WERE BACK!!! Sorry for the delay in the blogs but we stayed in a campsite called Ponderosa Pines that had a beautiful setting but no amenities. So we dry camped with no electricity which turned out to be a god send as everyone turned in early and fell asleep with no time wasted.
The day started out well from Imlay City Michigan and this road to the border was the best ride for road quality in all of MI. We had a little lost time going thru customs due to construction. The customs agent took our passports and asked us who was Ralph? He thought Roe was trying to bribe him as he had several large bills tucked into his passport. Then he smiled and sent us thru. Slick departure. Then we pulled over to take a photo of entering Ontario sign!
The information station was our next stop to get maps and a few directions. It has taken us awhile to figure out the signage and road names. Not always marked very well or not marked at all in some places. I tried to keep them on course by driving ahead and gathering information. We stayed on course for the most part.
Grandma Lou is holding her own with the guys and is keeping with the quick wit. She is now on board with the routine and has slipped into her role in the kitchen well. Even tho it is a one butt kitchen.
We all got a good nights sleep as I have mention before so our energy is now renewed. We are really looking forward to our day off in Niagra Falls.
I also want to give a little update on Dave back home. He will be having surgery in Austin on Monday and will be spending one night in the hospital and then home for recovery. I send my Love to him and to all that have been so amazingly supportive in taking him to his appt's and stopping to visit him and bringing food. I so appreciate this and would not have been able to continue without all of you and your generosity.
We hope to be posting some photos again soon.
DDDD That's all Folks! Julie
The Ontario backroads were great. Nice asphalt serface, low traffic volume, traveling through small towns. Lots of corn and soybean fields. The farm homes were very nice. Built out of tan brick, they were very well maintained. We found later that this region had clay that was perfectly suited for brick. We really enjoyed the morning. The afternoon was a different story. Our route skirted London, a large city. Very heavy traffic volume, lots of semis, and no shoulders. We resorted to sidewalks for a long section. We had our first unfavorable weather in a couple weeks. A cool drizzle off an on, usually on when we took our jackets off and off when we put them on. We're sorry our blog is late. Since we fell short of our planned rv park, Julie asked around and found us a campsite in Thamesford. No electricity hookup and no internet service so we went to bed early. After so many days of early mornings, I appreciated and extra hour of sleep.
Roe
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Day 22,23,&24 Pictures
We are back and have a few pictures for you all.
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| Getting more groceries |
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| Moving on down the road |
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| Weatherby looking for Lilly |
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| Terry thinks this is the Atlantic & he is done |
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| Grandma Lou cuts the mellon |
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| The leopard lady holds up the sign |
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| Pearle gets a good night sleep on ths ferry |
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| Jerry takes a siesta on the ferry |
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| The ferry |
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| Another state down |
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| The wooden hog looking for Sturgis |
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| Roe needs a pastry or 2 |
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| Parting friends at Lake Michgan |
day 24
It is hard to believe that we are already on the east side of Michigan! Today we travelled 120 miles in grand fashion. A good night's sleep and some more calories helped, as did a strong SW wind and mild temperature in the 80's. We had a nice rain last night, but everything was dry this morning in time for us to leave. Terry started the day with his 9th flat, but Dave had an extra wheel that quickly and efficiently solved the problem.
"Saint" Julie and her Mom met us several times during the day to update us on road status and need for changes, as well as provide food and drink. Michigan has been gorgeous, but the roads have been the worst to date. Anything loose on our bikes has fallen off by this time, so we will be in good shape for Canada tomorrow. (Yes. We all have our passports).
It is amazing that we have been able to stay on schedule to date. Two more days, then our last rest day!!
Everyone remains upbeat and in good condition. We even had to laugh tonight as we are now talking of a "Century" as a short day.....
Terry will download some more pictures tonight since we have good internet access.
Dick
"Saint" Julie and her Mom met us several times during the day to update us on road status and need for changes, as well as provide food and drink. Michigan has been gorgeous, but the roads have been the worst to date. Anything loose on our bikes has fallen off by this time, so we will be in good shape for Canada tomorrow. (Yes. We all have our passports).
It is amazing that we have been able to stay on schedule to date. Two more days, then our last rest day!!
Everyone remains upbeat and in good condition. We even had to laugh tonight as we are now talking of a "Century" as a short day.....
Terry will download some more pictures tonight since we have good internet access.
Dick
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
day 23
Ludington to Stanton - 134 miles
Last night we took the ferry from Manitowoc WI to Ludington MI. We tried to get as much sleep as we could during the 1:00 am to 6:00 am crossing. There were only 17 customers on the big ship -- the SS Badger -- so we could lounge about anywhere we wanted to. Some of us got much more sleep than others.
We headed out of Ludington and quickly missed our first turn. Today's ride could be titled "backroads Michigan". We traveled quiet country roads avoiding big cities. Neat landscape with lots of trees - it reminded us of northern MN and northern WI. Several times we traveled rolling hills with a twisty road. We zigged and zagged east and south. With a northwest wind, we sometimes had a headwind and sometimes had a tailwind. Small backroads meant few roadsigns and we often stopped to get out our maps. We had several course changes and Garmin was not our friend today. We were sleep deprived and sometimes frustrated, but are still getting along famously.
