Day 82 – Kitch-iti-kipi To Escanaba (Total Miles = 1380 Miles)

After immersing ourselves in the beauty of the sunrise, we packed the bikes up and headed out.  Before we left, Bradley explained that seeing swans on the lake this early, meant winter was coming on fast.  I guess the swans spend the winter on the lake.  Bradley said they will swim in circles together to keep an area of the lake free from ice.  Boy, I wish I could see that!!

With that in mind, Ken and I hoped to make it to Escanaba.  That meant pedaling over 50 miles.  With no stops planned, except for lunch in Rapid River, it was going to be a grueling task.

It wasn’t really the pedaling, or the wind that made this ride difficult.  It was riding on Highway 2.  The berm is wide enough and clean enough to keep us far away from the cars, and the road is flat, so no hills to climb…but the sound of the accelerating vehicles is maddening.  It can just suck the energy from you.  We can’t hear each other talk, let alone think.  And, even though we were on highway, there are still no restaurants or gas stations to be had!  Other than our 1 hour stop for lunch, we were out on the road for almost 7 hours.  6 hours of non-stop vehicles coming up from behind.  We were spent by the time we made it to Escanaba.  And, guess what?  We had to get a hotel because rain was coming through, again.

But, because of my earlier calculations on timing, and factoring in knowing the 7 day forecast, we were already prepared to spend an extra day sitting in the hotel staying dry.

So, no pictures to share today, but we are expecting some nicer days and plan to camp one more night before rolling into Menominee on September 14.

BTW, we heard from B&B (Remember Brad & Betty?) and they informed us that the Badger ferry is closing early this year.  They will stop sailing on September 27.  We probably would have made it by that time, but it is good we stepped up our game to get home.  Thanks B&B for the heads up!!