October 8, 2012, Mackinac Island, MI

October 8, 2012, Mackinac Island in Pictures.  The pictures tell the story today.  Mackinac is known for its horse-drawn carriages, fudge, bicycles and bus loads of visitors.  Actually, there are no buses, because there are no motorized vehicles on the island.  Late today, we saw 100 or so seniors waiting in line to board a half-dozen horse-drawn tour carriages.  As each carriage filled, another pulled into its place.  Each carriage held a dozen or more seniors. 

The pictures show a building with spiders crawling over it, complete with a spider web, a collage of  Halloween characters and the Arched Rock.  In the Gerald Ford Presidential Library, there is a picture of the future president in his Boy Scout uniform standing atop the Arched Rock.  There are also horses, blustery weather and the two of us, windblown, trying to stay warm.  We spent about five hours on the island before returning by ferry to the mainland.  Tonight, it will be cold, windy and rainy. 

Annie awarded me the DOTD Award again today.  As we were biking, there was a man taking a picture of his companion.  I stopped and asked if they wanted me to take a picture of both of them.  The man accepted my offer.  As I took the picture, my bike, Tuffy, fell over.  I returned the camera and remounted the bike.  I then noticed that the caliper brakes on the front wheel were rubbing the rim.  That created a drag on the wheel that made it hard to peddle. 

I turned the bike upside down and began to tinker with the few tools I carry in a backpack.  After a few minutes, I was able to minimize the drag, but not eliminate it.  That made the last four miles of the trip around the island more difficult.  When we got back to town, I went to a bike rental shop and asked the manager if he could adjust my front brakes for me.  He looked at my bike and said, "I don't have to.  I can see what the problem is."  With that, he lifted the bike and spun the front wheel 360 degrees.  The effect was that it freed the crimped brake cable and the brakes worked perfectly. 

Charitably, he said, "That happens all the time on bikes brought over on the ferry.  Those guys just thrown the bikes together and the front wheel gets turned around."  I didn't tell him that I was the one who turned the wheel around.  Tuffy works great now. 

I told the story to Annie and a slow smile creased her lips, she shook her head and biked away.  She is easily amused.  I figure it could happen to anyone. 

October 7, 2012 - Fish Creek to St. Ignace

October 7, 2012 - Fish Creek to St. Ignace.  The distance is 316 miles along the west side of Green Bay and the north rim of Lake Michigan.  It it a nice drive with beautiful foilage and sparkling lake water.  Mapquest said it would take a little over six hours.  It took us about seven.  We stopped to reprovision at Walmart in Escanaba. 

Do you know what a pasty is?  It has nothing to do with exotic dancers.  It is a meat pie very popular along the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  It's history goes back to Cornnish miners who needed hand food they could take into the mines.  They would carry them down the mine shaft in their lunch pail.  When it was time to eat, the miner would remove the pasty, light a candle under the lid of his lunch pail, put the pasty on the lid and, bingo, he had a hot, portable lunch.

We learned about pasties in May, but didn't try them.  Today, we put off eating until we could get to a place that offered pasties.  So, at 4:30 today, we had our first pasty -  and our last.  Oh, to be fair, it was very similar to a pot pie.  But, it wasn't worth waiting until 4:30 to eat one. 

We'll ferry across the straits to Mackinac Island tomorrow.  We'll check the weather before deciding to take the bikes.  However, the day is supposed to be clear with temperatures in the mid-fifties.  If that turns out to be accurate, we'll take Ruffy and Tuffy.

October 6, 2012, Cold Biking and Halloween Spooks

October 6, 2012, Cold Biking and Halloween Spooks.  With a temperature of 50 and wind of 20 miles per hour, the wind chill was in the high 30s today.  Ever the stout hearts, we mounted Ruffy and Tuffy, our faithful bents, and rode into the teeth of the wind and cold.  Dressed in layers, we looked like a couple of Eskimos.  But then, so did everyone else who wasn't huddled in their camper.  It began to sprinkle after 90 minutes, so we racked the bikes and retired to the camp site. 

Some of the serious campers, those who camp for weeks at a time, dress their sites for the changing seasons.  Several displayed Halloween decorations.  I don't know whether that means they intend to stay until Halloween or whether they just enjoy getting ready for the occasion.  However, the campground was all the more colorful because of their efforts. 

This will be our last night in Door County.  We skipped Sweetie Pies today.  In fact, we didn't go into Fish Creek at all.  We did shower after five days in Harvey.  Annie smells a lot better. 

October 5, 2012 - More Pie and a Walk in the Woods

 

 

October 5, 2012 - More Pie and a Walk in the Woods.  It is advisable to reserve your stay in Peninsula State Park.  If you do, you must do so at least 48 hours prior to your arrival, but you can reserve a site for up to 14 days.  The Park holds a few sites for walk-ups.  However, those sites are available for only a day or two.  We did not reserve ahead for our stay - too much like work - so, we have now moved daily to a different site.  Fortunately, moving Harvey is pretty easy.  We unplug from one site, move to the next and plug in.  There is no tear down and no set up at the new camp site.  We were able to get the same site tonight and tomorrow night.  So, Sunday will be move day.  On to Mackinac Island. 

