Mackinaw City, MI, July 21st
Mackinaw City, Michigan and I have officially been welcomed back to the states. No fan fair, but it was easier getting back in than last time when I spent more time in Canada and of all places trying to get in through North Dakota. If you don’t remember the story, you can read all about it. I had thought about staying another night for the Eagles concert, but maybe if it would’ve been another band I’ve always wanted to see, or even see again, I might’ve stuck around.
The hostel was coed friendly to me last night since I was the only guy in a quad room. A couple of Asian chicks already in bed, not much to look at and I didn’t get a peak at the one on top of me, blindfolded or at least my eyes were closed when she was walking around. I enjoyed the coed showers even more this morning cuz when I was getting out of one of them, with nothing but a towel on, a couple of blondes were coming in. Of course I tried to get a peak, but they made sure the doors were locked and maybe if I would’ve thought about it earlier, I would’ve let the towel drop. Anyway, packed and ready to go with no rain yet, but the forecast calls for rain and I’ll be heading west, straight into it.
Since I’ve already road the south of Lake Erie, the north of Lake Ontario and the north of Lake Superior, I figured for the ride home I’d catch some of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan so today was Lake Huron. I did make a stop to dip a boot in Lake Erie and capture pictures from the same park I visited the last time I was in Toronto, remember my trip to Wasaga Beach after a night on a park slide in Niagara Falls? That’d be in the month of July so you can get caught up on that story. And as far as I remembered, it was a ride in the rain from Niagara Falls to Toronto, that it may be the same in reverse, Toronto toward Niagara Falls.
The route I need to take to the scenic drive around Lake Huron isn’t close to Niagara Falls so it was eventually West toward the states and rain clouds, but I’ve been lucky so far missing the rain and only dealing with a few wet spots on the road. I just kept praying that I’d get thru the thunderstorms around me and that reminded me of the ride through Nebraska when I was missing the storms around me, I’ll even have to go back and read about that. Well, since I’ve been dodging and weaving thru the rain without getting rained on I didn’t have to put on the rain gear and ride the weary ride and eventually made it to the border which is a much longer wait to get through. I was wondering this being a busier border and having picked a slow line what I might have to deal with cuz I’m sure this border patrolman is being extra cautious that he doesn’t miss something, that what will I have to deal with. Eventually I made my way up to the patrolman and this time I remembered whether they wave or not, I have to stop, no waving through like I thought once before.
Anyway, when I told the border patrol how many days in Canada, 14 and that it was to complete my North American tour, he was more interested in how many miles on the bike and what year it was, which by the way for those interested, I just pasted 57,000 and its an 06. He asked the usual questions about weapons, tobacco and fruit and I wasn’t going to smart off or give him questionable answers like I apparently did in North Dakota that some of my answers were questionable that they did the extra check where I got to unpack and repack the bike, or as I remember he repacked it and wasn’t very nice about it. Oh well, their all stories and I sill have more to experience.
Back to today and on my way to take the scenic tour around the east side of Lake Huron and it took awhile before I was able to see the lake. It’s much like some of the other scenic routes they advertise around lakes where there are nothing but houses, cabins, mansions or in this case fields between the road and the lake that there aren’t too many opportunities to see the lake. When I did get the chance I tried taking a picture so there are a few and I did make a stop to dip the boot. While riding the lake, I did finally remember to check my voicemail while on a gas stop and although this AT&T service is letting me know I have messages, I can’t even get at them, well, I can’t do anything with this phone because even back in the states, Michigan and I can’t make any calls. I really question AT&T’s advertisement of the best international service when they can’t even cover the states. Anyway, good thing I have 30 days money back so I can cancel this service and find something that will work for me.
Yea, enough complaining, just deal with it. Ok, so I was thinking a little drive in along the lake would make for a good stop for lunch, a late lunch at that and I finally found one, Lefty’s drive in where Katie suggested I have a burger, onion rings and a shake, that why wouldn’t I order everything she suggests and especially when I get a picture of her delivering it. A good late lunch at 3:00 in the afternoon and I still have 6 hours to my final destination. It took 6 hours because I was messing around making stops to see if my phone would finally work and even when standing below a tower, still no service, or at least none to be able to make calls or check my voicemail. I know I’m complaining again, but that’s part of the story because eventually I decided I wasn’t going to worry about it and just ride, I’ll deal with it later. Oh, and the picture of the little boy, he was so interested in the camera mounted to my bike that I showed him how I turn it on point and shoot while riding down the road, of course he thought that was pretty cool.
Ok, so I made it to Mackinaw City and pretty much rain free except for a few spits here and there, but nothing to put the rain gear on for. And that also meant that I had to dip the boot in Lake Michigan which I did so I can now claim 3 Great Lakes in one day and what a day it has been. And looking at the boot, I think I might need a new pair after having road and even hiked North America. So I scoped out the park, beach and even under the bridge for a place to crash since it looks like rain, but I found a great little motel close to downtown for only 38 bills, 10 more than the camp and I don’t have to worry about packing a wet tent. Well, sitting at the local pub having a nice conversation with Renee and guess who gets to ride back to the motel in the rain. You got it; I made it through the day without rain except home from the bar.
