Preparing to Launch

 Today I am reminded of one of comedian George Carlin's skits.  

He talks about all our stuff.   We have to have places to put our stuff and things to put our stuff on.  And when we go on a trip we have to decide which stuff to take with us.  We put that stuff in a smaller container and off we go.  But then when we get there we decide to take a short trip somewhere.  Maybe we are going for the day, or a few days.  Now we have to decide what items from our smaller array of stuff to take on this excursion.

That is us today, as we begin packing for our first tent and bike tour together.  Currently we are near Rhinelander,WI, home of the Hodag.

On Friday, we leave our trailers behind and drive one truck to Trempeleau, WI.   There we camp for one night and then off we go on our bicycles toward Madison.  It should be lots of fun with a little bit of misery mixed in.  It wouldn't be an adventure without some challenges.

I hope to post often and short little snippets.  So watch for that.

I have stories to tell.  But they will have to wait.  Cell service, as always when I am traveling in rural places, is spotty and weak.

Since I last wrote to you, Steve and I knocked a few things off our bucket list.  

One of the items was jumping off the Black Rock in Marquette, MI.  Usually the water is shockingly cold, but it has been a very warm summer and Lake Superior water was refreshing but not bad.  We took video Click here to watch.

When we were camping in Munising we kayaked by the beautiful pictured rocks.

The kayak rental/guide service only had two-person kayaks.  Arg!  Steve was patient but I hated having to worry about my pace and length of my strokes.  But the water wS lovely and the rocks/cliffs were impressive and puzzling.  What geological events cause the slants and patterns of the layers of rock?

Another day in the UP of Michigan, we took our bikes on the ferry to Grand Isle.  It was beautiful.  The guy driving the ferry told us that a bear on the west side of the island.  It is getting into people's food.  Guard your food, campers use the  bear boxes or hang your food away from your camp site, he urged.

The trail was nice for a while but got very bumpy.  Steve even bruise his hand.

At one point Steve was riding behind me.  I was navigating the ruts and rocks.  Then Steve caught up to me and said, "You didn't see that bear behind you, did you."

"Ya, right," I said. I thought he was joking!  

No joke.  He was riding a way behind me and saw a small bear come out of the woods and start running up the trail after me.

Steve said he yelled and the bear looked over its shoulder as it was running.  It turned and went back into the woods.  Steve said it sat in the woods.  It went not even 50 feet in and sat down and watched him cycle past.  

Steve was carrying our snacks, not me.  Steve looked over his shoulder several times.  But the bear did not follow him.

Whew!  

We ate our lunch on a beach on the north end of the island.  There were skipping rocks all along the shore.  We had fun skipping g some rocks.

On the return ferry is sat by a woman and her daughter. They said they had camped.   No cars are on the island.  She said they camped and on their night they kept having to scare a bear away that kept returning. 

I hope to write to you again very soon. Then you will be Trippin with us.

In the meantime... more pictures.

Black Rock, near Marquette, MI.

Grand Isle near Munising, MI

A fun park with welded art near Marquette, MI