Day 105 (8/29): Mackinaw City to Bay View, Michigan

Mileage: 53.5; 3,242 total

Rather than making a beeline south to Bay View, I had been advised to veer west a few miles, to the coast of Lake Michigan, and then take a scenic route south along the coast of the lake. I was certainly glad that I did this, because it turned out to be one of the nicest rides on this trip!

About 10 miles into my ride I met Sean (photo below), a vacationer from Chicago who was out for a ride. It was enjoyable to have some company, and we rode together to the town of Cross Villages. Sean, who is about my age but who had the good sense (and ability) to retire four years ago, was quite interested in bicycle touring. I hope you do give this a try sometime, Sean, and please let me know how it turns out!

I was stopping at Cross Villages to meet cousins Carol and Ken at Leg's Restaurant. This was excellent, a Polish restaurant that has been an institution in these parts for many (75?) years. I had always had the impression that Polish food was "heavy," with an emphasis on fatty kielbasa and sourkrout (both of which I always like, incidentally); the food at this restaurant must have been Polish cuisine of the highest quality, light and flavorable, a real treat!

The atmosphere of this restaurant was a drawing card, also. It was an old, rustic building filled with unusual woodwork and huge pieces of wierd driftwood sculptures. The outside, backing up to the Lake, was a very nice garden area, as seen below in the photo of Carol and Ken, below.

Continuing my ride, I was soon on a scenic route called the Tunnel of Trees. This was one of the nicest rides of my whole trip. A narrow road through hardwood forests, with views of Lake Michigan,. Spectacular, and the great scenery continued all the way to Bay View. Several photos are attached, below .

Day 104 (8/28): St. Ignace to Mackinac Island to Mackknaw City, Michigan

Mileage: 11.8; 3,188 total

You are not permitted to bicycle across the Mackinaw Bridge from the Upper Peninsula of Michagan (where St. Ignace is located) to the Lower Peninsula (where Mackinaw City is located). Your travel options are (a) take a ferry to Mackinac Island and from there take another ferry to Mackinaw City; or (b) have your bike loaded onto a truck and transported across the bridge (presumably this service is provided by the bridge authority at a nominal charge, and presumably they give you a lift, also).

I picked the first option, and am glad I did, because I very much enjoyed sightseeing on Mackinac Island. It is beautiful island, about 8 miles in circumference, with evergreen and hardwood forests. In the 1860's it became the most fashionable summer retreat on the Great Lakes. The thing that really makes the island a special place is that in about 1900 they banned all motor vehicles. The only mode of transportation is by bicycle or horse-drawn carriage, just as it was in the late 1800's. (Skate boards, roller skates, and roller blades are banned, also.) It was curious to ride around the island on the state highway, realizing that this is the only state highway in Michigan that does not allow cars.

There is only one town on the island: it is a bit of a tourist trap, but it is filled with nice old Victorian buildings, including the Grand Hotel, built in 1895, which is "noted" for having the longest porch of any building in the world. And there is Ft. Mackinac, an old fort that changed hands from the French to the British, then to the Americans following the Revolutionary War, then recaptured by the British during the War of 1812 (in the first battle of the War of 1812), then returned again to the Americans. It has been converted into an interesting tourist attraction.

The Grand Hotel, incidentally, was very impressive, especially when you learn that it was built in only four months! Also, it is built entirely of white pine: it is probably a wonderful hotel in which to stay, but I would sure want to know where the nearest fire exits are.

On the ferry ride to Mackinac Island I had a good time talking with Jack (2 years old?), his parents Sarah and Blair, and grandmother (I think) Bonnie. See photo, to be posted below. They were interested in my bike trip, and Bonnie, especially, may be ready to start bike touring herself. Go for it, Bonnie!

Tomorrow I intend to bike down to Petoskey, Michigan, where I will visit for several days with my cousin Carol and her husband Ken. I am looking forward to seeing them and their summer cottage.

Day 103 (8/27): 8 miles west of Naubinway to St. Ignace, Michigan

Mileage: 58.1; 3,176 total

My objective was to get to St. Ignace so that tomorrow morning I can catch a ferry to Mackinac Island. It was a pleasant ride today, on another cool, clear day. I was glad the ride was a little on the short side, because I was slowed by a headwind for the last 20 miles or so.

Below is a picture of Dale and Connie from Cheboygan (spelling?), Michigan, experienced cyclists who were midway into a 100 mile ride, planning to relax for a day or two (?) and then return home. They took a longer ride this summer, around Lake Huron.

There must be a lot of Finns in this area, because today I came across another Lehto family (see post about Day 102). This time, the name was on a store: "Lehto's Pasties." I stopped again, of course, and found out that the "pasties" they were selling are the "pasties" pronounced "poss tees," not the "pasties" pronounced "pace tees"! That'll be a relief to Leslie and her siblings! The Lehto's pasties are concoctions of beef and onions, baked in a crust. (Actually, if my recollection is right, these were also common in the U.K., and were carried in the lunchbuckets of minors.) I ate one and it was pretty good, but for my money I much prefer spicy Jamaican beef patties.

On the ride today I was frequently right along the coast of Lake Michigan. I took a few minutes to wade out in the water, and was pleased to find that it was crystal clear and relatively warm, probably in the mid-70s, about the same as the air temperature. A particularly pretty area had the lakefront on the south side of the road and old sand dunes, covered with trees, on the north side. A number of photos are attached, below.

