store here, Linda, has a brother
in Eugene, OR. She thinks he’s a geriatric doctor. Wow...another
Eugene connection!

I am trying to not only write every night, but now I am trying to go
back and reconstruct the early nights (1-20?) where I only recorded
on paper. It has taken me some time to get the computer up and
running. And now, I am yearning for an IPOD so I can have music
on the road. I will especially want that on the Gulf Coast stretch home.

I should be in KY by end of this week. I’ll re-evaluate the plan then.
I have already started a list of things to do to the bike, the trailer, etc.
before I head out again.

“Father, again, you have blessed me with a DRY day. Sunshine and
clouds, just like life. But you protected me from the knothead that
“almost” made a left turn in front of me, the speeding traffic, and
even kept the Mackinaw Bridge from collapsing! And you have
directed me to a wonderful campground. Thank you, Lord. Give
me a good nights rest.”