Trout Creek/Kenton to Marquette MI
Our progress to July 3rd
Prepping for the day... We awoke to an early alarm in our matching twin beds at the very rustic, but comfortable, 2 Rivers Motel. It is interesting to note that we have concluded that our wives have not been truthful to us about our snoring, as neither of us heard the other snore over the first 31 days of this adventure. (We will admit that this conclusion could be impacted by the fact that we generally sleep like a rock from about 5 seconds after our heads hit the pillow until the alarm rings the next morning, however, we think not...) Ken did admit this morning that he had trouble getting to sleep last night and that Cam had come as close to snoring as he has heard during this trip - although he would still characterize it as loud breathing and not snoring... His lack of sleep, however, would be easily made up during the rest day we would be enjoying once we made our way the 123 kms to Marquette today.
Train trestle turned ATV/Bike trail... We were surprised that the 2 Rivers Motel didn't offer a free continental breakfast, but had learned from the new friends we'd made at U.P.Chucks Bar the night before that the steakhouse in Covington, about 25 miles to the East, served breakfast. Therefore, we chowed down a few almonds and a banana and hit the road with minimal fuel in the tanks. We find that every morning we need to ride for 20 - 25 kms to warm up. Some days it's Ken's knee that takes time to get the kinks out.... Today, Cam was finding it very hard to get comfortable in the saddle, however, this eventually resolved itself after "things" warmed up....
Once again, we were blessed with "a sky that was so blue that it hurt your eyes just to look at it" (5 points for the first person to identify what movie that quote is from!). The blue sky and sun helped to make it a real joy for both Cam and Ken to ride today.
Once again, we were blessed with "a sky that was so blue that it hurt your eyes just to look at it" (5 points for the first person to identify what movie that quote is from!). The blue sky and sun helped to make it a real joy for both Cam and Ken to ride today.
Lake Ruth, Michigan
Approaching another hill We found that we were climbing through much of the day today as the roads have become much more rolling. The phrase "conditioning is everything" came to mind as we are finding that hills are not nearly as intimidating as they were in the early days of the trip. Beyond our improving fitness, "cadence" information provided by our cycling computers has also helped to make our climbing more efficient. While we generally both ride at a cadence of about 80 RPMs on flat roads, a faster cadence closer to 90 RPMs is more efficient for climbing. As our friend Jorin in the bike shop in Swift Current told us, "it is better to put the pressure on your cardio, rather than your muscles".
 Our lunch spot - the Mt. Shasta Lodge... |  ...served as a setting in "Anatomy of a Murder". |
At about 70 kms we arrived at our lunch destination - the Mt. Shasta Lodge in Michigammee, Michigan. We were surprised to learn that this restaurant had served as the roadhouse in a 1959 movie "Anatomy of a Murder" starring Jimmy Stewart, George C Scott, Lee Remick, Eve Arden and Duke Ellington. The current owner, Nancy Ferro, proudly pointed out a number of pieces of furniture, including the piano played by Duke Ellington, that were a part of the film. In addition to being a great movie set, they also made really good chili!
As we neared Marquette, we passed through the city of Ishpeming, and were attracted by a sign proclaiming "Yooper Tourist Trap". We had earlier learned that residents of the U.P. (the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) refer to themselves as "Yoopers" (from U.P.). Most take this in good humour and joke about themselves being extreme rednecks. The Tourist Trap was full of self-deprecating humour about Yoopers including:
- "Famous Yooper Last Words - Hold my beer and watch this..."
- "You know you're a Yooper when the trunk of your car doubles as a portable deep freeze in the winter", and
- "You know you're a Yooper when you know which leaves make the best toilet paper"
We had some good laughs and have also enjoyed speaking to various real-life Yoopers and asked them to define what a Yooper is for us - which we have recorded on video. During all of this research, we have learned that "Pasty's" are a Yooper delicacy that we have to try while we are here. We haven't yet tried one, but look forward to doing so before we leave the U.P.
- "Famous Yooper Last Words - Hold my beer and watch this..."
- "You know you're a Yooper when the trunk of your car doubles as a portable deep freeze in the winter", and
- "You know you're a Yooper when you know which leaves make the best toilet paper"
We had some good laughs and have also enjoyed speaking to various real-life Yoopers and asked them to define what a Yooper is for us - which we have recorded on video. During all of this research, we have learned that "Pasty's" are a Yooper delicacy that we have to try while we are here. We haven't yet tried one, but look forward to doing so before we leave the U.P.
We arrived in Marquette at about 5:30PM and after getting cleaned up, rode our bikes down into the town for dinner. It is a beautiful city on Lake Superior and will make for a very nice day off tomorrow - especially the July 4th firework celebrations which will take place by the water tomorrow night!
Ride Details:
- Distance: 124.6 kms
- Riding time: 5 hours, 42 minutes
- Average speed: 22.2 kms/hour
- Wind: East (light)
- Cumulative: 3,533.7 kms
Tomorrow's Destination: Zip, zilch, nada, nothing. We rest!
For more ride details see Strava and for more ride photos from today, see our Photo Gallery.
Editorial Note: It has been brought to our attention that we do in fact have two more time zones to pass through before we reach PEI - the Eastern Time Zone and the Atlantic Time Zone. We probably should have known this, but got thrown by the half hour difference in Newfoundland, and jumped right over the rest of the Maritimes...! Thanks for getting us straight Lynda!
Ride Details:
- Distance: 124.6 kms
- Riding time: 5 hours, 42 minutes
- Average speed: 22.2 kms/hour
- Wind: East (light)
- Cumulative: 3,533.7 kms
Tomorrow's Destination: Zip, zilch, nada, nothing. We rest!
For more ride details see Strava and for more ride photos from today, see our Photo Gallery.
Editorial Note: It has been brought to our attention that we do in fact have two more time zones to pass through before we reach PEI - the Eastern Time Zone and the Atlantic Time Zone. We probably should have known this, but got thrown by the half hour difference in Newfoundland, and jumped right over the rest of the Maritimes...! Thanks for getting us straight Lynda!