Our weather so far has been better than we could have imagined. Today was on the cool side. We had a chance of showers this afternoon and they didn't come until tonight. The cool afternoons have made our 130 mile days manageable. Each day Jerry puts in his order for the next day's weather and we get what he orders. And he's smart enough to not take credit for it.
Roe
Last night we took the ferry from Manitowoc WI to Ludington MI. We tried to get as much sleep as we could during the 1:00 am to 6:00 am crossing. There were only 17 customers on the big ship -- the SS Badger -- so we could lounge about anywhere we wanted to. Some of us got much more sleep than others.
We headed out of Ludington and quickly missed our first turn. Today's ride could be titled "backroads Michigan". We traveled quiet country roads avoiding big cities. Neat landscape with lots of trees - it reminded us of northern MN and northern WI. Several times we traveled rolling hills with a twisty road. We zigged and zagged east and south. With a northwest wind, we sometimes had a headwind and sometimes had a tailwind. Small backroads meant few roadsigns and we often stopped to get out our maps. We had several course changes and Garmin was not our friend today. We were sleep deprived and sometimes frustrated, but are still getting along famously.
Our weather so far has been better than we could have imagined. Today was on the cool side. We had a chance of showers this afternoon and they didn't come until tonight. The cool afternoons have made our 130 mile days manageable. Each day Jerry puts in his order for the next day's weather and we get what he orders. And he's smart enough to not take credit for it.
Roe
Monday, August 22, 2011
day 22
The last couple of days we have had special riders with us. All of them have really enhanced the ride. Greg Storey, especially being one of my very best friends, was really fun to have along. He and Erik V rode the last 4 days with us and helped carry the load. Greg and I have talked about this ride for the last year, and I've gotten great insight from him. So riding with him, I could use a lot of what we had talked about for this type of ride. Talking about doing something and actually doing it is so different and so much better.
Today the group did 135 miles together. We had great weather. We had fun. We had great visits and finished the day with DQ.
I personally want to thank all the riders that came and rode with us. They all enhanced our ride and made it that much better.
As we speak, we are looking out at Lake Michigan, and prepare to leave at midnight. We are all re-energized with all the family and friends who have given extra support in So Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
We are preparing for our last 1000 miles of the trip with great energy and strong mind set.
Love to all
Jerry
Today the group did 135 miles together. We had great weather. We had fun. We had great visits and finished the day with DQ.
I personally want to thank all the riders that came and rode with us. They all enhanced our ride and made it that much better.
As we speak, we are looking out at Lake Michigan, and prepare to leave at midnight. We are all re-energized with all the family and friends who have given extra support in So Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
We are preparing for our last 1000 miles of the trip with great energy and strong mind set.
Love to all
Jerry
Sunday, August 21, 2011
day 21
On Wisconsin! Today was a long ride from Wabasha Mn to Nekoosa WI. With most of us staying in motels, we skipped breakfast. Today we had 8 riders: the 4 of us, Eric Vandenberg, Greg Storey, Gareth Hataye, and Kurt Swanson. It was a beautiful coolish day, a slight tailwind, and our guests did a nice job of pulling us along. It's great having guests along. It made the 140 miles manageable. In the morning we were in the beautiful hills of western Wisconsin. Early on Kurt broke his bike seat. Dick McGiver produced a spare tire to tie the seat down. That didn't do the trick so we sent the three speedsters ahead to Arcadia to look for repairs. When the rest of us got to Arcadia they were sitting in McDonalds eating breakfast. They had 10 minutes to wait for the hardware store to open. When the rest of us had our fill of coffee and breakfast we were on our way again.
The most interesting event of the day was when Dick lost his chain and had to bail out to avoid hitting Gareth. Dick did a tuck and roll on the way to the ditch. He did a shoulder roll and landed on his feet, saying "how's that for a fall!" Those who saw the event applauded and gave him a 9.1 for form. We're encouraging Dick to send in his entry to the 2012 Senior Games for the ditch diving event.
All afternoon we enjoyed flat roads and comfortable temperatures. Jerry peppered us with sports and geography trivia and Kurt had the answer for almost all of the questions.
Today we were joined by Julies mom, Mary Lou, who will be with us for the rest of the trip. We're happy to have her on board and looking forward to her helping out with the daily tasks and keeping us in line.
Roe
We wanted to let our readers know that if they'd like to see an enlargement of any of the pictures, just left click on the picture and it will fill the screen.
The most interesting event of the day was when Dick lost his chain and had to bail out to avoid hitting Gareth. Dick did a tuck and roll on the way to the ditch. He did a shoulder roll and landed on his feet, saying "how's that for a fall!" Those who saw the event applauded and gave him a 9.1 for form. We're encouraging Dick to send in his entry to the 2012 Senior Games for the ditch diving event.
All afternoon we enjoyed flat roads and comfortable temperatures. Jerry peppered us with sports and geography trivia and Kurt had the answer for almost all of the questions.
Today we were joined by Julies mom, Mary Lou, who will be with us for the rest of the trip. We're happy to have her on board and looking forward to her helping out with the daily tasks and keeping us in line.
Roe
We wanted to let our readers know that if they'd like to see an enlargement of any of the pictures, just left click on the picture and it will fill the screen.
Pictures from day 19 20 & 21
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