Day 102 (8/26): Rapid River to 8 miles west of Naubinway, Michigan

Mileage: 72.9; 3,118 total

Hordes of Harleys, literally hundreds, were on the road today. They were headed west to Milwaukee for Harley Davidson's 105th birthday celebrations. There were so many packs of riders that it felt like I was back in South Dakota during the Sturgis motorcycle rally. At breakfast, I enjoyed a conversation with four middle-aged bikers from the D.C. area.

Leslie's mother was Finnish -- her maiden name was Lehto. So, when I saw the name Lehto on a mailbox I mustered up the gumption to go knock on their door and say "hello." I met Andy Lehto, a very amiable fellow, and had a nice talk with him. I passed on his photo to Leslie to inspect for any family resemblances.

I met Matt along the road (see photo below). Matt was bicycling solo, from Toledo to Milwaukee, to raise money for Lou Gehrig's disease. (Trivia for my ex-co-workers: Matt has worked for Marsh since 1980, and now heads their Grand Rapids office. He once worked in Columbus, and knew Jim Inkrott. I gently chided him for not introducing any actuarial services to his clients, and he will be expecting a marketing call/letter. I will send contact information to David F.)


Spent the night at one of those little motels built in the 1920's aor 30's, consisting of small, detached cabins. The owners, in their 80's, were very nice and attentive. I was their only customer, but I think this was more a function of the sparsity of tourists (it was a slow tourist season to begin with, and now the season is over) than of the quality of their little motel. My objective had been to stay in a motel, rather than camp, so that I could watch Hillary deliver her speach at the Democratic National Convention; however, I fell asleep during a preliminary speech, and missed all of Hillary's.

Day 101 (8/25): Escanaba to Rapid River, Michigan

Starting in the 1860s Escanaba was a major port on the Great Lakes,
with iron ore and timber brought into the port by train and then
shipped out to the rest of the country. It still ships out these
products, but seems to be more involved with tourists who come for
recreation. I found it to be a nice, quiet little town.

I slept late, caught up on blogging and phone calls, toured the town,
and then biked north about 16 miles to get a head start on tomorrow's
ride.

Below are two photos of Escanaba's lighthouse.

The third photo is of Jenny and Doug, from Chicago; I think they drove
to Milwaukee, took a ferry to Muskegon, Michigan, and are now in the
11th day of a bike trip counter-clockwise around Lake Michigan,
returning to Milwaukee. Sounds like a great trip.

Sent from my iPhone

Walt Wright
917 783 6540
Walterwright@brooklynny.us

www.walt-fatmanonabike.blogspot.com

Day 100 (8/24): Dunbar, Wisconsin to Escanaba, Michigan

Mileage: 68.0; 3,024 total

This morning I was stiff and tired from the rides of the last few days, and while eating breakfast I was thinking up excuses for limiting my ride to 15 or 20 miles. But once I got started, and had covered several miles, I fell into the pleasant rhythm of pedaling and didn't want to stop. I was reminded (as I have been many times in the past), of a comment that Steve S. made several years ago when talking about the cross-country bike trip he had taken (in about 1990?). He said that no matter how tired he was from the day before, it was always terrific to get back on his bike and start pedaling. I'm not sure what it is -- the clean, fresh air? the trees and flowers and lakes that glide by? the sense of making progress, mile after mile, even though the pace is slow? -- but it is easy to become entranced by these long bike rides.

Today I really felt that I am getting close to home: I passed from Wisconsin into Michigan, the last state before New York State (but of course I have to go through Ontario, also); and I entered the Eastern Time Zone.

I enjoyed riding through the north woods of Wisconsin, full of pine trees and some hardwood trees, and lots of recreation areas on the many lakes along the route. Three photos of typical scenery are posted below. And I really enjoyed eating fried cheese curds (I wish they sold these in NYC), and thought that walleye and whitefish were both very good. And as noted previously the people in Wisconsin have been great!

Day 99 (8/23): Rhinelander to Dunbar, Wisconsin

Mileage: 73.4; 2,955.7, total

A nice ride on a beautiful day.

Maybe Kurt G. can tell me why the Rhinelanders are so obsessed with Hodags. Leaving town, it seemed like every other business had Hodag in its name. I know the Hodag was "discovered" near Rhinelander, but that was 100 years ago and I would have thought they'd have gotten over it by now. (For readers who may be unfamiliar with hodags, check wikipedia.com)

In the afternoon I stopped at the Double Buck Restaurant in the little town of Laona for a light meal -- two ears of fresh, sweet corn. The four young people working there were exceptionally nice. They were interested in my bike trip, and it was fun to talk to them about it.

The young woman that is 2nd from the right in the picture was the most enthusiastic. She lives in Iowa, so I hope she will do some training and then join the annual bicycle ride across Iowa in 2009, with thousands of other riders. She would certainly enjoy it.

The young man in the photo, Cody, has also been biking in the local area, and has been thinking about some longer bike rides/camping trips. If you are reading this, Cody, I encourage you to go ahead and do it! I am sure you'd have a great time, and you may find your trips getting longer and longer -- bicycle camping is a great way to explore new areas.

If any of you guys decide to make your first trip to New York City, I would enjoy showing you around.

