 |
Steve and Ruth Ride Across America
Friday, 6 August 2010
Hi Everyone,
Today we started from Ironwood, MI and headed on US 2 to Wakefield where the
decision was made to go on Hwy 28 toward Marquette. US 2 is a great highway
with great shoulders and Hwy 28 started out with cracks in the shoulder but
I have found out that the highways going through towns are not necessarily
in the best of condition and once we were definitely out of town, the road
became good and the shoulder became good.
Ironwood is a lot bigger than I expected even though I knew the population
of the town. I also saw the ski resorts outside of the town and realized
that this is the ski area of the UP and Michigan and probably Wisconsin also.
Going north on Hwy 28 there was a crosswind so I assumed that we would
have a tailwind when we turned east. The clouds ahead looked somewhat
ominous and were moving fast but I never though that rain was in our
future. Eventually the sun came out and we turned east with a tailwind.
Just before Bergland, we met a bicycle tourist from Quebec who is going
from Quebec to Vancouver and then will take ships to different countries
and essentially will ride around the world. I took his photo and he use
my camera to take photos of us (he also took photos with his camera and
asked permission to include us in his blog). I will send the photos by
individual emails as I haven't learned how to include them in this email.
The UP is very sparsely populated so we are constrained by where the
towns are and most towns do not have motels. There are resorts along
the way but some are miles away from the highway. Today's motel does
not have wifi and the AT&T cellphone data is so slow as to make me
wonder if the SpeedTest is working or stuck. If I can't send this
email today, I will sent it out the next time I get Internet access.
The Statistics: 53.77 miles and 575 feet of climbing.
Steve and Ruth in Bruce Crossing, MI
Sent from my iPad
Posted by steveruthrar
at 7:15 PM PDT
Hi Everyone,
Yesterday we stayed at a motel that did not have wifi and the town does
have AT&T cell phone service but the Edge data service was so slow that
I couldn't get any Internet connection.
This morning we started in sunny (clear blue skies) weather with no wind.
I had a low energy level day unlike yesterday where I felt full of energy
(with a tailwind). My fears of no food along the way were unfounded as
we found several places to get food. Just because a town has no motels
does not mean that they don't have a gas station or convenience store or
a grocery store.
Our final food stop was at Watton where I felt my tires go soft just as
we were leaving the grocery store. We could not find the leak in the
tube or anything in the rear tire but we found some red spots in the
tread which is the under layer to the tread so that meant I had worn
through the tread. I replaced the tire and tube and we rode on.
Then Hwy 28 merged with US 41 and I saw a pickup truck and a bicyclist
on the shoulder. I stopped to offer assistance as the truck drove off.
The bicyclist had just finished fixing a flat and told me that his wife
was down the road at a rest stop.
We went to the rest stop to talk to the man's wife because he said that
she had been on the Woman Tour Northern Tier trip and he met her in Fargo
and now they were riding across the rest of the US. We may see them again
as they also plan to go to Nova Scotia but via Sault St Marie and toward
Ottawa whereas we are going via Mackinaw and Lake Erie (north shore) and
Toronto. The couple is Fred and Marti from Sequim, WA.
After we got to the motel, I found the source of the flat. A tiny piece
of steel wire probably from a steel belted radial. Fred had two flats
yesterday and one flat today before he found the steel wire in his tire.
The Statistics: 54.23 miles and 523 feet of climb.
This is coming from AT&T Edge and a very slow connection so no photos today.
Steve and Ruth in Three Lakes, MI
Sent from my iPad
Posted by steveruthrar
at 7:11 PM PDT
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
Hi Everyone,
We are in a new state - Michigan, but we are still in Central Time because the Upper
Peninsula does not necessarily have the same time zone as the lower part of Michigan.
After all, we just crossed over from Wisconsin.
Last night we talked about the route - whether to take Hwy 28 to Marquette, MI or to
stay on US 2. The Michigan tourist office said that motels were sparse on Hwy 28
and more available on US 2. The woman there could quote which towns had motels
from memory and she also knew the distances between the towns. Later we talked to
the clerks at the Post Office and they said that US 2 had more hills.
