Sunday, July 4, 2010

Day 27

Stats
Net Elevation gain: -43 ft.
Average Speed: 8.6 mph
Top Speed: 28 mph
Time spent biking: 2 hours 45 minutes
Total time for the day's travels: about 8 hours
Miles biked today: 23.8
Total for trip: 1183.7 miles

Sometimes we wake up feeling pretty good. Today was not one of those days. We awoke tired and sore from our long and eventful previous day. Plus, the bike computer wouldn't start working again, no matter what we tried: moving the sensor to different places in relation to the magnet on the spokes, taking the battery out and putting it back into the sensor, etc. We weren't in good moods anyway, and the lack of our beloved cycle computer made things worse, and it wasn't until 11:10 before we finally left the campground.

Jenny was right, though: we didn't have to climb any enormous hills (that Brett felt so sure the night before would be straight up). On our way back to the paved roads, a monarch or two came flying by and landed on some milkweed plants. Jenny spent a while taking pictures and and got a couple decent shots. It was really beautiful out and our bad moods started to lift a bit after the short stop to watch the butterflies.


Watching this butterfly lifted our spirits.

We made it back to Brevort (on Route 2), and found a little motel/restaurant to eat at. Breakfast was disappointing because Jenny's order got mixed up and someone else's food was brought to her. By the time the right food was prepared and finally delivered to our table, Brett was all finished with his breakfast. The food wasn't even that good. We considered getting a couple pastys there for our next meal, but it didn't seem like a good idea. We figured we would wait and there would be better spots, since it seemed like every store we passed sold them.

We biked along for the next few hours, making short stops to fill up water bottles and stretch. We crossed over the Cut River Bridge and continued to have beautiful views of Lake Michigan along Route 2. We took a longer stop at a roadside park that happened to have a wireless signal coming from a hotel across the road. We worked on line for a few hours, enjoying the shady place to sit and the cool breeze.

Crossing the Cut River Bridge.

Jenny works on the computer at a beautiful roadside park.

It wasn't until about 5 or 5:30 when we left the park and the Internet behind. Our laptop battery had been depleted, and we tried to psyche ourselves up for biking. Our water bottles were almost empty (the water at the roadside parks tasted gross) so we were looking for a store to fill up our bottles. When we stopped at a little shop that sold gifts and fudge, the owners told us that we should fill up our water bottles at the spring just down the road. They claimed it was the best tasting water ever, and it was just pouring out of a thing that looks like a "beehive". We thanked them, bought some fudge, sat outside in the shade and ate some, then pushed on to find the water source.

Brett investigates the "beehive".

This is what we found! The water that was flowing out was ice cold
and was very refreshing to drink. Brett fills up a water bottle.

Jenny fills up another. Very shortly after this picture was taken, Brett dumped his newly filled up water bottle on Jenny, which started a water fight. A truce was called after both bottles were empty.

Soon enough, we made it into Naubinway, a little town with a few stores and banks and such. We wanted to buy some dinner, and we wanted to know where the nearest campgrounds were.

Their were some friendly patrons and staff at the only open place at 7:00 P.M. on Sunday, July 4th. They had Internet, and some knowledge of the area, and talked about the closest campground as less than fifteen miles away, or far fewer if you cut along the private beach road. We even had a kind offer to stay in a man's cabin six or seven miles out of town. But really, we were finished. Wiped. Worn out. We decided to just book a room in the motel in Naubinway, and bike no more this day.

The motel didn't have Internet, though, so we used the cafe's connection right up until they closed at 9:00. Jenny worked on uploading pictures, while Brett reserved the motel room. We also spoke with several other patrons, including Jay and Anne, who were curious and impressed with our trip. Jenny ordered some soup for dinner, and then we both had ice cream cones just before the shop closed.

The sun behind the clouds as we bike along Lake Michigan.

Since the motel didn't have Internet, we hoped to catch up on all the days of the blog (about three or four). However, when we got there, we were so tired, we hardly wrote notes for this day, never mind writing nice long descriptions of the other days. We fell into bed, and that was that.

It was disappointing to have gone so few miles, but some days are like that: you just can't get going, you just can't push yourself further, and you just feel like stopping already. We made our peace with that and hoped the rest would do us good.

6 comments:

  1. I always say "You have to have a bad day once in a while to appreciate the good days". If you had good days all the time....... well... perhaps Google maps/biking can help you in "plotting" the miles, or how far you have gone, since your meter is broken down. If the mapping goes off the course you have taken, or will take, you can move the "inked line" to the route you have taken or would like to take.
    Hey, you folks probably already know this, sorry, just trying to help, and seriously, the bad days for you two seem far and few in between, so, hang in there. We all are cheering you on!

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  2. Just as you can't plan exactly where you'll ride, eat, or stay, you can't plan a water fight! Yay for spontaneity. And the beehive of cool water. And You Two.
    Love and hugs,
    Mom

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  3. joe's right, the bad days for you two do seem few and far between. i'm glad you made peace with the day that was. you both have a wonderful attitude and seem to work so well together. loved the water fight segment. and the beehive spring must have been a welcome find. here's hoping you next few days will be filled with cold clean water, tasty pastys and lovely butterflies fluttering about.

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  4. I feel your pain!!! No athlete can stay on the pinnacle forever and, yes, you two are athletes. The trick, and you two seem to have mastered it instinctively, is to make the best of the "down" days, shrug it off, and move on, knowing that there will be good days later, just as there will be some more not-so-good days. The best moments in life are the spontaneous ones and I have fond memories of water fights with friends, my sisters, and wife and kids. What next, a shaving cream battle?? Enjoyed the blog today. You are keeping it real and that makes it so much more interesting. Ride on.....

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  5. Even on your bad days, you bring your readers the beauty of butterflies, spring water, kind strangers, and beautiful scenery!

    I guess I'm kind of redundant -- "the beauty of beautiful scenery."

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  6. Last night we walked up to Poets Seat tower and stopped along the way for butterflies to land for a rest on Guy's shirt...it really is a special thing to watch, and interact with such a beautiful creature.
    Love to you!
    Cara

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