I made it to the falls and pulled into camp at 7:00 p.m.
The campground required online reservation and I only had one line of cell service so it took me half hour to get registered.
While biking toward camp I was dreaming of food, a bicyclists fuel, and the last of my snacks and lunch had been devoured a couple hours ago.
I decided I would set up and then ride two miles down the road to get some supper. But once I was in camp, there was so much to do. Then it was too late, I didn't want to ride the country road in the dark after eating.
I got to use my mini propane burner for
the first time! I was glad I had packed a back-packer's meal. A packet of cajun beans and rice. I added peanut butter and I my hunger was satisfied.
Right now I am writing to you as I am straddling my bike at the intersection of Hwy 2 and Hwy 64. I was checking the map and saw I had two lines of cell service. So I thought I would upload some pictures and let you know I am still alive and not laying on the side of the road somewhere. (The risk was real!)
Dogs have discovered I am here. Though they are tied up, they are barking and baying. I got to get moving … more later.
***
Ok, I am in a safe place and have WiFi now for an hour or so.
Yesterday I left you when I was tired already from the ride and I discovered that the road Googlemaps was going to take me down was a private road and had a gated entrance.
I had to ride back the way I came and ride further up a highway to another road going north. When I came to a fork in the road I took the one that had new pavement and a shoulder because I remembered the guy that gave me directions told me the road I was on turned to gravel.
That choice probably added another 10 miles to my ride. When I was at the entrance to Notre Dam I only had 17 miles to the waterfall. A few miles after the wrong turn I had 27. That was after retracing my ride and going about six miles further down the road. What I discovered is roads and services are scarce this far north.
I passed into Michigan. I had eaten my lunch and was hungry again. I kept stopping to rest.
By the time I arrived at the falls it was 4:00. My water was almost gone. I have a water bottle with a good filter but I have not used it yet. The waterfall water was warm, I decided to not use it. I was hungry too. My dreams of sitting by the falls for a while didn’t come to fruition. I added my pee to the area, took pictures, and I hiked back to my bike.
After the falls I headed for Gogebic County Park near White City, MI. I took a shortcut on a gravel road (Cutthrough Rd) and it occurred to me that I could slip and fall in some of the loose gravel spots. I wondered how long it would be before someone discovered me. No cars passed me in that road. I was so exhausted. My back hurt, my shoulders and wrists and hands hurt. I was afraid I would make a mistake in handling the bicycle and fall.
As I was pitching my tent I kept in mind that the weather wouldn't always be so pleasant. What would it be like if I was pitching and taking down in the rain?
People stopped by my campsite. “Where are you headed?”
I answer that I don’t know. They think that sounds great. Me, I am just tired.
My first night in the tent and I didn’t sleep well even though I kept dreaming while I was riding of pitching my tent, sliding in right away, and sleeping soundly.
Here are some more pictures from yesterday.
It was a pretty park, but the water spigots are oddly placed. They expected that I would run a hose from my spigot across the adjacent campsite to my trailer. No hose, I kept having to walk across the adjacent site.
I washed out my shirt and bra at the spigot. Only it won’t dry overnight. I dipped into the water with my clothes on. I had been riding on roads at the end with little shade and it was 86 degrees.
I went to bed as soon as the mosquitos started biting. Dang! The young couple next door invited me over to share their campsite. Once inside the tent I tried to close the rain fly and many mosquitoes got into my tent. All night I experienced buzz and bite and imagined bites.
More later, I have more riding to do today, and I still don't know where I am going!