Suprises

      Surprised to find another part of MI. worth exploring further . The small town of Interlochen is one of those surprises as is the state park where we're camped.  Ran into Scott and Karla who are crossing the country by the adventure cycling Nothern tier route on their tandem camped across from us.  Check out their BLOG at : www.nomadsintandem.net.  They've got 33 days left to ride.
      Again we are camped with a water view, this time Duck lake in Northern MI.  Yesterday we rode the TART ( Traverse area recreational trail),  a very nice newley paved 15 miles from Traverse City to Suttons Bay.  Traverse City a bit too touristy and crowded for me, especially coming from FL. where the book on tourism was written.  Suttons Bay was a charming town, touristy as well but on a much smaller scale.  Just about everyone we met said we have to see Sleeping Bear Dunes but there is not time in our schedule to do it all so we'll have to come back.  Gotta say, Michiganders are a friendly bunch as everyone we talk to is so helpfull to attempt to suggest things we might like to see or do.
      Today we rode some roads to Lake Ann where there is the Lake Ann Grocery that has everything you'll need and if they don't have it you don't need it.  That is what the sign says. The ride was on lightly trafficked roads but in the vein of surprises one was a dirt, or should I say sand road that wasn't the ideal condition for a long wheel base, under seat steering HASE Tagun recumbent with schwalbe duream tires pumped up to 90 psi.  However the suspension worked great on the potholed county roads smoothing out even the roughest, deepest most treacherous holes even at speed down hill.
      Now at Bud's listening to Jim Hawley on guitar singing covers in a fine voice.  Beats the hell out of watching the republican convention on TV.
      Will be heading for Lance and Arlene Pinder's to hole up for labor day and do some more riding and maybe some kayaking.  Sorry no photos but I don't have the proper cable to connect the camera to this I pad.   Sooooo, that's all folks, shows over, monkeys dead, see ya!

      Sitting in the Roast-N-Toast coffee shop in Petoskey MI and seems the band width is taxed so I hope this gets through.  Since we left Munising northward to Grand Marais where we camped for 2 nights in Woodland Park.  The town was only 3 blocks away where we played, ate, and I had some beers at the Lake Superior Brewing, and some great triple berry pie at the West Bend Diner owned by Ellen Airgood and her husband Rick.  She wrote a few books which we bought and she signed.  Read on which is a children's book but a good story for adults too called  "Prairie Evers".  Read it in a day and a half.  Her other book is "South of Superior".  The diner was built in NJ. brought to PA. and deteriorated in a field where it was bought, and brought to MI where it was refurbished to as close to original as could be and now serves organic goodies and such. Also in Grand Marais is the Pickle Barrel house, and actual living quarters.

      From there we visited Tahquamenon Falls, pronounced like phenomenon,  which is the largest falls east of the Mississippi 2nd only to Niagara. Something like 52,600 GPM goes over the rocks.
      Next was a drive up to Paradise and a bike ride to Whitefish Point.  Very beautiful but very remote. There is a shipwreck museum and lighthouse there and a bird counting facility as all kinds of birds use this point and a reference in migration. 
      As far as MI goes, give me the UP with it's spectacular beauty and rugged coast lines.  All Munising needs is a good bike trail to Marquette and I'd almost think of a summer home there.

      Today south bound to Travers City area to check out the trails there.

      Is it possible to have too much fun?  Hypothetical question I know, but the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is a place where it might just happen.  Not only is it geologically diverse with wet lands, dunes, rocky beaches, fern covered forests, water falls, and lake Superior but the absolute beauty of it all just begs to get outside and hike, bike or kayak, not to mention winter XC skiing, ice climbing, ice fishing, hunting.

     Diane Jacobsen has been guiding us around on many of these excursions, yesterday a 7 mile hike to shipwrecks, Au Sable light house, and the Grand Sable Dunes most along the rocky beach of Gitche Gumee.  The day before a short ferry ride across the bay to Grand Island and a 20 mile Mt. bike ride around the perimeter of the island with many stops along the way to view craggy cliffs and water carved caves.  Pictures, at least mine, don't do it justice. Go online and google Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore to learn more about this wonderful area.

