127: pronunciation test, color road, name that alley, grenade, bear burger, 2 of 4, quickdraw results, jeff's passing, tannins, woodpecker hole, nite owl, nirvana roll, if I disappear, sunset at the campground - My Midlife Crisis - CycleBlaze
127: pronunciation test, color road, name that alley, grenade, bear burger, 2 of 4, quickdraw results, jeff's passing, tannins, woodpecker hole, nite owl, nirvana roll, if I disappear, sunset at the campground
Van Riper to L'Anse
People were still talking, and loudly, until well after midnight last night. Even the rain pelting the park at 11:30 didn't dampen their conversation, and it made me want to stand outside their camper at 6:00 this morning and have a loud conversation about hemorrhoids, or the departure times of trains from Copenhagen, or read the instructions on how tow put together Ikea furniture... anything that would be as boring to them as the status of their sports teams were to me.
I like the idea except, of course, then I'd have to wake up at 6:00.
We still had some pancake mix left over so we made more blueberry pancakes.
This morning as I was breaking camp, a middle-aged man stopped as he was walking his dog. "How far are you riding today?" "Just L'Anse." I pronounced it "Lance." With a blank expression and lidded eyes, he responded in a flat, affectless tone, "It’s pronounced 'Lonse.' Have a good ride.” Then he walked away.
I felt as if I had just taken a pronunciation test in order to determine if I have the ability to carry on a conversation with him, and failed miserably. My side of the conversation was just two words, two syllables even, so it's not like I had a mouth full of burrito, or was talking like Jeff Boomhauer from King of the Hill, or even just my normal morning mumbling.
It's a shame, because I've been intentionally trying to learn the correct pronunciations of the local towns, many of which aren't intuitive: ISH-puh-ming (Ishpeming) BARE-uh-guh (Baraga) bYOUna VISta (Buena Vista) shar-LOT (Charlotte) ON-tuh-NOG-gun (Ontonagon) mish-uh-GAH-mee (Michigamme) nuh-GAW-nee (Negaunee) soo-saint-marie (Sault St. Marie) AH-kee-OCK (Ocqueoc) poo-WAH-bick, not PEW-bick (Pewabic) HOE-ton (Houghton)
Here's one of the first roads we passed after leaving the park, followed by Green, Purple, and Pink Roads. Like I mentioned previously, this is what you get when the boss tells his U.P. employee: "Name the streets anything you want, preferably something colorful."
Just beyond Camp Michigamme is the town of Michigamme, where it’s not uncommon to see bears wander down Main Street at night, especially when berry season peaks. Also of note, the street names include "Mill Street" and "Railroad Street," just in case townspeople forget how to get to the mill or the railroad, and the alleys (there are 3) are named "Alley 1," "Alley 2," and "Alley 3."
In some sections we pass, the Fall colors are in full bloom, and it looks like someone tossed a color grenade into the forest, spraying orange, red, and yellow shrapnel into the trees.
Lori, riding in front of me, pulled into the parking lot of this restaurant. It was time to eat lunch and upon seeing the marquee she decided right then and there that she wanted a bear burger. The sign said they’re open Tuesday through Saturday (today is Saturday), and the hours are 2-8 (it’s 2:06) but even after hanging around for about fifteen minutes no one ever showed up. It’s now past peak season so a lot of the cafes are closed in spite of what their signage states.
Karen PoretI thought it was a clever camera trick with clouds mirrored in the water. Knowing you, this seemed possible. Pretty! No matter what anyone thinks 👍 Reply to this comment 3 months ago
Over the past six months, I found this photo nestled among my daily pictures at least 200 times. I’ve become so adept at the quick draw that I can whip my phone off the mount, snap a photo, and replace it in roughly the time it takes to convince myself that ordering dessert is a fantastic idea. Unfortunately, this proficiency also means I now have an impressive and growing collection of unintentional handlebar/fork portraits, two or three a day without fail, and enough to start an art museum.
Jeff, from Stephens Point in Wisconsin, and his dad, Daniel, from Point Reyes in California, are traveling together on their motorcycles and came over to chat with us while we were stopped at the Canyon Falls Roadside Park. Jeff rides his bicycle a lot, and was interested in our trip. Like many of the bicyclists I talk to, he downplayed his own cycling abilities because it's not a few thousand miles. Just as so many others, he doesn't realize that if you can do a 30-mile overnighter then you can do a transcontinental trip.
In talking with him I learned that you can drive a snowmobile all the way from Minocqua, in Wisconsin, to this roadside park, more than 125 miles just on trails.... in fact, a specific trail: "Trail 8."
Later, after we'd pedaled 4-5 miles down the road, we heard a high-pitched "YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!!!!!" as they whizzed past us on their motorcycles. It was such a joyful sound that I couldn't help but laugh out loud.
I always thought the water was brown because of iron deposits, but it's a result of tannins being released from decaying plants in wetland areas (chemically related to wine tannins, but evolutionarily and functionally worlds apart).
Karen PoretThis is nothing if you know who gets his drilling wish fulfilled.. Nice frothy effects from nature, not the other way around.. Reply to this comment 3 months ago
Lori didn't originally order this dinner roll, but when she saw one delivered to another table she pulled the waitress aside and requested one as an appetizer. I got a few bites and it wasn't just steaming, buttery, and enormous, it was the kind of nirvana that makes you want to pound your fists on the table and start singing, or weeping, because it's so delicious.
Bill ShaneyfeltThe good ol' boys back in KY would say "Tastes so good, ya can't sit still to eat it!" At least once or twice I'd hear it when we had a potluck lunch. Reply to this comment 3 months ago
Lori found tonight's campground. As opposed to yesterday's, with almost 200 sites, L'Anse Township Park has room for 30, and there were only 3 sites being used. The difference in the noise level was staggering, the equivalent of a Death Metal concert vs. an intimate Mozart clavichord recital.... plus, we were gifted with being able to see the sun slowly setting across L'Anse Bay.
Eighteen miles in the opposite direction, due east, is Mount Arvon, the highest peak in Michigan, at 1,979 feet.
The beach was just down the path so we went there for a while.
Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km) Total: 3,352 miles (5,395 km)
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Gregory GarceauLess than a year ago, a friend sent me a video of college students from the Lower Peninsula trying to pronounce Upper Peninsula town names. It was pretty funny, so I wanted to send a link in this message. Unfortunately, I simply cannot find it now. Not on Google, not on Youtube, not on anything. I did find videos of Californians and Texans trying to pronounce both L.P. and U.P. Michigan town names, but they're not worth posting here. Reply to this comment 3 months ago
