Day 59 & 60 – Gitchee Gumee Campground to Munising (Total Miles = 939.65)

It is August 19th. I guess I should have been keeping track of the dates, too, because I am lost in time! I was pondering on my ride to Munising the fact that time is moving so fast, but the miles so slow. Riding a bicycle around the U.P. reveals the full effect of this phenomenon, but I really discovered this when I was chasing the sun to charge up my solar panel. I would lay the panel in a nice sunny spot, only to turn around and find the panel already in the shade. A distinct method of being able to watch time for anyone who has a penchant for it.

We did have another nice ride into Munising, but there was some rain. It was actually refreshing, though.

I have been loving staying at the nostalgic mom and pop motels. We found another in Munising. We paid $43 a night ($2 less than our last campground) for a room with a roof, shower, bed, tv, and plenty of sentimentalism. Scotty’s Motel even had, what appeared to be, the original neon sign flashing its’ name.

If I survive this tour, it will be a miracle. Ken is ready to leave me behind and get ‘er done. I don’t blame him…sometimes. Now, I have been doing all this heavy reflection on time and seeing it move with my own eyes, right? I’m thinking how fast time is passing us by, so we need to fit all we can into one measly 24 hour period!! Let me step back and fill in some blanks…

This Covid-19 is wrecking havoc on our time schedule! People are everywhere, lined up here, lined up there…waiting for this restaurant table to open up, waiting for someone to pass to keep the 6 foot distancing, trying to make reservations for campsites or tours. Wasting precious time! Most restaurants won’t take reservations, but Tracey’s in Munising does. So, my efficiency expertise kicks in! I will make reservations, and we will not have to worry about getting a table to eat somewhere before they close. That will open up the entire day for touring!! I tried to make reservations to ferry around Pictured Rocks Shoreline, but of course, they were all full so we were on our own.

Ken doesn’t really like touring. He wants to ride. But, as usual, I can always convince him that we need to sieze the day and make the most of it!! We may never pass this way again!! We’re here, we might as well see what this town has to offer! We could be gone tomorrow, and miss it all!! You get the picture…I can be very persuasive.

So, with the convincing complete, the reservations in hand, we got on our bikes to ride 5 miles to Munising Falls and Sand Point. What’s 5 miles to us, anyway. We rode to the falls and completed the short hike to see them. It was beautiful. The rock formations were beautiful. Totally worth the trip. Then we headed to Sand Point because I wanted to see Miner’s Castle. It is part of the Picture Rocks shoreline and one of the key area experiences to see. I calculated that once we got off the bikes, the hike in would only be 3 miles, and we could trail run making it a quick in and out sightseeing tour. I was very excited, as usual, to be able to run and I could hardly contain myself. When we arrived at Sand Point, we saw the mileage sign…4.9 miles to Miner’s Castle. Again, I began calculating how long our run in would take, how long to view the castle, and how long to run back…get on our bikes…ride to the motel, shower, and bike to the restaurant. We could certainly do it, I was sure, with minutes to spare!

So, again, with some convincing…yes, a lot of convincing, we headed down the trail to Miner’s Castle. No sooner were we getting warmed up, when we saw a guy on a bicycle with 80 lbs. of packs. He was biking the entire North Country Trail system!! This trail is rugged, steep, rooty, and muddy. People think we are crazy! Actually, I had to laugh because he thought we were the nutso’s riding our bikes on the road!! He had this entire flight of stairs to go up with that bike, too! Who’s the crazy one here, I ask you?! I just can’t believe, that again, we never got a picture or got his name. Just a fun conversation with a crazy dude…an old one at that! We took off again knowing we would see him on the return trip.

I felt like a deer running through the forest, free as could be! I put some distance between Ken and I on the way in. We made ANOTHER cardinal sin, we hit the trail without water. Ken needs his water while running. I train without it many times, just to be able to pass the water stations while racing, so I can adapt. But, secretly, I was worried we weren’t going to make our precious dinner reservation. I calculated…I could get there and take the pictures, then once he arrived, he could get an eyefull, then we would turn around and run back. That’s planning! Lo and behold, I got there and they had a working water fountain!! In every single park, campground, roadside stop, the water fountains have all been shut down due to Covid. This one was working!!! I took my pictures, got a drink, and then Ken made it in, like clockwork!! It had taken almost 2 hours to get there. He was so thirsty, so hot and tired, but he filled up on water, checked out the rock formation (which was awesome, BTW), and we headed back.

Now, this is Ken’s forte!! I am a fast short distance runner, Ken is a powerhouse long distance kind of a guy. This time I was the little doe chasing my buck!! He led us out of there in just over an hour! We skimmed past our cyclist and called out, “Great Job! We have dinner reservations to maaaake!” We didn’t stop until we reached our bikes. We glugged down the last of our water, climbed on the bikes and rode the 5 miles back to Scotty’s. A day that had a 10 mile bike ride and a 10 mile run! And, Yes! We still had time for showers! In my utter appreciation and awe, I let Ken take his shower first, because Scotty’s shower drained so slow, that the next person had to step in a water filled, old metal, shower stall. Nostalgic, I tell ya.

I had one more surprise and show of my admiration for my handsome buck…I found a shuttle to drive us to the restaurant and pick us up. It’s all in the calculations people…all in the calculations.