I woke up feeling very rested - after riding through yesterday's elements, getting a good night's sleep wasn't difficult to do - and ready to ride further north into the upper peninsula.
Dan prepared a wonderful breakfast for us, which consisted of blueberry pancakes along with toast and eggs. I also met Mary, Dan's wife, this morning before hitting the road. Dan was kind enough to show me a relatively traffic-free route north out of town and did so by bicycle. He also gave me route advice for the road ahead after we stopped riding together. Hospitality and knowledge like his is such valuable information to have when you're touring in an unfamiliar place.
After Dan and I split ways, I rode north briefly on US-2, and after this short sting on the highway, I rode on a combination of backroads and a bike path to River Rapids. Once in River Rapids I resumed riding on US-2 again, which would lead me all the way to St. Ignace, approximately 140 miles away on the far east side of the upper peninsula.
The ride east toward Manistique along US-2 was relatively peaceful. I didn't encounter too much traffic, the shoulder of US-2 was a generous width, and the pavement smooth. Great lengths of this stretch of highway were some of the best US highways that I've ever ridden on. I passed through Manistique, the largest of all towns that I would pass through prior to arriving in St. Ignace the next day. While here, I stopped to check out the lighthouse from a distance, which was about 1500 feet from mainland. Afterwards, I stopped briefly to chow down on some food before heading onward to Blaney Park.
Several days prior, I made a reservation for a bed and breakfast in Blaney Park (the Celibeth House). This bed and breakfast along with an antique store are the two sole business in Blaney Park. This particular bed and breakfast was originally a home built by a logging baron in 1895. During those times, logging was one of the few industries in this part of the upper peninsula. Seeing and experiencing a place that dates back to that era, I thought, would be fascinating.
Upon arriving at the Celibeth House, I met the owners/operators of the bed and breakfast, Dan and Deborah. We had a very pleasant time chatting about their bed and breakfast, the Blaney Park area, and the route along US-2. After cleaning up from a day's ride, perusing the library of the Celibeth House was a fine way to unwind for the day; however, after some time I was ready to watch the sunset from the front porch, and this is where I met Andy and Jennifer. They were on a weekend fishing trip, and during the course of our conversation I learned that Jennifer had also studied at Western Illinois University: what a serendipitous encounter! We also chatted about the route ahead for this tour, and they were extremely generous in welcoming me to stay with them when passing through the Traverse City area. How wonderful!
Tomorrow, I will head "down state," as the natives say. Only one day after entering the Upper Peninsula.
Comments