Days of Michigan Part 2: Life in the Yoopee - Mackinaw City to Phelps, WI

After our rest day, it was time to get back on the bike and move on to the U.P. But in order to do so, we had to cross a five mile suspension bridge (it's a big deal, look it up). We aren't allowed to ride bikes across the bridge, so we had to use this wacky phone booth to call up a bridge authority truck to take our bike (and us) across - it was a strange ride, and we learned that there was another couple on a tandem with a trailer going from San Francisco to Maine, and they had just been dropped off on the side of the bridge we were leaving.

(More Lake Michigan from the Mainland)

When we were dropped off on the other side, we had the difficult task of riding through traffic away from the bridge to get to the highway across the U.P. A bit stressful, but it was only half a mile or so, and then we were on the relatively slower highway 2. And there were so many billboards for 1) Smoked Fish 2) Jerky 3) Pasties and 4) Wild Rice (again, much of it "Famous"). 

We were clocking a pretty good speed along 2, even with the strong wind off the lake. And we decided to take a short lunch break on the beach! Even though we've obviously had some tough times on the bike, the trip has undoubtedly still provided us some amazing views and experiences as we've traveled across the country.

(This lake is huge!)

The downside of this route, though, is we've spent a lot of time on a major US highway, which is super stressful when you're on a bike, even if you have a shoulder to ride on. Lots of recreational traffic (big RVs) mixed in with logging trucks makes for a taxing time spent on the road. We ended up stopping a tiny bit short of our intended campground, since we saw a cheaper site behind a tiny bar in Gould City that wasn't listed on our map. So we stopped and decided to make up the extra 5 miles tomorrow.

F(r)oggy Day

The next day we awoke to rain (not on the forecast) that continued throughout the morning. So we packed up our wet tent and were ready to head out only to see we had a flat tire on the trailer (some industrial wire had worked its way through). We breathed a joint sigh, and got to work to replace the tube. More tough riding along the highway followed (some other cyclists passed us in heavy traffic on the shoulder without warning - dangerous and stupid) but eventually the weather cleared up. AND WE (Erin) RESCUED A FROG.

We also saw one of those same cyclists we met in Frankenmuth (she pedaled by as we were taking a stop to pick up more granola bars), which was kind of funny. We ended the day in Gladstone at a really nice city campground, and we ran into a man from Wisconsin who had seen us on the road twice! And boy he was a talker!

Why is it so Hot??

After Gladstone, we pedaled through Escanaba and began making our way towards the Michigan/Wisconsin border. But as the day progressed, our own progress began to seem more dubious. It was so humid our clothing was literally sagging off bodies from the heat and sweat. Plus, the hills were starting to get really steep. Services were really sparse, so we decided to stop in Hardwood at a campground, since a 20 mile stretch of nothingness was approaching and we didn't want to run out of water on a day like today. At the campground Erin found a bunch of abandoned mosquito coils, which was like winning the lottery to us because we have been getting eaten alive out here! We have become very good scavengers on the road.

(Did you know Michigan was in two time zones?)

(More campsite shots)

The next morning we battled bugs as we tried to pack up our now quite dry tent, and we had gotten maybe 7 miles only to find we had another flat tire on the back wheel. Michigan roads have not been kind to us, as this was our 3rd or 4th flat in this state. The headwind was crazy strong today, too, and our morale began to lag. So, we decided to cut this day short too and stay indoors to recharge. And guess who we saw later in the day at the gas station in town? None other than that same cyclist in Frankenmuth. (We never see her sister, though!)

(Freaky caterpillar hitchhiker on our tent)

Reaching the Promised Land

So it turns out the wind wasn't going to go away, and we had to fight it once again as we left in the morning. And 8 miles out, we got yet another flat tire - this time, it was my fault, as I replaced the tube imperfectly last time and it got pinched between the wheel rim and the tire. So, again, take the tire apart to patch it on the side of the highway, put it back together, get back on. But we pushed onward, and finally, after one last gigantic hill in Crystal Falls, we got off the highway and the inclines started to get less difficult (or at least less regularly steep - we still had a few very hard climbs to make, but they were more spaced out with gradual grades inbetween). The scenery was also absolutely beautiful, and with the huge dropoff in traffic, we were able to really take it in and enjoy the natural beauty.

And then finally - FINALLY - we made it to the state line after breaking for lunch. And we were so relieved to be entering Wisconsin.

Believe it or not, you can really tell the difference between states when you cross the border. Thus far, Wisconsin has been CRAZY beautiful, and there's basically no traffic on the county highways. Still windy, even a little cold, but a really nice change of pace in terms of inclines, scenery, and road conditions. We'd spent 12 days in Michigan (12 days!! And we weren't slacking!), so to be finally out and moving on feels extremely relieving. We've also hit over 2000 miles by bicycle upon crossing the state line, so we're about 3.5 days short of hitting our halfway point in mileage. Here's to progress!