As predicted, the temperature dropped into the forties overnight.  Today's high was 51 degrees.  The cold air was moving, with wind blowing steadily at about 20 miles per hour.  We thought it would be uncomfortable on the bikes, so we took a walk in the woods.  Our walk took us first to the water's edge.  There, we got a good view of the village of Fish Creek across Green Bay.  Seagulls, or should I say lake gulls, darted about mischievously.  How do seagulls manage to make a living a thousand miles from the sea?

We made another visit to Sweetie Pies this afternoon.  Annie made me do it.  I resisted with all my strength, but she overbore my will.  That's what prompted the walk.    I reluctantly ingested a slice of chocolate pecan pie topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream so I insisted that we walk off the extra calories.  She didn't want to, but I insisted.  I can be strong, too, when the cause is noble.

October 4, 2012, Fish Creek, Eating, Biking and Colors

October 4, 2012, Fish Creek, Eating, Biking and Colors.  This may be the last good weather we experience for the next several days.  The weather prognosticators are predicting cold temperatures, high winds and precipitation.  We made the most of today by being outside as much as possible.  We toured Fish Creek, had lunch at Cooper's Corner, dessert at The Confectionery, dessert at The Fudge House and dessert at Sweetie Pies.  Oh, then we had dessert tonight with the leftover desserts we had at lunch. 

Today's photos are more examples of autumn in Door County.  The colors are brilliant.  We have seen more variety and deeper hues in the last few days than we did the several weeks we spent in New England last fall.  We'll give New England another chance next week, but as of now, Door County is winning the fall color contest.

We may move on to St. Ignace tomorrow.  St. Ignace, Michigan, is the jumping off point for Mackinac Island.  The weather will be about the same, so we might as well spend a cold weather day moving from one location to another.  So far, we have been purposefully indecisive in deciding when to move on.  We don't want to add too much structure or planning to the trip.   That just makes it too much like work.  We'll move when the spirit calls us.  

October 3, 2012 - Color in Peninsula State Park, WI

 

October 3, 2012 - Color in Peninsula State Park.  We arrived last night in Peninsula State Park.  We were here in May, liked it and felt shorted when we had to leave prematurely.  The pictures say why much better than I can.  It is lovely here.  It is peaceful.  It is nature at its best.  I congratulate the people of Wisconsin for their foresight in preserving this slice of Eden. 

We biked for several hours today.  Annie's knees held up, in large part because the trails are level with few hills.  Today, I won the DOTD - Doofus of the Day- Award.  We were a mile from the campsite when I patted my pockets for my cell phone.  It wasn't there.  I checked my side pockets, my hip pockets, my thigh pockets; no phone.  "When did you have it last?" Annie asked.

"I checked my email just before we left the campsite," I responded.

"Well, it must have fallen out of your pocket.  Let's retrace our route," she said.  So, we started back to camp.  After half a mile, we stopped at an intersection to check the map.  "What's that on your belt?" she asked. 

"My phone," I replied sheepishly.  "Now, let's not waste a lot of time fixing blame for this slight detour in this wonderful bike ride.  Let's get back on the trail."  While she was sputtering and trying to grab my shirttail, I scooted away.  Mrs. Smith didn't raise any stupid children. 

We had lunch at Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant.  The roof of the restaurant is sod and grass.  Atop the roof were three goats.  The goats are the signature of the restaurant.  Two bus loads of old people pulled up while we were eating.  The food at Al's is good, but it isn't that good.  The old people on the buses were there because there were goats on the roof.  Catchy idea Al had. 

We scheduled our day so we could go to Sweetie Pies at the end of the day for dessert.  We carefully checked the website and learned that Sweetie Pies is open until 5:00 PM on Wednesdays.  We pulled into the parking lot at 4:30 only to find the store was closed.  The sign said they closed at 4:00.  Annie was nearly inconsolable.  And, for the second time today, she was mad.  "Those lop-eared, pin-headed knuckleheads, they need to know that people look at the website and plan their day based on the information they put there.  I want to come back tomorrow and tell them that."  I want to go back tomorrow and eat a piece of their wonderful apple pie with vanilla ice cream. 

We're not sure how much longer we'll be here.  We aren't ready to leave yet.  Tomorrow will be another beautiful fall day with temperatures in the mid-sixties.  After that, it will turn cold and there are some predictions of snow.  I've never biked in snow. 

October 2, 2012, Fish Creek, Wisconsin

October 2, 2012 - Fish Creek, Wisconsin.  I like the drive through Iowa and Wisconsin.  It is relaxing and displays the beauty of America.  The drive takes you past farms and forest.  During this season, farmers are harvesting corn and soy beans.  The homesteads and barns take me back to my youth in eastern Arkansas.  All that's missing is the smell of burning leaves.  I am sure someone is burning leaves somewhere, just not along the highway. 

We are in Door County, Wisconsin, a peninsula into Lake Michigan near Green Bay.  Row crops, dairy farms, apple and cherry orchards dot the landscape.  Quaint fishing villages line the lake shore.  It is quiet and peaceful here.  That's why we like it.

We will unlimber the recumbent bikes today and toodle around Peninsula State Park.  There aren't many campers here, so we'll have the trails to ourselves.  Later, we'll visit one of our favorite pie stores, Sweetie Pies.  The apple pie is really good.  It's even better with a little mode on it. 

The weather guys say it will get colder later in the week.  However, today is a perfect fall day.  The temperature will be in the mid-sixties with bright sunshine.  I wish you were here to enjoy the colors with us.