Date: 2 August Thursday (Day 60)
Starting Point: Kewadin, MI
Ending Point: Interlochen, MI
Via: Elk Rapids, Acme, and Traverse City
Mileage: 37.2
Time: 4:09
Mph: 9.0
Terrain: very hilly
Temperature High: 83
Temperature Low: 61
Cooks: Bruce and Aede
Food: Pasta
Weather: sunny
Lodging: Interlochen State Park
Cumulative Mileage: 3,088
Miles to Go: ≈1,212
Pledge Amount Raised: $29.265 with 389 sponsors
Goal: $30,000
Amount Needed to Reach Goal: $735
Please give generously and soon. Thank you in advance for any donation you might consider.
To pledge, go to: www.mainelung.org/pledgejohn.htm
It was a wonderful change to wake up behind a cottage by a lake and be able to actually go inside and eat breakfast sitting in a soft chair. Usually we have only toadstools upon which to sit. In order to complete the breakfast meal it seemed like a good idea to stop in Elk Rapids and enjoy a bagel, a cappuccino and an internet connection via wi-fi. It was the first time during the entire expedition that I had to actually pay to connect, but it certainly was worth it. With four weeks left, I’d like to not get too far behind in posting comments and pictures.
We had some doubts about riding on Route 31 since it seemed so dangerous yesterday; there was hardly any shoulder and there was a lot of traffic. Today, though, the road had grown a much wider shoulder for the ride into Traverse City so it seemed more comfortable.
As I was passing Acme, there was a parking lot on my right. In that lot, there was an older woman motioning me to enter the lot. It turned out that she and her husband had many “suggestions” for what route I should take to get through the city. I was advised at all costs to avoid the main street (Front Street) which passes right in front of the harbor area. At this point in the summer there is a film festival that is rivaled only by the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, so that traffic was predicted to be horrendous in the middle of town. She had some Michigan maps that she wanted to give me, but asked me first if I was a AAA member. I admitted that I was and she said I should also go to the AAA office which would be just a few blocks out of my way. I truly appreciated their efforts to save me from traffic, but I stuck with the ACA suggested route. Front Street was very beautiful with hardly any traffic at all, so I didn’t regret not heeding their advice.
It was a relatively short day and as a consequence, it was very restful. My rest was enhanced by taking in some concerts at the Interlochen Center for the Arts across the street from the State Park.
Petoskey, MI to Kewadin, MI
Date: 1 August Wednesday (Day 59)
Starting Point: Petoskey, MI
Ending Point: Kewadin, MI
Via: Walloon Lake, Boyne City, East Jordan, Ellsworth, Atwood, Eastport, and Torch Lake
Mileage: 59.8
Time: 6:25
Mph: 9.3
Terrain: extremely hilly
Temperature High: 94
Temperature Low: 63
Cooks: Clive and Gregg
Food: BBQ Pork, BBQ Steak, BBQ Chicken, BBQ Hot Dogs, Salad, Pie & Ice Cream
Weather: hot and humid, sunny, some helpful cooling headwinds
Lodging: Robert Lundy’s cottage on Birch Lake
Cumulative Mileage: 3.050.8
Miles to Go: ≈1,249
The first day of August has arrived and with that the realization and relief that the ride will indeed have an end. To begin the day I found a fine café in downtown Petoskey where I could write and send in commentary and photos. The front entry of the establishment Roast and Toast had cups and saucers embedded in plaster or stucco all over it. It was a lovely design and striking representation.
After writing for a while and enjoying a bagel (though it pales to those from my favorite place in Brunswick, Mister Bagel) I finally set out by 9am. The weather was hot and humid already, though not yet at its peak, of course.
I caught up with the usual gang in Boyne City but, for some reason, couldn’t keep up so I contented myself with riding alone. The hills were phenomenally difficult and seemingly infinite in number. At one point when I was behind Tim, our leader, I came upon the same sign that was there three years ago: Steep Hill. I again thought that this was an example of Michigan irony because the hill that was immediately after that sign was just a small one (for a change!) What appeared on the other side of the crest was the steep part. It was the steepest thing since the day we went towards St. Mary, Montana. Within seconds of cresting the hill, I reached 43 mph. It was a real pleasure and it felt like a reward after all the uphill climbs we had to endure. Later on I discovered that Kevin also had reached very high speed, but in the process somehow, he got stung on the leg by some sort of bee.
Many of us reassembled in East Jordan where there was an ice cream parlor, Sodalicious. We all had generously large helpings of various flavors along with soft drinks. The best part was that there was air-conditioning and that part was cost-free.
We were discussing the route to Ellsworth, MI with the young woman behind the counter and she felt that going in a slightly different direction (Atwood Road vs. Essex Road) would be a better, easier idea. She seemed confident that the road to Route 31 (where we had to end up anyway) would be less hilly than the alternative. How many times have I fallen for the assurance by a non-cyclist that a particular road is not hilly? Indeed this was another one of those times.
Once I reached Route 31 after countless leg-numbing hills I stopped at fruit stand for a smoothie and conversation. The entire stretch from that point almost all the way to Ellsworth featured fruit stands with cherries and other fruits. I was extremely glad that I stopped at this first one as it had air-conditioning. By this time it was 94º and humid, so I felt incredibly vulnerable. Additionally I was riding alone at that point on a outrageously busy road with not much shoulder.
The owner of the fruit stand suggested that the route provided by Mapquest to our destination for the night could be more direct; she lived very close to that road. to be sure she was correct.
Two minutes after arriving it made great sense to park the bike and jump in the lake with bicycle clothes still on. That was just the initial shower.
Bob Lundy was a friend of Tim’s and was very cordial in inviting us to use the yard for camping and his kitchen for cooking. He even allowed four of the participants to sleep in bed inside; the only requirement was that the sleepers not be snorers. Thus, was I out of the running.
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