Talking about the clerks at the Post Office, Ruth and I mailed "home" excess
stuff today. I decided that since I have not used the mountain bike pants
and the sunscreen shirt and I haven't used my knickers since the Cascades,
and I brought two Icebreaker wool shirts and I haven't wore either after I
left Port Townsend, I may as well send them home. I also brought two pairs
of arm warmers. All I need is one pair.
The one one thing that I forgot to bring (unless I lost it) Is the charger
for my Norelco battery electric shaver. I'll find a hotel where someone
has a spare charger at the front desk and borrow it.
Yesterday we saw a few logging trucks but today we saw a lot more. They
have smaller logs here and place them on the trucks crosswise (transverse)
so they must be about 8 feet long. Maybe they make 2 x 4 studs with them.
Some logs are crooked so maybe those go for pulp or chips.
The Staistics: 56.54 miles and 777 feet of climbing. We are no longer
in flat country - nice rollers.
Steve and Ruth in Ironwood, MI
Sent from my iPad
Posted by steveruthrar
at 3:28 PM PDT
Hi Everyone,
I forgot tell you yesterday that we were pulled over by the Minnesota state police.
We were calmly riding in the shoulder and I saw police car lights and we made sure
that we were far to the right in the shoulder and slowed down waiting to see what
the state trooper was going to do as he wasn't going fast. As he approached us,
he gave us two shorts sounds on his siren and we stopped at the right edge of the
shoulder. He kept on going and we could see that he was escorting an oversized
load (part of a big mobile home) and there were two of them also with their own
escort vehicles and then another police car brought up the rear.
ThIs morning we took the bike/pedestrian route over the Richard Bong bridge over
the St Louis River to Superior, WI. The bike path is sidewalk sized and to the
right of the traffic. There were vertical steel bars and a railing but no chain
link or mesh above 4 feet or so.
Needless to say, with my acrophobia, I hugged the left side of the path, net to
the concrete wall that separate us from the cars. The shoulder on the roadway
looked mighty inviting. I kept my eyes fixed on the path and did not look down
over the ground or the river. The bridge is long and it is high so I had lots
of time to try to control my fear. I did manage to rub against the concrete
barrier on the left side and skinned my knee.
When we got down to the local street level, I applied a big Band-Aid and we
followed the bike route sign that took us onto truck route US 2 and eventually
we got onto regular US 2 and stopped at the local tourist information center
where they told us that bicycles are not allowed on US 2 leaving town because
it is what we call a freeway with interchanges (on and off ramps) and that we
could go around that section by taking a local road detour. Take county road E
to county road Z which becomes Hwy 13 and then right on county road D.
We did that and ate lunch at Mom's in Poplar where it was 85 degrees at 11:30.
The predicted high was 88 so it wasn't going to get much worse but it was hot
and humid and the locals thought that we were crazy to ride another 52 miles in
that weather.
The Wisconsin state roads that I have seen are in very condition and the shoulders
are wide and good. The county roads vary from very good to lots of cracks.
Most of the side roads are dirt.
Then with only 15 miles from Ashland, I got another flat and this time it was
a wire staple like puncture in the rear tire. It was most likely a wire
from a steel belted radial tire.
We are now in Ashland and Ruth loves the hotel. It has a great view of Lake
Superior.
The Statistics: 73.67 miles and 1758 feet of climb and 1999 feet of downhill.
Steve and Ruth in Ashland, WI
Sent from my iPad
Posted by steveruthrar
at 11:09 AM PDT
Sunday, 1 August 2010
Hi Everyone,
Last night there was 40% chance of rain (including thunderstorms) today
and during the early morning hours I could see on radar yellow and red
splotches coming toward Bemedji and Grand Rapids. At 6 am it looked like
Bemidji would get some nuisance rain (a few drops here and there - mostly
grey dots) but most of the rain would go south of Bemidji. However the
problem was that Grand Rapids was east and south of Bemidji.
We decided to leave early ahead of the rain and hoped for the best down
the road where we were turning south. In town, at the gas station where
we bought breakfast, a car drove up and the driver came up to talk to us.
