Stephanie Reighart

Shortest day yet…

Day 33

Miles: 38 + 14 on Mackinac Island

Mileage from start: 2,952

We left the campground around 11 a.m. with an exciting hotel reservation in front of us. Just that morning while we were packing up, Richard booked us at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

It was a cool morning by the shore, but warm out of the wind and behind the trees. By the time we got to St. Ignace, I was sweaty and sticky from the humidity.

Part of our reservation included a five-course dinner at the hotel which required formal wear. In packing for our bike ride, we neglected to prepare for that circumstance. I had a lightweight dress that could pass, but Richard had no collared shirt, dress pants or tie and suit jacket.

To the thrift store! Fortunately the hotel loans out ties and jackets, and we were able to find decent enough pants and shirt at the store. I found a pair of shoes so I wasn’t stuck with my cleats or crocs and we headed for the ferry.

The boat ride was quick and since the island has no cars — horses haul anything heavy — we had a new kind of traffic to be wary of as we rode to the hotel: squirrelly riders.

Most people learn how to ride a bike, I believe. But not that many put the time in to learn how to really handle a bike. Eat while riding. Drink while riding. Maintain a straight line forward while looking behind you. Stop and start quickly. Weave through hazards with control at slow and quick speeds. With thousands of people a day on bikes on this island, it made for an interesting ride.

We made it to the hotel and checked in only to be scolded by a manager for bringing our bikes into the hotel. They don’t like bikes in their rooms, which I understand because bikes ride over horse manure. But you can’t yell at me for getting horse poop on the carpet when I haven’t done it yet.

Next we rode the loop around the island, got ice cream and fudge and then rode to the top of the island, Fort Holmes. There are two forts on Mackinac, both of which were built for the wars between Britain and the new/yet-to-be United States.

After we got back to the hotel, it was showers and dinner and now bed.

Crash, bang, BOOM!

Day 32

Miles: 112

Mileage from start: 2,900

We lost an hour coming into Escanaba last night (and the eastern time zone), so when we slept in until 8:40, it’s because our bodies thought it was 7:40…or something like that.

We went to breakfast, which was nice and part of the cost of the room, but was lacking in volume. So, we went back to the room and each ate 600 more calories of Ramon noodles.

We left the hotel around 11 a.m. and enjoyed the cooler temperatures. Although, it didn’t last and soon we were hot and under full sun.

We had lunch around 4 p.m. at a grocery store. It was raspberries, potato chips and a whole box of cookie and ice cream sandwiches. That’s the thing about grocery stores versus convenience stores: you can’t buy just one; you have to get the whole box.

At one point, we were biking on a shoulder that had wildflowers growing over the pavement. Richard was ahead of me picking flowers and tossing them over his shoulder at me. In retaliation, I picked some flowers and threw them forward at him.

It didn’t work. I lost my balance and swerved right into gravel and then further right into the grass and then further right down into the ditch. I thought I had it but then I hit a rock or stick or something and flopped over on my left.

It was a slow-speed crash, but a crash nevertheless.

Richard came over and asked if I was okay. I laid there holding my crotch since I had just slammed it against the top tube of my bike. “Saddle injury,” he called it.

My crotch and I recovered quickly and other than a couple small cuts from the big chain ring and falling into the thick grasses, I’m fine. My front wheel was knocked out of alignment with my handlebars when I went down. Richard fixed it while I sat still trying to take inventory of any other injuries. Nothing really registered, so we kept moving.

Tonight we’re camped right on Lake Michigan. We can see four different firework displays from the rocks on the shoreline. They’re far away, but it’s still pretty cool.

The breeze off the lake is a bit chilly, so I am glad for my cozy sleeping bag tonight.

Folks gathered at a Fourth of July parade tht we had to find a detour around.

Ice cream is magic

Day 31

Miles: 122

Mileage from start: 2,788

Today marks a month since we rode away from the Sea-Tac Airport. The day, like that first day, was blue skies and warm.

We woke up with the mosquitoes waiting impatiently outside our tent. Both Richard and I are covered in bites. I have three in a row behind my right knee, all within 5 mm of the next.