I was trying to determine how far I would need to go until I came to a town with a motel, and Cody helped out by putting me on the phone with a friend of his, Taylor, who lives about 18 miles down the road in the direction I was headed. Taylor told me that there was a motel in Dunbar. As I continued my bike ride I had gotten about 18 miles down the road when a car flagged me down: it was Taylor, and he had brought me a bottle of cold Powerade! That was so considerate, and the cold drink really hit the spot! Thanks, Taylor!

These Wisconsin folks are amazing. Taylor's friendly gesture was almost the same as what happened yesterday when I guy gave me a bottle of cold water (see posting for Day 98). Kurt G: Be forewarned - the next time I see you I'll be expecting you to hand be a cold drink! (Preferably with a "head" on it; a Leinenkugel Honey Weiss would be nice).

Photos up

Sorry for the delay - school started so I am way more busy than I was at the beginning of the trip.
-Larissa

Pancakes, etc.

Please refer to the comment from Dana F., attached to yesterday's blog that discussed my huge breakfast. Dana F., being the gourmet that she is, was offended by the fact that the potato pancake, which doesn't/shouldn't take maple syrup, was on the same plate as the French toast, which should be soaking in syrup. It is always heartwarming to find other people that are concerned about the important things in life.

My own reaction at the time was merely to be annoyed that the potato pancake was not served with apple sauce, which as Dana points out should have accompanied it. It didn't stike me as incongruous to have a "non-syrup" item on the same plate with a "syrup" item, probably because I realized that the blueberry pancake was too big to share a plate with the French toast, and a fourth plate would have gotten to be a bit excessive. Dana would probably have realized this also if she had seen the photo of the breakfast, but due to technical difficulties that photo (and others) have not yet been posted.

Kevin E. also sent a comment, confirming that a big breakfast enables you to ride all day. Kevin also wondered if I had a good headlight on my bike: No, I don't. I have one, but I carry it in a pannier because the handlebar bag makes it inconvenient to mount the light on the handlebars. Fortunately, there have only been a couple of times, at dusk, when I would have turned it on while riding.

In recognition of their cogent comments, I will email the photo of the breakfast to both Dana and Kevin, so that they can view it (and drool if they want to) before it is posted. By the way, each of the breakfast items was excellent!

Day 98 (8/22): Prentice to Rhinelander, Wisconsin

Mileage: 50.5; 2,882 total

Yesterday, when I realized that I might make it to Prentice, Wisconsin, for the night, I called an old highschool friend who reads this blog and whose last name is Prentice. Not only had he already heard of the town, he told me that many years ago his grandfather had explained that it was named for a relative, Alexander Prentice. My friend had never been to Prentice, but thought it was a small village and was surprised to think it might have a motel.

Prentice is small, 616 people (a constant size, as "explained" below). But in this part of Wisconsin that is a big town: it is the regional center, and has not only a motel, but three restaurants.

At any rate, I told my friend I would find out what I could about the town. At breakfast, my waitress referred me to Clarence, an old-timer seated at the counter, and he told me a bit about Prentice, starting with Alexander Prentice who had come to the area in the 1880s, searching for a site for a timber mill, and ending with a discussion of Caterpillar, whose factory is the largest employer in town. (Clarence also explained that the population stays constant at 616, because whenever a woman gets pregnant a man leaves town.)

On Clarence's advice, I went to the highschool to check their historical stuff, and the high school administrator was very helpful but the school didn't have anything about Alexander Prentice. She referred me to Dale, the local "historian." Dale drove in to meet me at the Village Hall, and gave me a lot of information to pass on to my friend. The townspeople were very friendly and helpful, as people have been on this whole trip.

I didn't get out of town until almost 2 PM, but the ride to Rhinelander was fairly quick and easy. It was memorable for one other act of unusual kindness. I had arrived at a crossroads expecting to find a convenience store, but none was there. I asked a scruffy looking guy in a beat-up pickup truck where I could get some ice water, and he said there was a gas station about 1 or 2 miles on up the road. After pedaling for 4 miles, and beginning to question that guy's sense of distance, a vehicle approached from the direction I was headed, with someone waving and holding a bottle of water out the window. It was the guy in the pickup! He said he realized he had underestimated how far it was to the gas station, so he had driven there and bought a bottle of cold water for me!

P.S.: Happy birthday, Heather!

Photographs

Sorry about the delay in posting photos. We've had some technical difficulties, but I think the photos for days 91 and subsequent will be posted soon.

Day 97 (8/21):Campground to Prentice, Wisconsin

Mileage: 69.4; 2,832 total

I ordered the special at the local breakfast restaurant -- it was a gigantic breakfast, even by my standards! See picture, below. From left to right: the first plate holds a potato pancake and a piece of French toast; the middle plate holds two eggs, four pieces of bacon, and two pieces of sourdough bread toast, each the size of an English muffin, but a bit thicker; the third plate holds a blueberry pancake. It was all very good, and sufficient to keep me going until a late dinner (although I admit I also ate some fruit and trail mix during the afternoon).

My first stop was in a fairly large town called Ladysmith, in which I enjoyed a large iced coffee and made some phone calls. I spoke with Mike, the bicyclist who I met in Montana and kept bumping into for a couple of weeks: he is doing well, still enjoying his trip, and having a brief layover in Ohio.

From Ladysmith it was about 40 miles to Prentice (pop. 600), the next town with a motel. I had a pleasant time riding in a light rain. In the early evening I stopped at a picnic area for a brief rest and some refreshment, and enjoyed talking with Ann and Peg. They are from Bozeman, Montana, and both were originally from Michigan so they were traveling together to visit their friends and family back in Michigan. I told them about Max and Dana and other people I had met in Montana. I did take a picture of them,which I emailed to them, but I neglected to ask if I could post it on my blog and thus I hesitate to do so. Ann and Peg: if you are reading this, please let me know if I can post your photo.