He said that he saw us riding through town and introduced himself. He
and his wife rode from Anacortes, WA to Bar Harbor, ME 7 years ago. He
gave us good information on the road to Grand Rapids, especially since
he was a local bicyclist.
On the way out of town, there were a few drops but it disappeared once we
left town. Later on it even turned sunny but in the south was a line of
clouds, but they were white. It was a good thing that it did not rain on
us because there were only 3 places to find shelter in 50 miles. In the
Chippewa National Forest, there were many resorts, all 8 miles off US 2 on
a dirt road!
When we arrived in Deer River, I asked a hotel about the hotel situation
in Grand Rapids. For several days, there was a blues festival so I worried
about the hotels being full. The manager said that they were full the
night before because of a wedding and that they had to send someone to
Grand Rapids so she thought that Grand Rapids had vacancies.
So on to Grand Rapids and it is another one of the towns that goes on
forever before we could find the business district. We had seen billboards
for several hotels and McDonalds earlier stating that they were 4 miles away
on Hwy 196 South. Well, we were looking for a place on US 2 and finally we
saw a hotel on the edge of town and then another and then a sign advertising
the blues festival. Finally we got to the Hwy 196S intersection, looked right
and saw a downtown business district but no hotels, so we continued on US 2
for another block or two and stopped to ask where the hotels were. Ruth was
told that the ones on Hwy 196S were further out and I was told to go to the
traffic light and turn right and the Budget Host would be on the left. It
was right on US 2.
The hotel was full the previous two nights but today it is fairly empty.
It rained in Bemidji this afternoon after we arrive in Grand Rapids. There
were a few drops in Grand Rapids when we walked to dinner.
The Statistics: 76.93 miles and 201 feet of climbing.
Steve and Ruth in Grand Rapids, MN
Sent from my iPad
Posted by steveruthrar
at 9:30 PM PDT
Hi Everyone,
Today is rest day 3 in 31 days of riding (June 28 through July 31). I think
that we needed this rest day. We have been riding some short days after a
hard day but there is nothing like a complete day off.
This morning we rode to the bicycle shop which just happens to be less than
a mile from the Hampton Inn where we were yesterday and who recommended this
place. I bought 4 new tubes and hope not to have to use them.
Bob and Leslie will remember that in New Zealand I had flat problems and I
solved it by buying a heavier tube from a tandem owner and then in Gisborne
I bought several Kenda tubes. No problems after that.
In Corsica I had one bad valve and then I went to Schwenningen (Neckar Valley)
and had another valve problem while assembling my bike. I solved that problem
by going to the local bike shop and buying two Continental tubes. I did not
have to use the new tubes.
Today, by buying 4 new tubes, I hope that the pattern will hold and I will not
have to use the new tubes on this trip.
When we left the resort this morning, we ran into and joined a triathlon on
their bike leg. We continued around the lake going clockwise, riding the
section that we did not yesterday. Returning on the same route that we used
yesterday, we ran into the triathlon on the running leg and we passed by the
start/finish line.
I spent my day off by doing laundry, especially since it is a sunny day and we
have a deck to hang wet laundry. I also lubes my chain as it was getting noise
yesterday. I probably will replace it in Michigan.
Ruth and I have been looking for a place to weigh ourselves. Ruth wants to keep
from losing weight and I am trying to lose weight. Some pharmacies have scales
but stores like WalMart sell scales and we can probably test them by weighing
ourselves.
Riding with a "unloaded" bike showed that I am getting into shape. I could go
up a small hill without shifting down!
The headwaters of the Mississippi River is acknowledged to be Lake Itasca not
far from here, but we crossed the Mississippi twice while riding around the
lake. It turns out the Mississippi goes north from Lake Itasca to Lake Bemidji
and then exits east from Lake Bemidji. Bemidji is the first town on the Mississippi.
The Statistics: 18.64 miles and 254 feet of climbing.
The Trip Statistics: 1727.25 miles in 31 riding days for a 55.72 miles per
riding day average.
We have gone from a flat region into rolling hills. Also this part of
Minnesota has lots of trees and state forests.
