Thursday and Friday Rides

This is a backtrack of Thursday and Friday.  I will also recap Saturday with another post yet today.

Thursday morning we were in the Ashland hotel, waiting until it stopped pouring, before heading out.  It was still raining, but not as hard when we hit the road about 10:00.  We went to the Ashland Visitors Center--which is called the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center. It is an awesome place, with many exhibits and a five story observation tower, staffed by many Forest Service people, with a wealth of information.  We did not take a picture, but this is from their site.

 

 

 Rebecca, along the railing, at the top of the center.

We then drove to Washburn, WI, to pick out a campsite at Memorial Park.  It had stopped raining and the sun was trying to come out.  We found a nice site, under the trees and hoped the sun would dry up some of the wet spots in the grass. 

 

Pat and Rebecca hopped on their bikes and rode north towards Cornucopia.  It was a nice ride and as usual, they found a point of interest along the way.

 

 

Rebecca really wanted to go over by the large chicken to have her photo op, but she settled for a selfie with Pat.

 

They got back to the camp with time to shower and for all three of us head to a local bar/restaurant to watch the Packer football game.  We found a place called Patsy's and decided with a name like that, it had to be perfect.  It is also listed on the Packers Everywhere website as the place for Packer fans in Washburn.   We got there early to get a good seat, had a few beverages, ate a couple of wonderful appetizers, followed by great burgers and watched the game.   We do not need to go into the details of the outcome, but in full disclosure, we did not stay for the entire game...........

 

Day Four Ride--29 Miles

Total Miles--137.5 Miles

 

Friday--We brought along Pickleball rackets and even a net, so, they did need to be used--or they would not be included on a future list of items needed!  So, we walked a couple of blocks to play an hour or so of semi-vigorous Pickleball.  Two on one and even a few mini-singles games on half of a tennis court.  Good Fun!

 

We then walked mile to a local bakery with some great food.  We stopped the day before to get a loaf of bread and had about 15 kinds to chose from.  Late breakfast-early lunch was enjoyed. We also stopped at a local shop and I had to test out the bikes outside.

 

Rebecca and Pat hopped on the bikes and road to Bayfield, where I drove to meet them.  We walked around town a bit and enjoyed an ice cream cone.  We also had to model some hats we found in a shop.

 

Pat and Rebecca got back on their bikes to head back to camp and I too started to drive back.  I followed a sign for blueberries and spent about a half hour picking some great berries.  It sure seemed late to be picking blueberries, but they said it was coming to an end--maybe another few days.  They were very good berries and we will have some for the next few days.

 

We thought about going to a show at Big Top Chautauqua, but decided to get a fish fry at Patsy's.  It must be good as the place was more crowded for the fish fry then even for the game the night before.  We had a great campfire--the best one yet and enjoyed the beautiful sunset from our campground.

 

 

 

Day Five Ride--24 Miles

Total Miles--161.5 Miles

Tuesday and Wednesday Recap ~ 33 miles

I am checking in this morning from the AmericaInn in Ashland.  If you are checking back at the first post for this year's ride, you are right--Ashland was not one of the planned stops.  However, the weather yesterday was also not part of our plans.....................  Heavy rains, hail the size of golf balls in the area, thunder, lightning--you get the picture.  It would not have been a pretty picture to be at a campground during all of this, so we opted for a second night in a hotel.  We also have revised our next few nights.  We are not planning to drive into Michigan to camp for two nights.  We are staying in the Bayfield-Washburn-Ashland area for three nights camping. There is a campground on Lake Superior in Washburn that does not take reservations, so we will head there this afternoon--Thursday--and stay three nights.  We also need to find a place to watch the Packer game tonight.  But--that is the future.....................  and I need to fill you all in on the past two days.

The last entry was from Labor Day Monday, our last night at the campground in Minnesota.  And--it did rain that night and seemed to come out of nowhere--none of us thought it was going to rain.  But, it was so quiet in the campground that we also heard coyotes or wolves along with whippoorwills in the distance.  That was in addition to the short storm that rolled through too.  So, Tuesday morning we packed up the wet tents and other things that were also left out overnight. 