Day 96 (8/20): Rest Day in Cornel, Wisconsin

Mileage: 6.3; 2,762 total

Cornel seemed like a good town to use as a rest stop, so I left my tent standing at the campground and spent the day in town, eating, blogging, catching up on email, and doing laundry.

In the morning, as I was leaving to bike into town, I met my neighbors in an adjacent campsite: Dave and Paula and their four children. They were on a camping vacation, with bicycling and canoeing excursions thrown in. They were about to leave for a 22 mile bike ride, with the two youngest children cuddled together in a trailer behind their father's bike. I enjoyed riding with them for the first couple of miles, until I went into the town of Cornel and they continued on the bike trail. Their picture is below: that's Emily (age 3) on your far left, being held by older sister Kayla (age 16); then Paula; then Noah (age 10); then Olivia (age 1); then Dave.

When I returned from town in the evening I was happy to join this family around their campfire, and to get to know them a little better. Dave and Paula, who have traveled extensively with Christian Youth Ministries (I may be wrong on the nameof the organization), certainly have a great family. Kayla told me about her recent trip to China with other young adults; she is very well-spoken and mature for a 16 year old! Noah loves bicyling, and is not worried about risking a crash --it sure would be great if adults were as crash-resistant as 10-year olds! And Emily and Olivia, as you can see, are too cute for words.

My sleep was interrupted by one or more raccoons who were trying to get into my luggage/panniers, which I had left on a picnic table by my tent. I had not tightly sealed the bag that held some fresh fruit that I bought today, and a raccoon had managed get a paw inside and pull out two plums. Shining flashlight on them and chasing them away was not effective -- they came back in about five minutes. So, I hung the bag from a high branch and was then able to sleep.

Day 95 (8/19): Durand to Brunet Island State Park, Wisconsin (near Cornel)

Mileage: 70.5; 2,756 total



After breakfast in Durand, Audrey gave me a shave and haircut ($10 total). Here is a photo of Audrey in her "personally decorated" barber shop.

I had gone to Durand because I had heard that there was a bicycle path that started in Durand and went to Eau Clair, about 30 miles north. But as I got started I found out that there was a series of "semi-connected" bike trails going all the way to Brunet Island State Park, a distance of about 70 miles! This was another really relaxing bicycling day, with not even many other bicyclists to be concerned about.

A couple of photos of the Chippewa River are attached. One place that I found really intriguing, but didn't take a picture of, was a wooded area that had no sign of any past community there; but a trailside sign showed a picture of the now-defunct town of Portersville, which had a population of 2,900 and several lumber mills before the mills shut down in 1908.

Arrived at the campground just as it was getting dark, pitched my tent, ate a freeze-dried dinner in the dark, and had time for a welcome shower. Plan to take tomorrow off a rest day.

Day 94 (8/18): Redwing, MN to Durand, Wisconsin

Mileage: 39.3; 2,686 total

Today I crossed the Mississippi, leaving behind the charming towns and bike trails of Minnesota.

After a morning of sleeping late, catching up on emails, blogging, and having a leisurely breakfast, I didn't get underway until a bit past noon. I crossed a bridge over the west channel of the Mississippi (photo), and then another over the east channel.

In the small town of Bay City I had a long conversation with the owner of an ice cream shop (good, but not great), who in January had gone to NYC to see the departure of the Queen Mary 2, the Queen Elizabeth 2, and the Queen Victoria: this was the last time (only time?) that these three cruise ships will ever sail together, because the Queen Elizabeth 2 is going to be converted into a hotel in Dubai. He had only been to NYC once before, and was eager to talk about the Brooklyn Bridge and other sights that he had seen.

I had been forewarned that the western part of Wisconsin was fairly hilly, and I was glad to put these hills behind me and end up in Durand.

The approach to pleasant little town of Durand was on a bridge over the Chippewa River -- see photo below.

I had been told that there was a motel in Durand, but found out that the planned motel had never been built. Someone told me that a wman named Audrey rented out a room behind her barber shop, so I looked her up and rented her room. I was glad to find it!

Audrey was a very friendly woman, and I couldn't resist asking if she had ever heard the old, puzzling conundrum about the barber. (There is a barber in town who shaves all the men in town who do not shave themselves. Who shaves the barber?). She said she hadn't ever been asked the riddle, so I told it to her. She thought about it briefly and asked for the answer. I explained that the puzzle was originally pozed to illustrate a fairly deep problem (there is no possible answer, because if the barber shaves himself, then he doesn't shave himself, and vice versa), but that a "cute" solution is to answer that "The barber is a woman." Audrey did volunteer that she had been tempted to say that she doesn't shave!

Day 93 (8/17): Northfield to Red Wing, MN

Mileage: 41.6; 2,546 total

To be completed shortly.....

Another fantastic day!

Paul, Giovanna, and I went out for a great breakfast in Northfield, which is the home of Carlton College and St. Olaf's College. It is a very pretty town -- it was obviously a prosperous farming town in the mid-1800's, and has preserved a lot of its architecture. Here are two photos: one of the local hotel, and one of the bank, now a museum, that was the scene of the great Northfield Bank Robbery of 1870.