Steve and Ruth in Bemidji, MN
Posted by steveruthrar
at 9:21 PM PDT
Hi Everyone,
Last night I saw the Weather Underground weather prediction and
the radar around midnight so I knew that we were getting rain
this morning. I was hoping that it would rain overnight and be
done by breakfast. Then I saw the radar when I got up to use
the bathroom and the storm was moving slower than I expected.
At 5 am I checked again and decided that it would be close to
10 am before we left so went back to sleep without having to
worry about getting early.
Ruth, on the other hand, woke up at her usual early time and
had coffee and went outside and came back saying that the skies
looked great. I had to tell her that the storm clouds had not
arrived in Fosston yet and that I did not expect to leave until 10 am.
During breakfast, it started raining but was very light. Still,
I would not liked riding in that light rain. About 9 am I started
to pack my bike and heard a hissing sound. It was my rear tire
losing air. The inner tube that I used to fix the flat yesterday
had a bad valve stem. The base of the valve stem would show a crack
when it was moved slightly. A quick change to a new tube and I resumed
packing.
At breakfast we met a woman from Duluth, MN who had a lot of information
on the towns and hotels along the way. She drove to Fosston quite often
to see her mother. She mentioned that many people visited Bemidji and
the other lakes in this area, renting cabins to stay for a week at a
time, but that there are many hotels and that we should be able to
find vacancies.
We left with wet roads but only a few drops. After a few miles,
the roads started drying up. Then the roads and shoulders were
dry and it looked like the sun would come out.
Everything was going great. We found food at two towns and we were
only some 15 miles from Bemidji when I felt my rear tire going soft.
Another flat! Another bad valve! Now I am down to one good spare
(brand new Bontrager tube) but it is the same brand and age as the
other two tubes that had bad valves.
We rode toward Bemidji and started seeing billboards. What is highway
197? I was looking for hotels on US 2 or old US 2. At the outskirts
of town, I saw a sign for Quality Inn but did not see it. I saw a lot
of cars, but it was a auto dealer parking lot. Besides, the hotel was
too far from town. I stopped at the US 2, hwy 197, and hwy 71
intersection and looked at the AAA map. There was no hwy 197 on
the map. I looked through the intersection and realized that hwy 71
goes north and south and was not the right choice. US 2 was the
bypass around Bemidji and would not take us into the city as we wanted
to go. Hwy 197 led into a business district as I could see lots of
stores and signs.
Onto hwy 197 and stopped to ask someone at a gas station where is old
US 2. Hwy 197 is old US 2. WalMart on the left, Target on the right,
Best Western on the right. We stopped at the AmericInn to ask about
vacancies. No vacancies there and the only place in town that might
have any vacancies is the Quality Inn that we passed by earlier outside
of town. We decided to keep going deeper into town. I asked at a tire
place where the hotels were when hwy 197 turned right. I was told that
there was a Hampton Inn around the lake. We rode by Bemidji State
University and crossed over the Mississippi River (creek coming out of
Lake Bemidji) and found the Hampton Inn. It was full also. Where could
I find a room in town or further down the road?
The clerk said the only place that might have a vacancy was the Ruttger's
Birchmont Lodge, a private resort with cabins and a beach, etc. I had
an image of a ritzy and expensive place and the clerk called it up for me.
Yes they have a cabin for two nights. It would cost a little more than a
hotel, but it was better than a campground. And where was it? On the
opposite side of the lake. Just go back the way we went and keep on going.
We found a nice bike path and it was only a mile later that I realized that
the bike shop that I saw on Google was on the other side of the Hampton Inn
and that I was riding away from the bike shop and replacement tubes. It was
more important to get a place to stay for the evening than tubes that I could
get on Saturday.
We finally got to Ruttger's Birchmont Lodge and it looked like a fancy private
resort. The cabin had a bedroom, living room, kitchenettes, bathroom, deck,
etc. No wifi in the cabins! I had to be in the lobby to get wifi! But my
AT&T 3G works although at a low speed and my T-Mobile cellphone works.
I called the bike shop and yes they have tubes for 700 x 32 tires in presto.
