Curtis, Michigan

Today we reached the end of the road for this adventure.   Just after noon, we arrived at our destination of Bob and Keri's cabin on the shore of Lake Manistique.   It concluded after 2169 miles and 41 days on the road.

Three guys very happy to have arrived 

Bob and Keri are friends of Derald (and now us), who live in Flagstaff, but have a second home in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  This was established as our destination as a result of Deralds promise to see their lake home.

         Bob, Derald and Keri

It was a long journey and a lot of fun.  We all arrived safe, feeling good and glad to be done.  We ended the evening's celebration talking about future trip ideas, which is a good sign of a successful expedition. 

Manistique, Michigan

Today was wind payback day as we cycled from Escanaba to Manistique.  It was not a long or difficult ride, but a headwind is pesky after you get used to a strong tailwind. Nevertheless, we were in by 1230 and enjoying a cheeseburger at Clyde's Driveinn.

Derald found an interesting historical marker along the way.  I missed it, probably with my head down fighting the wind.

The view of the bay's of Lake Michigan were pretty magnificent.   We could not get anyone to bite on the prospect of taking a dip in the lake.

Escanaba, Michigan

Today we entered our seventh and final state of this expedition.   We rode over the bridge from Marinette to Menomonie  

We saw a few of the sites in the twin cities before heading up the coast of Green Bay to Escanaba. 

Pink Courthouse in Menomonie 

Freedom class littoral combat ship, made in Marinette. 

The ride was very nice.  The breeze off the water kept us comfortable. 

At the end the ride, we met Keri and Rob, our hosts at the end of the ride.   The impressed us with their hospitality by offering us cold beer  🍺 

Marinette, Wisconsin

We had an outstanding day cycling today.   It was hot, but flat and the winds were perfect.   For the first time, we hit an average daily speed of 15 mph.

We had plenty of views of trees and the bay today as we cycled.   The historical highlight was visiting Peshtigo, the sight of the most tragic loss of life in a wildlife in US history.  Over 1200 people perished.

Tomorrow we will enter Michigan, our 7th and final state on this adventure. 

Green Bay, Wisconsin

We had a nice Sunday ride today.   We rode from Sheboygan to Manitowoc, enjoying the lakeside views, then headed inland on a bike trail.  

The winds were out of the Southwest and we were going Northeast, so we had either a tailwind or wicked crosswind.   It was in the 90's, so we made sure that we stayed hydrated and rested in the shade.

It was too early for ice cream, so we had to settle for a picture of the giant cow at the Cedar Crest ice cream shop. 

This is the picture of the Cobia at the Manitowoc Maritime Museum.   I remember a boy scout sleepover in this when I was a child.   Deralds uncle served on a similar submarine out of Perth, Australia during WWII. 

Sheboygan, Wisconsin

We are back on the road after two wonderful days of rest.  We joined our Scenic Shore 150 team for part of their training ride from Mequon to Port Washington.  It was nice to have company on the road. 

We had an ideal day for cycling.   We had heavy winds out of the Southwest.  The group had to turn around into the wind, but we continued northeast to our destination. 

On the way, we treated ourselves to a perch sandwich and even a beer for lunch.  Derald had a spotted cow beer.  You can't go any more Wisconsin than that.

Another stop on the way was the Oostburg bakery.  We were served by a couple of young ladies, that Derald coaxed outside for a  picture. 

Our stop for the night is a charming lakeside town.  We had what is considered the best pizza in the state at Il Ritrivo restaurant.   We were joined by Julie, Beth and our friend Patty for the early dinner. 

On the way back from dinner, we passed the local children's museum.   I loved the boat built into the building. 

It was a fun and very social day.  

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin - Hartland, Wisconsin

Sorry for the delay in posting.   It has been a busy couple of days and my routine has been happily disrupted.

First of all, we made it back to the Badger state on Tuesday.   We crossed the boarder south of Lake Geneva after a nice ride through Northern Illinois.   We never guessed that sneaking between Rockford and Chicago that we would encounter such beautiful low traffic roads.

No welcome to Wisconsin sign, but you get the idea.

          Beautiful Lake Geneva 

We were joined for dinner by Beth Knoelke, Rob's wife, which was a lot of fun. 

Early the next day, we headed north for home for Rob and me.   Anxious to see Julie, I was ready to go at 6:30 AM.   We had a great ride on beautiful roads and got home by 12:30.

We have two rest days at home, before heading to the top of Lake Michigan.   When asked what we have planned, my standard response is "anything but cycling."