The heat of the day, plus the humidity of our Midwestern climate slowed me down today. When we set up camp last night we were both low on food and water. I biked the first 25 miles on just a few swallows. And then when we stopped for water at a small restaurant, the water we got tasted badly enough that it made me feel nauseated.

About 12 miles after that we stopped at a convenience store and restocked on better water and more food.

By 3 p.m. we had covered about 60 miles. I felt hot and tired and was relying on Richard to make a draft for me to sit in.

That’s where the ice cream came in.

I ate a 500 calorie ice cream-cookie sandwich and felt a million times better. I assume that’s because ice cream is like eating feel-better magic.

The next sixty miles felt like they went by much faster. Magic, I tell you.

Tonight we are cleaned and fully fed and in a hotel room, up way past our bedtime.

Crossing into Michigan. (Sorry it’s fuzzy. There was some humidity on the lense.)

Blue, white, green, gold

Day 30

Miles: 122

Mileage from start: 2,666

Today was all blue skies, white, puffy clouds, bright green trees, and roads lined with white and gold wildflowers.

The temperature was a pleasant 75 degrees and all the trees blocked any wind there was. The climate has definitely changed from the open plains. Rather than all our sweat evaporating and leaving behind salt residue, the sweat stays in this higher humidity environment. That gives the bacteria something to be happy about and makes us a bit smellier.

After we all packed up, we went back to town and had breakfast before we continued our bike north and Alena started her weekend.

Being a holiday weekend, the traffic was consistent, but it was mostly tourists with nothing pressing to do so riding roads with little-to-no shoulder has been fine. The pavement quality ranges wildly from brand new to dodging potholes three inches deep from winters of frost heave.

We past through still more lakes and spent nearly 15 miles on one of the nicest bike trails I’ve ever been on. It was nicely paved, separated from the road it paralleled by a median of thick trees, and wound through tall pine stands that cast a lovely shade.

Next was 25 miles on a road of similar qualities except the pavement wasn’t as nice. It’s interesting the different behaviors we see from drivers. Most give us ample space when they pass and do so with a kind wave. I have taken to trusting the semi and truck drivers more than anyone else because their livelihood is dependent on safe driving skills. Even someone who passes a little close for comfort is, at least, a brief experience. The most unpleasant encounters come from motorists who break the flow of traffic to let us pass through an intersection or merge. I believe that these people think they are being courteous and kind by taking the time to stop and wait. But it’s ultimately confusing and, therefore, dangerous. The whole reason independent drivers on the road works is that there are set rules and the prediction that those rules be followed. When a driver stops at an intersection for a bike even though it’s the driver’s right-of-way, it is confusing. To be kind to cyclists, follow the rules of the road and act predictably. Just pretend we’re very small, slow-moving cars.

Tonight we’re camped in a forest of mosquitoes and someone is prematurely setting off fireworks.

The nicest bike trail I’ve ever been on.

Beautiful day for visits from friends

Day 29

Miles: 107

Mileage from start: 2,544

The day started off a little chilly but sunny. We had a slight wind from the north. But now that the landscape is trees rather than open farm fields, the wind isn’t that big of a deal.

Our route took us north through swampy land and we only got chased by one dog.

We stopped in Clam Lake for the night and got to spend time with a friend who we knew from her time in New Hampshire. It was so nice to sit around the fire, eat fire-roasted corn and share stories.

The mosquitoes up here are aggressive and, at least for me, elicit a pretty good reaction. I must be more allergic to the anti-clotting agent in their saliva than in other species I have more exposure to. These bites stay red and itchy for days. I have bites from North Dakota that I’m still scratching at. Richard doesn’t seem as bothered by them, but what else is new?

It’s raining…who wants a zero?

Day 28

Miles: 0

Mileage from start: 2,437

The forecast called for rain for most of the day; at least, the part of the day that we bike. It didn’t rain overnight and when the sun rose, it was sunny.

I laid in the tent reading Bridge to Terabithia and trying not to wake Richard with my crying. That book is so good and I hadn’t read it since fifth grade. I definitely woke him up.