     While not running around the woods to see the sights, we've been hitting the local Munising coffee shop, The Falling Rock, and on Tuesdays there is a farmers market and concert in the park.
     Tomorrow we'll drag up and head an hour up the road to Grand Marais Woodland Park camp ground.  We stopped there and checked out the small remote town on Lake Superior and want to spend a bit more time there.  Again so much to do around here, and thanks to Leroy and Diane for their hospitality and letting us park the camper in front of their house and plug in.

     After Grand Marais we'll shoot for Tahquamenon Falls, the second largest falls east of the Mississippi then start our southward trek home with several stops along the way. Stay tuned.

     Easy drive to the UP and Leroy and Diane Jacobsen's beautiful but simple home in Munising MI. located on a creek which leads to a trail to a water fall which can be accessed easily within a 10 minute walk from their front door called Memorial Falls.  A drive or bike ride into town is also an easy 10 to 15 minutes down hill, of course gotta up on the way back but not a hard effort at all, and views of lake Superior makes it easier.  The Falling Rock coffee shop is a delight and the town boasts many neat restaurants, bars, 2 hardware stores, grocery, drug and any other thing you'd want but what I like; NO SPRAWL.  On Tuesday we went to a farmers market and concert in the municipal park featuring a national slide guitar champion, Kraig Kenning.  Wednesday we drove over to Marquette to visit friends from Fl. Chuck and Linda and get in a bike ride with them. Thursday we moved the camper from the campground to Diane and Leroy's  and did some hiking around Munising.  Friday was spent hiking and biking in Seney National Wildlife Refuge where we saw Loons, and Trumpeter Swans.  Today was another trip to Marquette, where on the way we stopped by Lakenland a sculpture garden of extraordinary proportions. Really something not to be missed. A hike at Sugarloaf Mountain, a rocky climb to stunning views of Gitchi Gumee, or Lake Superior. Rain halted any other excursions this day. 

     Tomorrow is another day filled with more adventures depending on the rapidly changing weather. Oh did I mention how nice and cool it is here, in the 60s and 70s during the day and 50s at night. AHHHH!

      Been a while since we had wifi where I wanted to take the time to post something, but here we are at a Starbucks in Stevens Point WI where we attended the 19th annual recumbent rally sponsored by the Hostel Shoppe, the largest recumbent shop in the states.  So, what I'm going to do is go in reverse to describe the goings on back to when we left KS.
      As I've said; rally, BIG. Bikes, many, test rides, rides through the WI. pastoral country side, past dairy barns, farm houses, chicken houses, out houses, fields full of corn, soy beans, potatoes, and small home gardens. George and Sue Straley and Bill Hamilton and Ruth Glick drove up to join us,  which made the rides more enjoyable with good friends.
      They had a swap meet yard sale there where we set up and sold a few things but out of the blue on impulse I traded my ICE trike for a HASE  Tagen under seat 2 wheeler with suspension and some money.  So now I'll have to tweak this bike to make it mine for the remainder of the trip. Boys and their toys!

      Before the rally we visited George and Sue in Waukasha WI, and used a parking place inside a building they rent.  We rode with them around the town which is really charming with big fiber glass guitars placed here and there and one of the best stocked liquor stores I've ever seen.  One day we rode a trail to the Miller Stadium in Milwaukee on game day, rode all the way around it then to town where George and I went to the Harley Davidson museum while the girls rode to Greendale.
What a great time we had. Thanks to the Straleys.

      Turning back a page to Urbandale IA, and a week at Cutty's CG and riding around the many trails in the DesMoines area w/ Bill and Ruth to guide us.  Under the heading; Now there's a bridge, the highlight was the High Trestle trail bridge, a feat of engineering, especially all lit up at night. Another neat ride was to the outskirts of DesMoines and the Bauder's  Pharmacy and old fashioned soda fountain with home made creamy ice cream.  And of course a visit to Trader Joe's. The Saturday farmers market ride could have been a soaker but we were inside Java Joe's  eating breakfast, and the bikes kept dry thanks to the parking garage they were parked in.

      Present time now, at Starbucks and looking forward to Munising MI where we'll see Leroy and Diane Jacobsen and hopefully do a credit card tour of the UP.  If technology works this time I'll upload some photos.