We drove north and stopped in a park in Two Harbors for lunch.  Rebecca had a conference call for work while Pat and I pulled out the tents to lay out in the grass to dry. We were parked along an old dock and this tugboat.

 



We drove to Tofte to stay at a hotel for a night and also meet up with two of Pat's friends who live in Ely.  They drove down to meet us for supper at Bluefin Bay and we had a fantastic meal.  Thanks Lynn and Erik for a nice evening!

 

Pat, some fisherman who wanted to get into the picture, Lynn and Erik

 

It was great to sleep in a bed and take a real shower!  However, the weather for the next day or so does not look good for camping or biking or hiking or anything outdoors, so we will regroup in the morning to see what we think!

 

 

Wednesday Morning

 

We had breakfast in the hotel and decided the weather for Wednesday night was going to be too wet to camp.  So--we chose to get a hotel for the evening and we driving to Ashland, WI.  We also decided to then cancel the reservation in Michigan to save a long drive there and add an extra day at a site in Wisconsin.  It sure is nice to set up and take down the campsites less often than 2012 and even one less time now.

 

Pat took these pictures of a bear and moose, in the lobby of our hotel in Tofte. She is sure we/she is going to see one or both and wanted to be sure that she had evidence in case one was not spotted in the wild!

 

 

 

But, Pat and Rebecca did go on a ride as the weather was good in the morning and was to get more dicey later in the day.  I drove them north of Grand Marais to a spot on the Gunflint Trail.  This is a paved road that is mainly downhill to the town, so we stopped at a spot about 32 miles up. 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, the roads are wet and it is a bit cool--temps in the low 60's.  They are ready for the ride down!

 

 

There was no shoulder, but very little traffic on the road.  Many downhill spots and a few times going up a bit.  It was a smooth ride and enjoyable! 

 

I drove down about 15 miles to wait for them to make sure all was OK as there was no cell service in the area at all.  All was well, so I headed off to Grand Marais to check out the tourist shops!  About an hour and half later it started raining pretty good and I hope they were close.  I got a text they were in town and we met to load the bikes.  We walked about town for a bit--long enough for Pat to get some fudge and real maple syrup while I got some coffee for our next mornings in camp.

 

We headed south and stopped at Split Rock Lighthouse.  This is a famous place that is shown on many pictures representing Minnesota.

 

 

We walked to the top of the lighthouse and enjoyed the views.

 

 

I took this photo of a picture they have on display to show what a layout looks like. 

 

 

 

This was completed in 1910 and all of the materials were brought up by hand and a up a pulley system.  We walked down to the bottom by Lake Superior and it was a few steps--177 to be exact!

 

 

 

We sat along the rocks for a bit and contemplated life. 

 

It looks like someone has enjoyed stacking rocks along the shore.

We also have noticed these strange looking pine trees.  The bottom has no needles, but the top is alive with what looks to be a small Christmas Tree!

 

 

We stopped again in Two Harbors and had supper at a great place called Carmody 61.  It had an Irish-American menu and the food was very good.  We continued south through Duluth and I even drove over the huge bridge into Wisconsin...................  I do not like bridges at all-but I did it!  As we got into Wisconsin, the rains came and it poured all the way to the hotel in Ashland.  Just south of here, by Spooner, they got a the worst of the storm and golf-ball sized hail was reported.  We are very glad to be in four solid walls--and not a tent!

 

We are not sure what is in the plans for Thursday as another storm is to come through in the morning.  Maybe a bike loop, maybe Pickleball or...................  not sure.  But, we will head to Washburn to set up camp to stay until Sunday. And--find a TV for the big game tonight--Go Pack Go!

 

Day Three Ride--33 Miles

Total Miles--108.5 Miles

 

 

 

 

 

 

Labor Day Tandem Ride ~ 33 Miles

Happy Labor Day....................  a few days late as I type this and you read it!