The Bank Robbery is a part of its heritage that the town celebrates on a regular basis. The James-Younger gang (that's the Jesse James' gang), from Missouri, apparently planned to rob the bank at Mankato, but then had a change of plans and picked Northfield's bank, instead. After they had killed two people inside of the bank, one of the customers ran out calling for help. The townspeople grabbed their guns and a big shootout ensued, in which a couple of the gang members were killed. Jesse James himself was not directly involved in the gunfire, because he was just outside of town serving as a lookout. My facts may be wrong, but you can google "Northfield Bank Robbery" for more information.

So, after a pleasant breakfast and a bit of sightseeing I got off to a somewhat late start, planning to go 15 miles to Cannon Falls where I could pick up another bike trail. But after only nine miles I passed the very attractive, enticing Stanton Airfield, where I decided to stop for coffee, to watch the airfield activity, and to reminisce about flying. It turned out that there wasn't a cafe there, but there was a pot of hot coffee and Marilyn, who I believe is the owner of the airfield, invited me to help myself. I sat down outside, in a lawn chair, to drink my coffee and watch the planes. The airfield was all grass, manicured as nicely as a golf course, and with electric carts to use to get around and to tow the gliders. The airfield has about 20 gliders based there, and the focus of the airfield is on the soaring (gliding) club, as well as soaring lessons and lessons to transition to tail-draggers (planes with two wheels in front and a small wheel in back, as opposed to the more common "tricycle" landing gear). (For you city dwellers, tail-draggers are common in areas that require a lot of landings and takeoffs from unpaved runways.)

Marilyn was sitting near me on the lawn, talking with a friend, and I was surprised that they were talking about bicycling! Marilyn had just recently bicycled on the path that that I was headed to. As we talked, Marilyn found out that I used to fly but hadn't done so since 1991: she then proceeded to give me a very enthusiastic talk about how general aviation had improved so much in recent years, largely due to the introduction of "sport planes" from Europe, and new Federal regulations regarding "sport pilots." She then encouraged me to climb into a "Flight Design CT," a German built sport plane; this was the first time I had been "behind the controls" in many years, and it was certainly a nifty little plane! See picture, below, of Marilyn and the plane. She then gave me a tour of one of their hangers, in order to show me some brand new planes that are very similar in design to the old Piper Super Cub (but built by a different manufacturer) -- these, also, were really super looking planes. See photo. So I had a great time there, and was sure glad that I stopped and met Marilyn.

Eventually I did get on to the Cannon River Bike Path, which ran for 22 miles, up to Red Wing, MN. This path was even nicer than the one I was on the day before! There were lots of other riders on the path, and I had a great time meeting and talking with some of them. I ended up riding for a ways with a group of avid riders from the Prairie Lutheran Church (near Minneopolis)--see photo. A couple who were riding a tandem were especially interested in talking, because they had just purchased, but not yet received, a new tandem -- a Co-Motion, the same brand as my bike. The folks in this group were probably all a few years away from retirement, and I think a few of them wished that they also had the time to take a cross-country trip. When they stopped to have a picnic lunch I had to push on, but not before accepting an ice-cold coke and a piece of watermelon! Oh--and the guy on the tandem gave me his bicycling cap (photo) as a souvenir -- he had recently been in a "team" of riders called the "Pirates in Tight Pants" who had ridden across Minnesota in an Multiple Sclerosis fund raiser. So, if any of the other "Pirates" sees me with their team cap on, I hope they will have read this blog and know that I didn't steal it!

I stopped along the path for ice cream, which turned out to be the best I have had on this trip. It was made by The Chocolate Shop in Madison, Wisconsin. (I had mint chocolate chip and "Fat Elvis," an excellent blend of banana ice cream and peanut butter.)

In Red Wing, I had a relaxing dinner at an old, elegant hotel. My waiter, a young guy from the Ukraine, was very eager to talk about bicycle touring because he was planning to take a trip across his country when he finished school.

I only completed 40 miles today, whereas I had intended to do about 70. But it was a very enjoyable day, and the fun that I had meeting all these people was well worth the minor delays. On Monday I will cross the Mississippi, leaving the beautiful state of Minnesota but eager to experience Wisconsin.

Day 92 (8/16): Mankato to Northfield, MN

Mileage: 62.9; 2,605 total

What a wonderful day!

After a good breakfast and enjoyable conversation with three other couples who were staying at the B&B, I took off on my bike and was soon on a bike trail that started in downtown Mankato and went for about 45 miles, to Fairbault, MN. After days of riding on the roads, this was a welcome change: an asphalt bike path running through forests and farmlands, past lakes and wetlands, quiet and peaceful, with plenty of shade and with rest stops at small towns along the route. And lots of people to ride with and talk to. I particularly enjoyed meeting a group of seven or eight retired couples from Sleepy Eye, MN (a cute little town that I had passed through a couple of days before) who get together twice a week for a bike ride and have one "major event" each year (this year a bicycling trip along the C&O Canal, ending in Washington DC for the 4th of July; next summer a trip to Germany). I didn't get a picture of this group of people, but here is a picture of the route.

