Reports from Jamie's latest tour

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day 66

the simple life

Actual Date: 2007-07-09
Uploaded: wed, 11 jul 2007 05:36:15 -070
Distance: 121.00 km

Marquette to Baraga, Michigan.

On the surface bicycle touring is quite simple. After all you basically get on your bike and just pedal until you reach your objective. Most people's first experience of the touring lifestyle was probably back when they were a kid just "going for a ride" with no exact timing or destination in mind.

In reality bicycle touring involves a series of inter-related tactical and strategic decisions that impact the overall feel of a tour.

Examples of stategic decisions include setting up your line of travel so that you hit the heavy traffic/tricky sections during a week day instead of a weekend because there is likely to be less large recreational vehicles on the road. Another is taking a rest day early so that today's headwind might veer to be tomorrow's tailwind.

Tactical decisions are often just made on the spur of the moment to react to a situation evolving around you like the discovery of a new place to check out etc. Sometimes simply taking a road that heads in a slightly different direction can make a very dramatic difference between a day being miserable fighting a headwind and one that's very nice but with a crosswind.

The important thing for me is to preserve my freedom of movement so that at all times I can react in a favourable way. I really try not to sweat the small stuff because the negativity that comes from being too perfectionest can very quickly destroy the good vibe of a tour as well.

Today I was slow getting underway. Yesterday was a taxing day and my body needed a bit more rest. By the time I finished writing my log entry and headed out it was close to 10am. A stop at Lakeshore bicycles to borrow a very long handled hex key (better leverage) to tighten my left side egg beater pedal (removing the clicking noise - thanks Chris/Donkey) and a visit to a restaurant for breakfast soon saw me leaving Marquette at noon.

The first few miles were slow thanks to the heat, humidity and hills. I started out in Marquette at a relative height of 510 metres and reached a high point of 825 metres near the junction of US 41, US 141 and M 38. Of course a last minute tactical decision saw me empty the altitude battery with a 45 minute, 30 km, 300 metre descent to todays lake level destination. The nice thing is that during the descent my pedals probably turned less then 500 times and the price of the descent came from the steady climbing during the rest of the day. The less nice thing is that my current location means that I will be reclimbing those meters again as I move on. This could prove to be an interesting tactical choice to reflect about tomorrow! :)

My breakfast was paid for by a very nice couple. They both look like they are in their forties but the man mentioned that he had officially retired, at age 65, just that week. He should consider a second career in the travel industry. He told me about a number of secret locations to check out off the beaten path. I passed one of them during my descent today but it was right at sunset when I did so I didn't go hiking through the woods to check it out. I do have it marked on a map for later investigation. His suggestions were
given with a very infectious sounding excitement that was nice to hear. I enjoyed the coversation with him. Finding out later that the couple also paid for my breakfast was a nice and unexpected surprise!

During breakfast I met a cross-continental touring couple. They left Seattle back in mid-May and expect to arrive in Boston (via Canada) in early August. While transiting another construction zone I met another solo cross-continental rider as well. He provided me with a card and a pamplet about his journey so I will give a few more details later.

I encountered the rock face of the Canadian shield today for the first time this tour just west of Marquette. I've always enjoyed the sight of the rock amongst the trees and lakes.

I have been debating riding out to Copper Harbour or just moving on. The Keewanah Penisula has a real reputation for beauty but the same kind of thing is also said about Lake Superior's northern shore. Moving on has the appeal of bringing me that much closer to my most westerly point of the tour.

Mail call:

Steve: It was great meeting you too. Best wishes to you and your fiancee regarding your upcoming wedding and marriage.

Don: It's too bad we didn't meet up earlier since it would have been nice to ride with you. I am always open to sharing a ride with others as I pass through their neighbourhood. Riding the tunnel of trees during a light fog was an interesting experience.

Tony: Thanks for taking the pictures and sending them to me. I am unlikely to be able to actually look at them until tour's end since the device I am using for email is a simple text device. Highway 123 did have a slight grade like you mentioned. I think my real problem that day was the heat and humidity. My engine seems to have an optimal operating range of between 20 and 29 degrees celsius. Higher temps slow me down. I am slowly adjusting to the higher temperatures and humidity levels here.

Nancy: There you go being shy again! You did a great job being a hostess and your pictures inspired some rock face picture taking of my own today. Thanks again for allowing me to visit.

Catherine: The Surly is indeed a beautiful bike and it is treating me well. Sometime in the next 1000 or 2000 kilometers of this tour I expect to write an on-the-road review and possibly a Trek 520 vs Surly Long Haul Trucker review as well.

Thanks everyone for the guestbook entries. It's nice to share my tour with you and the entries give me a chance to answer your questions and sometimes encourage me into an entirely new line of thinking.

From the windy shores of Lake Superior...

~Jamie N

Interested in bicycle touring? www.bicycletouring101.com

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Tour Statistics

(Based on riding days only)

Number of Riding Days: 34
Overall total so far: 3840.10 km
Daily Average: 112.94 km
Shortest: 53.00 km
Longest: 163.00 km

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