So I start with the acknowledgement that yes indeed it stormed on Sunday night!  Rained Buckets--lots of wind and lightening and thunder.  But, we all stayed dry and everything stayed in place--even the Wisconsin canopy!

Breakfast was bagels with eggs and bacon--McD's is not as good as ours.................  Pat decided to take up Rebecca's invitation to take the tandem out today, with the stipulation that they are to ride a trail and not the road.  So, Rebecca got the tandem ready to go.

 

We drove into Hinckley and found the start of the Willard Munger State Trail--a paved trail that goes from Hinckley all the way to Duluth.  The ladies were set to head north toward Moose Lake, about a 35 miles ride.  They were set to go!

 

 

Pat and Rebecca ready for day 2 on the tandem!

 

 

I found a grocery store-gas station-Subway about 10 miles north in Sandstone and bought ice for the coolers.  I asked if there was a coffee shop or someplace with free Wi-Fi.  The clerk pointed over to an area with a few tables and booths for Subway and said use that.  So, I got the my laptop and proceeded to update the blog for Saturday and Sunday.  I had all of Saturday's post done and had sent Rebecca and Pat a text to ask them to email me pictures they took with their phones on Sunday.  The text did not go through and I realized I had my data connection off on my phone.  No sooner did I turn it on and a text from Rebecca said they had a flat tire and no pump on the tandem.  I called and found out they were about 15 miles north of me and would walk about a mile to a point where the trail crosses a road.  The Saganista was ready to spring..............  well drive.... into action!  I drove to the road that I thought was where they would cross and look south to see two walkers and a tandem coming my way, about 500 yards away.  I took the hand pump and walked down the trail toward them.  As I got closer, I asked for their AAA card.  Neither had one but I helped them anyway....................  Sadly, there are no pictures of fixing the flat tire.  The only picture they took was of the sandhill cranes--look closely in the center of the picture.

 

 

I then drove to Moose Lake and found the Lazy Moose Restaurant.  I waited about and hour and the girls arrived.  We had ice cream and explored the town a bit.  We packed up the bikes and headed back to our campsite.  We had left overs for supper--in pudgy pies.  Hamburger, potatoes, cheese in a tortilla over the fire--yum!  Our last night at the site and I think we were one of only two campers in about 10 loops of sites.  Everyone else had left during the day on Labor Day.  Tomorrow--Tuesday-we head to the North Shore to Tofte, MN.

 

Day Two Ride--33 Miles

Total Miles--75.5 Miles

Biking Day One--Sunday, 8-31 42.5 miles

 

The morning starts with Pat making coffee--and she is the pro at it!  We walk down to the interpretive center and check out the kids area!

 

 

They seem happy now.

 

 

The Voyager seems to be a bit serious!

 

 

 

The Lumber Jack-Jill seems a bit confused!

 

But, they are off for the day

 

 

Pat and Rebecca head out of the park, which is about a 5-6 mile road, onto highway 22 and head east, toward Danbury.  As they cross the St. Croix River, into Wisconsin, the wide shoulder becomes very narrow and they decide to find another road to travel on.  They head south and get on F and end up at Bass Lake for lunch.

 

 

 

They make a loop and head back toward the campground.  But, they had to make a stop for a photo op at a cow they passed on the way.  I think it needs a bit of a paint touchup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pat again provided us with a laugh with our cocktail attire for this evening:

 

 

Rebecca had posted a picture of lunch at Bass Lake on Facebook and got a message that one of her college friends lived close.  Linda came to our campsite that night to join us for supper, bringing some awesome potatoes-ready to go in a tinfoil pan to go on the fire, a cucumber salad, a bottle of homemade wine, along with some wood, including a kitty litter box filled with kindling!  Thank You Linda!  Our supper was a hamburger stuffed with blue cheese made in a pudgy pie, with Linda's vegetables as a side.  Yummy!   Sorry, we did not get a picture before dark with our guest.  The skies were threatening all night and storms were forecast!

 

Day One Ride--42.5 Miles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heading Up North

I was not able to get any internet connection until Labor Day, so this is a bit of backtracking.........