It wasn’t long after that that the wind picked up and the clouds took over the sky. We packed up and biked over to a nearby hotel. They were nice enough to let us check in early. By the time we took showers and got ready to go eat, it was raining.

We went out into the rain and ate at an Italian restaurant. Then it was errands: grocery store, bank, post office.

We did laundry and sat in the hot tub. And napped pretty hard.

It was a nice zero to be inside and out of the rain and thunderstorms that came later in the afternoon.

And the forecast is great for tomorrow.

Real butter. Real tomatoes. Real basil. Yay for zeroes!

A lovely introduction to Wisconsin

Day 27

Miles: 106

Mileage from start: 2,437

A while back, I was talking to my friend Alena about how I want to live where it never gets above 75 in the summer. Alena, who is from Duluth, Minnesota, said I should move to Minnesota because that’s what the weather is like.

She was so right. The temperatures here have been awesome for me. Warm in the sun. Cool in the shade. Wisconsin is the same way. Average summer high temperatures don’t go much above 75.

Today was another warm-in-the-sun day. Mostly sunny. Not too windy. Lovely.

We left the bike barn hostel around 10 a.m. after a breakfast of ice cream bars, cereal galore and peanut butter and (homemade) jelly sandwiches.

We wandered our way south and east to the St. Croix River and crossed it by Osceola, Wisconsin.

We ate lunch at the Watershed Cafe. I have decided that my body performs best on potatoes and dairy. Pizza bogs me down. Chinese is okay. But I always seem to feel fueled and ready for more miles after a hearty portion of potatoes and dairy fat. Refined sugar and flour work well, too.

Anyway, lunch was grilled cheese and potato chips and coffee. Richard got a smoothie with blueberries and protein powder. I hate the taste of that stuff, so I stuck to the protein in my cheese. We also got a cheese plate featuring Wisconsin cheeses.

Then it was more miles past cows and horses and corn. When we passed boggy areas, we attracted biting flies and had clouds of them following each of us.

We’ve had about 10 more dogs chase us down since that first one in North Dakota. It’s still startling, but I’m better prepared. My pepper spray is mounted on the top tube of my bike frame. I don’t want to use it but I want it there if another dog gets actively aggressive. And I always keep a squeeze of water in at least one of my water bottles. That’s worked well before on this, and other, rides. Give the dog a spray of water to the nose and they usually back down. Most dogs chase us because we’re something to chase. Their just dogs obeying their instincts. But I do think it’s the responsibility of the owner to know of this tendency in their pets and mitigate for it. I don’t want to hurt any dog. I just want to ride my bike safely. The real risk isn’t to me. Most of these dogs are friendly and excited. The real risk is the cars driving near me in the road when the dog runs out of its yard.

Tonight we’re camped by Sand Lake in Cumberland, Wisconsin hoping the forecasted storms hold off until tomorrow.

Halfway Day!

Day 26

Miles: 128

Mileage from start: 2,331

Today, the weather was great. If I couldn’t see it for myself, a nice lady with gray hair twisted up and pinned perfectly biking along the Paul Bunyan Trail with us told me. “Perfect day,” she said, beaming.

The temperature was pleasant, the breeze was mild and we made progress in reasonable time.

We left the campground around 9 and got back on the bike trail. Minnesota seems to have invested in bike trails quite a bit and it’s a nice resource.

There are many things I like about thrubiking over thruhiking, but the cars are not one of them. To some extent you get used to the constant noise and, by far, most drivers are careful and safe. But I definitely miss leaving roads and ducking into the woods to have the chance to escape the frontcountry.

We stopped midmorning at a grocery store for provisions then continued on. For me, the afternoon lasted forever. I couldn’t find anything to think about and after what seemed like an entire day, we’d only gone 65 miles. We took a break at 4:30 with about 40 miles left to our intended destination. I ate 800 calories of burrito and ice cream and felt much better. I barely noticed the last 40. Ice cream makes everything better.