At the end of the trail, Paul was there to meet me. Paul and Giovanna (see photo) are the parents of Lars, who biked with me on Day 9 of my trip, along the Columbia River just outside of Portland. I had never met them before, but they had called the day before and invited me to spend the night with them in Northfield, MN, and Paul had decided that he would escort me, by bicycle, from the end of the bike path to Northfield, a distance of about 15 miles. It was great to be able to ride with him, and he is quite a cyclist! He is many years my senior, I'm sure, but he is really fit -- he has a resting heart rate of only 39 bpm! To make things even better a friend of Paul's, Chris, had driven Paul and his bicycle to our meeting point, and then Chris transported all of my baggage in his car so that I could ride unencumbered for 15 miles -- a real treat for me.

Paul and Giovanna, incidentally, are both retired math professors and very interesting to visit with. Lars did a great job of picking his parents!

To top of a great day, that evening we enjoyed very good Chinese take-out, and watched Michael Phelps win his 8th gold medal and watched the great Jamaican sprinter, "Lightening" Bolt, set a world record in the 100 meters while he looked like he was just coasting through the race in a nonchalant fashion!

The one disappointment of the day was finding out that Kurt G., who had been planning to ride with me for a day or two next week, would have to cancel out due to family commitments. I had really been looking forward to riding with Kurt, and hope that he will be able to join me later on. Otherwise, he'll need to come to NYC for a ride.

P.S.: When I was leaving Mankato I stopped to look at the sculpture of a large buffalo in a small park called Reconciliation Park. I asked someone how the park came by that name, and he explained that the park was the site of the largest mass execution in U.S. history: the hanging of 38 Sioux indians by order of President Abraham Lincoln. Read up on the whole sad history, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakota_War_of_1862

Day 91 (8/15): New Ulm to Mankato, MN

Mileage: 36.5; 2,542 total

This was a short, easy ride on a hot day. I left late, and then took a long lunch break at the one town (Nicolette) that was along the way. Was surprised to find out that the guy who ran the restaurant in this little farming town was from Long Island.

U.S. Route 14, which I had been following from outside of Pierre, SD, turned into a major highway as I approached the city of Mankato (pop. about 50,000) during late afternoon rush hour, and was not very pleasant for bicycling. I was glad to get to the Butler B&B, a beautiful house and a nice place to stay.

Was glad to pick up the package that had been mailed to me and to get my laundry done.

I had never heard of Mankato before, but it is the summer camp of the Minnesota Vikings, and seems to be a nice little college town (Southern Minnesota State University plus another school).

Day 90 (8/14): Tyler to New Ulm, MN

Mileage: 90.6; 2,505 total



The long ride today made up for the low mileage yesterday. I had never ridden more than about 75 miles before, so was glad to do 90 and still feel good at the end of the day. This distance resulted from several factors: I got off to an early start; the terrain is relatively flat; it was a cool day, starting at about 60 degrees and never getting any warmer than about 80.


The terrain in Minnesota (and in eastern South Dakota), is quite different from what it had been. No longer arid, as it had been so long, the land is now rich, undulating farmland, with frequent stands of trees and lakes. Lush fields of corn and soybeans stretch out into the distance on either side of the road.




Another notable change is that there are now towns (and places to stop for refreshment!) every ten or fifteen miles. For example, I passed four* Dairy Queens today, a sure sign of civilization. This is a great convenience, and a real relief after pedaling through the extremely desolate areas of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. But I need to stop taking advantage of all the places to stop, in order to make better time.

* I stopped at only one of these four Dairy Queens.

Day 89 (8/13): Brookings, SD to Tyler, MN

Mileage: 34.9; 2,414 total

Having passed from the great state of South Dakota to Minnesota, I now feel much closer to home!

I was disappointed to have ridden such a short distance. I didn't leave Brookings until about 1 PM, and then raced a thunderstorm into Lake Benton, MN. I lost the race, got soaked over the last mile, and killed time in a restaurant while the storm passed. When I got to Tyler, late in the afternoon, I decided to just stay there in the local motel.

Greg and Megan (see photo, below), saw my bike (and baggage) outside Tyler's restaurant, and stopped in to say "hi" to a fellow bike tourer. They are on a trip from Oakland, CA to Minneapolis, and are now close to home. I would have loved to ride with them for a bit, but their route was taking them north, whereas I need to go east, and slightly south, in order to pick up a package of prescription drugs that was mailed to me at an address in Mankato, MN.

Other than the thunderstorm (which raised severe hail and tornado warnings as it moved east from Lake Benton), the highlight of the day was coming upon more windmills than I have ever seen before. The windmills started in South Dakota, near the border, and ran east for miles into Minnesota, and also south into Iowa. I understand that there are about 1,200 of them, and that the number is likely to double.

Brookings, SD -- Ice Cream and Art Museum

Yesterday, on the advice of Mary and Joan, I went to the Dairy Micro for ice cream. "Dairy Micro," I found out, stands for the "Dairy-Microbiology" building at the Agriculture Department of the South Dakota State University, which houses a very popular ice cream bar (and apparently a cheese shop, which I didn't visit). Although the campus was dead in August, the ice cream shop was crowded, mainly with families with young children. I didn't want to set a bad example for the kids, so I limited myself to one large dish of ice cream, enough to sample the vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry flavors. All were good....certainly the best ice cream I have had on this trip.

I noticed that the ice cream bar was close to the Art Museum, so I stopped in there and was certainly glad that I did! This was s real pleasure. The highlight, for me, was the work of Harvey Dunn (check www.bpib.com/illust/dunn.htm), a local artist who painted in the early 1900's. They were running a big exhibit of his work titled "Feminine Images," featuring women of the plains. Great stuff. I always tend to favor realism, and these works were realism with a strong emotional punch. (Unfortunately, I am not able to locate many of these paintings on the Internet; the link that I provided above is focused mainly on his illustrations and WWI drawings.)