Pat flew in from Colorado on Thursday afternoon.  We were already aware that Deb probably would not join us on the start of the trip, but hopes to hook up with us along the way. 

Pat put her bike together as that had been shipped the week before.  Everything went together just fine!  We also put up Barb and Rebecca's new tent in the front yard to make sure everything was there.  It was just purchased from REI on Monday........................ Nothing like waiting until the last week to get a new tent!  Pat recommended that we get an additional vestibule as there was a rain fly included, but it only covered one end of the tent.  Rebecca stopped at REI on the way home to pick one up.  We left the tent set up over night as a storm was predicted and we--well Pat mainly--wanted to be sure it would handle it.  The rains did not come, but it was windy and the Taj Mahal, as Pat refers to the tent, was still standing!  Pat was able to get everything back into the tent bag--tent, rain fly, new vestibule, stakes and footprint.  She said that would be the last time everything went into one place!

 Pat is pretty sure rain would enter this end unless we got an additional item--a vestibule.

 

 Pat is probably right! 

Barb and Pat spent Friday getting organized for the trip. One trip to the grocery store, a trip to Sherper's--a store with camping items to purchase a few extra tent stakes, along with the necessary toaster for the top of the camp stove.  We then took a trip to our friend Claudia and Kitty's house to "shop" in their basement for additional camping items--lantern, folding table, grate for the fire ring and a second camp stove if Deb did not bring hers.  Even though she was not going with us, Deb did volunteer for us still drive her Suburban.  She came over Friday afternoon to trade out for my CR-V and she brought some camping gear--the especially needed coffee pot! So--Pat and I were set to begin to load the vehicle.  We did "try" to pack lighter, but it seemed the when Rebecca got home, the Pickleball rackets and net made its way into the car!

We finished loading the car Saturday morning with all of the food (and spices) along with two coolers--one for food and one for beverages.  The tailgate was shut and the bikes were added.  We used our bike rack with had a long tray so we could take the tandem, along with Pat and Rebecca's single bikes.  We were set to go!

 

 

We took a selfie before heading out, and Rebecca is hold "Deb" in the background!

 

 This was our breakfast before leaving--muddy sweet cakes with mango and banana puree on top.  Pat had to have a picture of this!

 

 

We left Waukesha around 10:00 and headed north to St. Croix State Park, outside of Hinckley, MN.  We stopped in Bloomer, WI, for about 15 minutes to see Gloria, a friend of Rebecca's.  We arrived around 6:00 or so and set up camp.  Two tents, the Wisconsin canopy over the picnic table and we were set! 

 

Pat provided out cocktail attire for tonight:

 

 

We had a pretty weak campfire as we had no kindling, but campers next to us heard us comment on how nice their fire was, so they brought us a couple of fire-starter-cupcakes.  They worked!  Add to the list in the future, some newspaper! 

 

 

 



2014 Lake Superior Bike Trip

Get Ready!  We are taking another bike trip--pedals, not motors, starting Labor Day weekend.  Barb, Rebecca, Deb and Pat are all back for 2014!

This year we are driving to Hinckley, MN on Saturday, the 30th and camping in St. Croix State Park.  Our plan is a bit different this year as we will be staying a couple of nights in each place.  The bikers will head out from the site, making a loop or Barb will drive the bikers out for them to ride back.  The allows for less packing and unpacking the tents and supplies every day as well as giving the bikers options each day for rides as they do not have to "end up" at the next site!

On this map, St. Croix State Park, our starting point, is about 60 miles south of Superior.  We are camping for three nights and hope to also do some hiking in the area.  We will then head to Tofte, MN, on the north shore, for a night in a hotel.  Then, back down around the lake to Bayfield, WI for a couple of nights of camping.   We then head to northern Michigan by Hancock for two nights of camping at McLain State Park.  Finally, we end the trip by staying three nights in a log cabin by Minocqua, WI.  We might be able to do some fishing too!

So--follow along as Barb will update whenever possible, including pictures along the way.