Yes they have 48 mm and 36 mm valve stems. And finally, yes they are Bontrager,
the same brand that failed on me twice! I will be there on Saturday as we are
taking tomorrow off as a rest day.
Dinner is great. We had walleye fish which is not a pike like I thought. It
started raining during dinner and we could hear thunder. Tomorrow is supposed to
be sunny.
The Statistics: 55.48 miles and 319 feet of climbing.
Steve and Rut h in Bemidji, MN
Sent from my iPad
Posted by steveruthrar
at 9:14 PM PDT
Thursday, 29 July 2010
Hi Everyone,
Today we left Grand Forks, ND and crossed the bridge over
the Red River into Minnesota!
Grand Forks had a bad spring flood a few hears ago when the
Red River overflowed it's banks. It was in all the news
and every year I watch the news to see the locals building
sandbag dikes to hold back the Red River. We did not see
any evidence of flooded buildings but we did not go into
the true downtown area near the river.
Minnesota has no traffic compared to North Dakota. It is
also flat. There is a lot more wheat grown and it appears ready for harvest.
We had a snack in. Crookston, MN home of the University of
Minnesota at Crookston. We did the normal thing and asked
the clerk at the CENEX gas station about the motel situation
and got an encouraging reply about how there are motels all
along the highway so don't worry about finding a place to stay.
First of all don't trust car drivers. Distance means nothing
to them. Another 20 miles down the road is nothing. I had an
inking that my Internet research was better than her advice
when I asked her where she recommended we stay for the evening.
Her first choice was Bemidji about 90 miles away and we had
already done some 30 miles getting to Crookston!
Leaving crouton, we ran into highway construction and I mean
highway construction. They are building a new 4 lane highway
until we got back to the 4 lane divided highway that we have used to.
That is the good news. The bad news is that I got another flat
tire, this time on the rear tire and we found the source by
finding the puncheon in the tube. It was a tiny wire.
About services (food) along the highway. In 75 miles, we found
only 4 towns not counting the start and end points.
I was tired today, probably because of the 91 mile day going
into Grand Forks. However the weather has been beautiful.
Temperature in the 70s and sunny. The weather forecast for
the next few days is going back to chance of thunderstorms or
precipatation. Tomorrow is 30% chance and Saturday is 20%.
However tomorrow is probably going to be a short 45 mile day to Bemidji.
The Statistics: 76.88 miles and 124 feet of climbing although
I think that my bicycle computer is wrong. I reset the computer
to 150 feet to start this morning (normal Sunnyvale elevation)
and it is now 711 feet at the hotel. Therefore I must have climbed
at least 561 feet.
Steve and Ruth in Fosston, MN
Sent from my iPad
Posted by steveruthrar
at 10:12 PM PDT
Wednesday, 28 July 2010
Hi Everyone,
In case any of you are wondering why we are not following the Woman
Tour blog route in the towns that we are staying in, we have decided
to scrap the Adventure Cycling Northern Tier route for a while.
Instead of going south to Fargo, ND and then work our way back north
through Minnesota and Wisconsin to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, we
have decided to stay on US 2 through North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin,
and Michigan. We will go back on the Adventure Cycling Northern Tier
route at the Wisconsin / Michigan border.
This morning we left Devils Lake in sunny weather and finally saw
Devils Lake a couple of miles out of town. It is large and I can
see why parts of the Adventure Cycling route was flooded as the
lake level is very close to the road level.
Since we didn't have the Adventure Cycling detailed route information
on what is available in each town such as gas stations, restaurants,
campgrounds, hotels, grocery stores, etc, we would stop at almost every
gas station and ask what was available down the road. Today we stopped
in Lakota and they said that the next food available along the highway
was Michigan and in Michigan they said that the next food was available in
Emerado (Grand Forks Air Force Base) and then Grand Forks. Thus in 90 miles,
there are only food at 22 miles, 42 miles, and 75 miles so we planned accordingly.
We are staying at the Americas Best Value Inn and this place sets the record
door best wifi. Would you believe 14,594 Kbps and 975 Kbps?