Reading Harvey Dunn's biography on the Internet, I was surprised to find out that (a) he attended the Chicago Art Institute (Robin M. -- did they mention him when you were there 100 years later?), and (b) he taught at the Art Students League of New York (and was renowned as a teacher); and (c) he taught at the Grand Central School of Art, at the top of Grand Central Terminal (I never knew that there had been an art school at the GCT!).

There was a lot of other good stuff at the museum, and I particularly liked an exhibit by Fatih Benzer.

A bit of trivia that I thought was interesting: When I was eating ice cream I was talking with a local bus driver. He asked me if I had come through Manchester, SD, and I said I didn't remember seeing that town. He asked me if I had seen a roadside historical marker pointing out the area that Harvey Dunn had grown up in, and I told him "yes, I remembered reading that marker, but I did't remember there being any town there." He then explained that the marker was in what was left of the small town of Manchester, which was obliterated by a 2003 tornado! (You can check it out on Wikipedia.org, if you are interested.)

Day 88 (8/12): Arlington to Brookings, SD

Mileage: 22.0 1,380 total

Short easy ride on this "rest day." Nice ride, with a tailwind, but somewhat ruined by my second flat tire--this time a large staple was the culprit.

I am being kicked off the computer now, but will write later about the ice cream in Brookings.

Day 87 (8/11): Huron to Arlington, SD

Mileage: 57.6; 2,358 total

As I have proceeded east from Pierre the towns have gotten closer and closer, which means more "rest and refreshment" stops. On this ride I stopped at one little town to have a cold drink, and ended up chatting for a while with a number of older men playing eucre (a somewhat obscure card game that is apprently played a lot in the midwest). Then I stopped an hour or two later for a light lunch (a BLT and coffee), and was joined at my table by some of the local lunch crowd, farmers and a local banker who apparently makes sub-prime loans to these farmers -- a friendly bunch, partly due to the fact, I guess, that this is the best year they have had for crops in a long long time. Next I stopped in the town of De Pret, after riding in the rain for 1 1/2 hours, and enjoyed a chicken sandwich at a Subway shop and then took a "Laura Ingalls Wilder Tour" (this is the town of "Little House on the Prairie" fame. I pushed on from there, and checked into a motel in Arlington, fat and happy, just before a major thunderstorm broke loose.

Don't overlook your chance to win a milkshake by guessing how much weight I will have lost by the end of my ride. I was 272 pounds at the start. Submit your guess, and I will announce the winner when I get back on the scales in NYC.

Day 86 (8/10): Miller to Huron, SD

Mileage: 51.9; 2,300 total

A fairly uneventful day, except that I took a short-cut along some county roads and got a little confused, adding a mile or two to my ride. Oh -- and one of the sunflower fields was pretty much in full bloom (see photo).

By the way -- a reader recently asked what kind of camera I am using for my photos. Virtually all of them have been taken with the camera on my phone, an iPhone. The only exceptions are the 12 pictures posted about our trip to the Black Hills: these were taken on my Olympus, which has a 10 power zoom; they were downloaded to Colin's laptop, and then emailed to my daughter who posted them for me.

Day 85 (8/9): Pierre to Miller, SD

Mileage: 54.8; 2,248 total

Actually, this leg of my trip started about 15 miles east of Pierre: rather than backtracking on my bicycle on Rte 14, which I had taken into Pierre, Leslie gave me a ride back to the point where I had picked up Rte 14 into Pierre. We said our sad farewells, and then Leslie drove back to the airport to catch her flight to NYC, and I headed east.

This was an uneventful ride through fields of corn, wheat, and sunflowers. Unfortunately, none of the fields of sunflowers had actually blossomed fully.

Quite a few motorcyclists passed me, headed home, I guess, after the Sturgis Motorcycle rally. I had a long road-side chat with "Stretch," who had pulled his Harley-Davidson over to the side of the road to take break. He'd gone to Sturgis from Arizona, and is now on his way to NYC on his mission to make his "personal protest" at Ground Zero. He's a bright, sincere guy with a lot of interesting stories, but it was hard for me to tell exactly when his stories crossed the line from truth to fantasy, and I suspect it may be hard for him to tell, also. What I did believe was that he returned from a tour of duty in Vietnam in 1968 and then got radicalized by the counter-culture of that era. Anyway, he is protesting Bush's decision (was it Bush's?) not to rebuild the World Trade Center. He claims he has been cleared by the NYC police to have a one-man demonstration at Ground Zero, probably on or about August 27. His demonstration will include, among other things, a chess set (to demonstrate a peaceful type of war?), a bugle (to attract attention), and unloaded firearms (to attract attention?). So if any of you New Yorkers read about this guy, let me know (his last name is Szabo -- if I read this correctly when I saw his license to carry a concealed weapon).

Days 83 & 84 (8/7, 8/8): Wrapping Up In Pierre

The highlight of our last two days in Pierre was sightseeing, both in town and on the Missouri River.

On Thursday we set off early for the Capitol, with Joan as our expert tour guide and her grandaughter Jordan coming along to explore some of the mysteries of the building. The Capitol, built in 1908, is a magnificent building built in the classical style--very beautiful inside and out. The floors are tiled with very fancy little mosaic tiles and, if I remember Joan's story correctly, each of the original 55 workmen left one little blue tile as a reminder of his work - Jordan was continuing her search to see how many of these little blue tiles she can locate.