Oh well, there sounds like a reason to make a trip to Mackinaw island tomorrow, some kind of sail boat race from Chicago to Mackinaw. That’s what Renee is doing here and since she missed her ferry, she’ll have to spend the night and catch the early ferry. Of course I’ve offered her a room.
Lake Huron pics
The hostel was coed friendly to me last night since I was the only guy in a quad room. A couple of Asian chicks already in bed, not much to look at and I didn’t get a peak at the one on top of me, blindfolded or at least my eyes were closed when she was walking around. I enjoyed the coed showers even more this morning cuz when I was getting out of one of them, with nothing but a towel on, a couple of blondes were coming in. Of course I tried to get a peak, but they made sure the doors were locked and maybe if I would’ve thought about it earlier, I would’ve let the towel drop. Anyway, packed and ready to go with no rain yet, but the forecast calls for rain and I’ll be heading west, straight into it.
Since I’ve already road the south of Lake Erie, the north of Lake Ontario and the north of Lake Superior, I figured for the ride home I’d catch some of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan so today was Lake Huron. I did make a stop to dip a boot in Lake Erie and capture pictures from the same park I visited the last time I was in Toronto, remember my trip to Wasaga Beach after a night on a park slide in Niagara Falls? That’d be in the month of July so you can get caught up on that story. And as far as I remembered, it was a ride in the rain from Niagara Falls to Toronto, that it may be the same in reverse, Toronto toward Niagara Falls.
The route I need to take to the scenic drive around Lake Huron isn’t close to Niagara Falls so it was eventually West toward the states and rain clouds, but I’ve been lucky so far missing the rain and only dealing with a few wet spots on the road. I just kept praying that I’d get thru the thunderstorms around me and that reminded me of the ride through Nebraska when I was missing the storms around me, I’ll even have to go back and read about that. Well, since I’ve been dodging and weaving thru the rain without getting rained on I didn’t have to put on the rain gear and ride the weary ride and eventually made it to the border which is a much longer wait to get through. I was wondering this being a busier border and having picked a slow line what I might have to deal with cuz I’m sure this border patrolman is being extra cautious that he doesn’t miss something, that what will I have to deal with. Eventually I made my way up to the patrolman and this time I remembered whether they wave or not, I have to stop, no waving through like I thought once before.
Anyway, when I told the border patrol how many days in Canada, 14 and that it was to complete my North American tour, he was more interested in how many miles on the bike and what year it was, which by the way for those interested, I just pasted 57,000 and its an 06. He asked the usual questions about weapons, tobacco and fruit and I wasn’t going to smart off or give him questionable answers like I apparently did in North Dakota that some of my answers were questionable that they did the extra check where I got to unpack and repack the bike, or as I remember he repacked it and wasn’t very nice about it. Oh well, their all stories and I sill have more to experience.
Back to today and on my way to take the scenic tour around the east side of Lake Huron and it took awhile before I was able to see the lake. It’s much like some of the other scenic routes they advertise around lakes where there are nothing but houses, cabins, mansions or in this case fields between the road and the lake that there aren’t too many opportunities to see the lake. When I did get the chance I tried taking a picture so there are a few and I did make a stop to dip the boot. While riding the lake, I did finally remember to check my voicemail while on a gas stop and although this AT&T service is letting me know I have messages, I can’t even get at them, well, I can’t do anything with this phone because even back in the states, Michigan and I can’t make any calls. I really question AT&T’s advertisement of the best international service when they can’t even cover the states. Anyway, good thing I have 30 days money back so I can cancel this service and find something that will work for me.
Yea, enough complaining, just deal with it. Ok, so I was thinking a little drive in along the lake would make for a good stop for lunch, a late lunch at that and I finally found one, Lefty’s drive in where Katie suggested I have a burger, onion rings and a shake, that why wouldn’t I order everything she suggests and especially when I get a picture of her delivering it. A good late lunch at 3:00 in the afternoon and I still have 6 hours to my final destination. It took 6 hours because I was messing around making stops to see if my phone would finally work and even when standing below a tower, still no service, or at least none to be able to make calls or check my voicemail. I know I’m complaining again, but that’s part of the story because eventually I decided I wasn’t going to worry about it and just ride, I’ll deal with it later. Oh, and the picture of the little boy, he was so interested in the camera mounted to my bike that I showed him how I turn it on point and shoot while riding down the road, of course he thought that was pretty cool.
Ok, so I made it to Mackinaw City and pretty much rain free except for a few spits here and there, but nothing to put the rain gear on for. And that also meant that I had to dip the boot in Lake Michigan which I did so I can now claim 3 Great Lakes in one day and what a day it has been. And looking at the boot, I think I might need a new pair after having road and even hiked North America. So I scoped out the park, beach and even under the bridge for a place to crash since it looks like rain, but I found a great little motel close to downtown for only 38 bills, 10 more than the camp and I don’t have to worry about packing a wet tent. Well, sitting at the local pub having a nice conversation with Renee and guess who gets to ride back to the motel in the rain. You got it; I made it through the day without rain except home from the bar.
Oh well, there sounds like a reason to make a trip to Mackinaw island tomorrow, some kind of sail boat race from Chicago to Mackinaw. That’s what Renee is doing here and since she missed her ferry, she’ll have to spend the night and catch the early ferry. Of course I’ve offered her a room.
Lake Huron pics
posted by Dalej Webb at 9:59 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home