I had tire problems on the 104.79 mile ride to Havre, MT where I had a flat
today on a 91 mile ride, I had a slow leak that I discovered at Emerado
(Grand Forks AFB) only 15 miles from Grand Forks. I pumped up the front
tire and everything was fine. As I entered the highway, I felt the tire
going soft, so I replaced the tube. I could not find the leak. As I
entered Grank Forks and passed by the civilian airport, I felt the front
tire going soft again. This time I found a small rock in the tire. A
new tube and a new tire and we were on our way again.
In the hotel, I found the slow leak and the puncture using the dunk the
tube under water method. The slow leak was near the valve so I lighten
my load by throwing that inner tube into the trash. I decided to reuse
my original front tire by using a boot and in the process of pumping up
the tire, the tube that I installed on the road failed at the valve.
Toss another tube. Now I had to patch the punctured tube because I am
down to 4 spare tubes which is plenty with a patch kit. Oh by the way,
the cement in one of my patch kits (the one that i carry on my bike at
home) dried up so I am using my spare patch kit.
The Staistics: 91.04 miles and 175 feet of climbing and 413 feet of
descend. I felt good today and averaged 14.6 mph. The temperature was
in the 70s and there was about a 9 mph tailwind and crosswind.
When we town tomorrow and cross the Red River, we will be in Minnesota.
Steve and Ruth in Grand Forks, ND
Sent from my iPad
Posted by steveruthrar
at 9:38 PM PDT
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
Hi Everyone,
Finally something to report. Last nights thunderstorm and lightning caused a 10 second power outage
and then the hotel wifi did not work afterwards. I assume that the wifi modem had to be rebooted but
the hotel didn't do it. I was luck to have already sent my Day 27 email out.
This morning the ground was dry and there were clouds over Rugby but the skies to the east and west
were promising. I could not check Weather Underground because of the wifi being down. We met a man
from California who started his ride in Maine and was riding his bike and pulling a trailer for his
dog to California. He was camping out in Rugby when the thunderstorm hit.
The roads and shoulders (still 4 lane divided highway) were wet or damp for the first 15 miles so I
had to leave plenty of room for the trucks so I wouldn't get sprayed on. North Dakota doesn't seem
to have a law requiring mud flaps on trucks and trailers. After 15 miles, the roads dried up and
everything was fine.
Then with about 20 miles to go, I felt a few drops but it was enough to put on rain covers on the
panniers or to put on a rain jacket. At about 15 miles to go, I saw a sign Road Construction Next
13 Miles, Right Lane Closed. As I approached the cones and barrels, I decided that I would ride in
the closed right lane if it was not all dug up.
The right lane was a beautiful concrete road and had a great shoulder with no rumble strips. It
looked brand new. I rode in the shoulder so that if a construction worker stopped me, I could say
that I was riding in the shoulder and not in the closed right lane.
It started raining and this was not a maybe rain, it was stop and get the rain covers and rain
jacket but it was still just a light rain. I was glad that I was in a construction zone that gave
use a full lane and a shoulder to get away from the truck spray.
Eventually we saw a construction pickup truck but he l eft us alone. Then we finally saw a
construction vehicle and it looked like a sweeper. Then we saw a group of workers and more
vehicles and it was what I assume is a grinder to grind the concrete to make it flat. The
were white patches of concrete on darker color concrete and I don't know if they were filling
in depressions and grinding them flat. Nowhere did I see any new pavement except of patches
up to 30 feet long. Also they did not dig up the road.
Finally we got to Devils Lake and the construction zone was over and the rain had stopped.
We are staying at the first hotel that we ran into. I asked about a place to wash our bikes
and was told that there was a place where the fishermen clean their fish. There was a hose
there for us to use.
I hosed off the rain covers and washed the bike. I found the perfect place to hang the rain
covers to dry. The exhaust of the room air conditioners works great!
The Statistics: 58.99 miles and 273 feet of climbing.
Steve and Ruth in Devils Lake, ND
Sent from my iPad
Posted by steveruthrar
at 1:58 PM PDT
Newer | Latest | Older
|
|