After the tour of the Capitol we went to the State Historical Museum, a relatively new building that lays out the history of South Dakota in a series of well designed exhibits. We were impressed with the frankness of some of the exhibits: the curators clearly decided not to gloss over anything "unpleasant."

On Friday afternoon, after Leslie and I explored Pierre's Main Street, Mary picked us up to go boating. Scott, a friend of Colin's, had suggested that we might enjoy seeing Pierre and surrounding areas from his boat. That was really thoughtful--thanks Scott! We had a great afternoon on the river with Scott, Colin, and Mary. Jordan also came along--she was eager to go swimming, and before long we were all in the river. What a great way to spend an August afternoon! The water was great, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that, contrary to its name of "Big Muddy," the water in the Missouri River is crystal clear. The biggest surprise, though, was that on a Friday afternoon/early evening we almost had the whole river to ourselves: there were a few boaters upstream, north of Pierre, but on a stretch of a few miles to the south we only saw one small boat of fishermen, one kayaker, and a large flock of western pelicans. South of Pierre the river, and its banks, must look very much they way they did when Lewis & Clark explored it.

Leslie and I had a great vacation in Pierre and the Black Hills, thanks to the hospitality of Mary & Colin and Joan & James (see photo of Joan and James, below). We loved all the meals that Joan served us: big breakfasts with lots of fresh fruit; good lunches and snack food (I really liked the venison sausage); excellent dinners with lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. For the "foodies" who are reading this, Joan and James prepared the best shish kababs I've ever had -- wonderful grilled vegetables interspersed with tenderloin of venison, better than any beef tenderloin I've had. Thanks for all you did for us!

Days 76 - 82 (7/31 - 8/6): Trip to the Black Hills

Leslie arrived in Pierre on 7/31. We enjoyed a great prime rib dinner that evening at the Cattleman's Club with Joan & Jim, Mary & Colin and two of their three daughters, Meredith and Jordan. The prime ribs were absolutely fantastic, as Mary said they would be. The quality of these prime ribs explains why Mary never orders beef in New York City--she knows that it would not be any where near as good as what she can get in Pierre (at a much more reasonable price).

On 8/1 we drove to the Black Hills with Mary & Colin, taking two cars. They took us through the South Dakota Badlands, then to their cabin deep in the woods but actually quite near Mt. Rushmore. We spent the evening at Mt. Rushmore, which I had never seen before, and had another excellent dinner. For the "foodies" out there: the restaurant we went to in Hill City serves only two things, a small filet mignon and a large filet mignon. It comes with a baked potato and a wedge of lettuce with a house dressing, so to place your order all you need to do is specify "small" or "large," and how you want the steak cooked. The choices were certainly limited, but the dinners were excellent.

On 8/1 we went back to Mt. Rushmore for breakfast, and then on a long car tour of the local area, guided by Colin and Mary who have explored it so thoroughly.

This was the week of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, so literally several hundred thousand bikers from all over the country had converged on the Black Hills area. One highlight of the trip was being stopped in Custer State Park by a herd of buffalo who were milling about on the road, blocking traffic. We loved seeing the buffalo close up, from the security of our car, but many of the bikers recognized that they were in a very precarious position, and were getting nervous--a Harley Davidson is no match for a 2,000 pound bull buffalo.

On 8/2 Mary and Colin returned to Pierre, leaving Leslie and I to explore the area on our own. We had a wonderful time, using the cabin as a base to sightsee in the surrounding area. Among other things, we went to a very interesting site in Hot Springs where they are digging up skeletons of mammoths and other extinct mammals; Wind Cave in Wind Cave National Park, one of the oldest national parks; the awesome Devil's Tower in Wyoming (which you might remember from the movie Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind); the site of a recently discovered, centuries old buffalo jump; the town of Deadwood, once one of the wildest towns in the west, where Wild Bill Hickock was murdered. From start to finish, a great trip in a beautiful area.

Don't be fooled by the name, as I had been: the Black Hills are not hills, they are rugged mountains. Big mountains. Mt. Harney, for example, at 7,242 feet, is the highest point in North America east of the Rocky Mountains. This whole area, apparently thrust up from the earth in the same violent movements that formed the Rocky Mountains, is filled with geological wonders, wildlife, and places of historical interest. Mount Rushmore may be the major draw, but there is plenty here for a great summer vacation.

Following are a number of photos:
Leslie and Mary, in the Badlands;
scene in the Badlands;
prarie dog;
rare fauna;
the cabin in which we stayed, with Mary, Leslie, and Colin on the porch;
baby mountain goat (next to its mother);
Mt. Rushmore;
standoff between buffalo and bikers -- note that (a) the guy in the yellow shirt wasn't nearly as cocky as his shirt's slogan indicates, and I suspect he was secretly thinking "Please, big buffalo, leave me alone and I promise to get out of your park as soon as I can" and (b) the young woman on the right, with blond hair, was quite nervous and got off her friend's bike in order to scurry back, away from the buffalos, at one point asking if she could hop into our car for protection, if necessary;
buffalo (two photos);
the gigantic sculpture of Crazy Horse (which, if/when completed will dwarf Mt. Rushmore), in progress since 1948 -- his profile is well defined, and the extension in front of this will be his horse's head and neck.