Last leg of the trip today. Told Rapunzel to take us home and she showed the route to be 280 miles which would take just over 5 ½ hours. Easy Peasy!!
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I know I’ve said this before
but it resurfaces in my thoughts with every bike trip we take: people like to
talk to bikers. No matter where we are…campgrounds,
gas stations, restaurants, hotels…if we’re off the bikes people talk to us. They encourage us to ride safe, tell us
stories about their riding days, ask about our travels, make comments about the
little monkeys, etc. Have you ever seen
anybody do that with a person in a vehicle? How often does anyone approach a stranger
in a car/truck to warn them about staying safe, regale them with tales of times
they’ve been in a car, or randomly ask where they’re headed? Not saying it never happens, just saying that
it probably doesn’t happen often.
When a biker gets off his or her
bike, it’s not a quick thing. Both
driver and passenger, if there is one, get off the bike to get the riding kinks
worked out, get something to drink, go to the bathroom, make a phone call, eat
a candy bar, or whatever. And if there’s
a group of bikers, a stop is a chance to talk with each other about that random
thing they saw back a ways, what they thought about the route they were on,
where they want to eat, etc. Like I
said, a stop generally isn’t quick.
That’s why I think bikers get
approached…because we’re literally out in the open and available. Plus the
monkeys…who can resist the monkeys? 😊
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Rapunzel rides with Kim because he has a phone
holder on his handlebars. I’m not sure that we really needed her help today but
we plugged in our address and gave her free rein to take us home anyway. Turns out that wasn’t the best idea we’ve
ever had. She took us on some bumpy back
roads but they were paved so we put up with it.
Definitely roads less traveled. And
we went through some little towns in the Upper Peninsula that I never knew
existed; but that was okay as I feel it’s good to expand my knowledge of the
upper part of my state. But when she
told us to turn on a gravel road…well, that’s when she was relieved of her
navigational duties. By this time Kim,
who had lived in the U.P. for over 35 years, didn’t even know where we
were. He wanted me to find a way to
Escanaba using my nav screen so I told Biker Girl to take us home, knowing that
once she got us to US 2 we’d be in familiar territory. I took the lead and she did her job admirably.
I don’t know if Rapunzel
figured the back roads into her mileage estimation or if that was an idea she got along the way but I have to think there
was a more direct route to get to Escanaba than the one she had us on. Next time her route will be scrutinized
before take-off.
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Color is starting to appear
in areas of the western U.P. The ride
last night and today definitely had a look of fall to them.
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Temperature was 67o
in the middle of the Mackinac Bridge. 😎
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We rode with Larry to his
house…arrived there before 5 p.m. Talked
a bit then boogied on home. Got home
before 6 and were greeted by 4 excited WonderKids. It was a good homecoming. 👍
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As it turns out we invited
Larry to go on the longest bike trip he’s even been on and along the way Mother
Nature also did her part in expanding his riding resume. It’s easy to ride when the weather is sunny
and warm. Not as fun to ride through 90+
degree temperatures, wind that tries to rip your head off, and rain that goes
on for hours and hours. But he did it with a smile, his good nature never
failing. It was a good adventure and we’re looking forward to the next one.
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Today’s miles: 290
Total miles: 2659
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