We’re staying tonight at a cycler’s hostel near Dalbo, Minnesota. It’s run by a very friendly man who has converted his barn into a kitchen, shower, bathroom and bunkhouse for thrucyclists. It’s by-donation-only and he’s thought of everything. He keeps a pantry stocked and there’s appliances to make pizzas and stovetop cooking and coffee. There’s wifi and plenty of outlets to charge everything.

He said he hasn’t had anyone come by the last three nights, but tonight there are four parties. And on Friday, he’s expecting a group of 30 that are biking from Washington, D.C. to Washington state to raise money for MS. This is a lovely place but I’m glad we came through on a quieter night.

Let’s hope the good weather holds!!

The Bicycle Bunkhouse in Dalbo, Minnesota.

The raccoons ate our breakfast!!

Day 25

Miles: 113

Mileage from start: 2,203

Last night at dusk, looking at the edge of the woods about 100 feet from our campsite, I saw a raccoon scamper excitedly into the campground. A few seconds later, another one followed.

We had been told to put our food in the bear boxes, which we were doing right then, but no one mentioned the resident raccoon population.

About ten minutes later, I was tucked into my sleeping bag when I looked in front of me and saw a raccoon head pop under the tent fly.

“Hey!” I yelled. And it ran off. Great, this will be an interesting night.

All our smellables were in the bear box, but we had eaten dinner in the tent to be out of the rain and they could tell.

Around 10:30 p.m. Richard said he heard the bear box bang. They were trying to get in there. Around 5 a.m. I heard them cackling and saw one run past our tent.

After we got up and started packing, I came back from the bathroom to a pouty-faced Richard.

“What?” I asked and he pointed to a food wrapper. The raccoons had eaten his Cosmic Brownies that had been in the bear box!

To top it off, it was all the food he had for breakfast other than a mint.

Turns out the raccoons had figured out that if they pulled the doors forward, even while latched, enough of a crack opens at the bottom of the box that they can put an arm in and just start waving it around until something worth eating gets knocked out.

In our case it was brownies and toothpaste. But they seem to have ignored the toothpaste. I don’t like mint, either.

Good thing it was only five miles to the nearest convenience store where we got breakfast and snacks.

The day was cloudy but not terribly windy. I wore long sleeves and leg covers all day as it never really got up to the 75 degrees that was forecasted.

We had a late lunch at a warm restaurant in Walker, Minnesota then headed back out for another 40-some miles.

Now we’re camped at a nicely kept campground on a lake. And we’re hoping for a night free of hungry visitors.

Us at the closest spot you can get to the Mississippi River headwaters by bike.

Riding through Minnesota lakes

Day 24

Miles: 111, I think

Mileage from start: 2,090

Yesterday, the cycle computer on Richard’s bike recorded an additional 14 miles. But at some point yesterday the magnet that marks each time the wheel rotates 360 degrees got knocked out of line with its sensor. And he didn’t notice until 5 or 10 miles into today’s ride. So, we added some miles yesterday but didn’t record all of today’s. I’m just going to call it a wash and go from where the odometer sits right now. Close enough.

We, of course, got later start leaving the hotel. I slept poorly because the A/C in our room would freeze the place while it was on then let the temperature rise four or so degrees when it went off. I spent the night alternating between sweating and shivering.

We ate at the hotel then listened to podcasts while we packed. Fortunately, and for the first time in what feels like a long time, we had a wind out of the west. But first we had to get north of town.

We passed into Minnesota within a few miles, went north for 7 or so and then turned east putting our backs to a strong wind.

The next miles flew by. Every time we turned north or south for a stretch we were reminded just how heavy handed the wind really was. At one point I got blown off the road into the dirt and couldn’t get back on the pavement while biking. I had to get off my bike and walk the few feet west to the road because I couldn’t get a purchase on the gravel into the wind.

We got chased by two dogs today. Bikes just seem to bring out that predatory instinct in them. Neither seemed mean, just curious and excited. With the wind at our backs we were able to outrun them. But they still got into the road and could have been hit by cars.

Just as we got to our campsite, it started to rain. We set up quickly and dove into our tent, eating and changing in the cramped quarters.

I am tired today but happy with our progress.