129: windshield factory, pacman, recaptured, deep dam, biking tradition, fire in the hall, the gipper, hues, stolen signs, no service, end of the road, bear registration, isle royale, gay bar, the pretzel, fife, reeeaaalllyyy living

September 15, 2025

Houghton to Calumet

The plan for our last day of riding is to pedal north to the airport in Calumet where the rental car agency is, then tour the Keweenaw Peninsula by car.

I repeatedly heard the peninsula, and especially Copper Harbor, is a place of boundless beauty and wanted to check it out, but when I looked at Google's Street View I found that there were a lot of blind curves with no shoulder.

Although dramatic, getting struck by a car isn't an ideal way to end a tour, so we plan to explore another of Michigan's scenic areas without the risk.

Now we just need to get to the Calumet airport. We left at 11:00 sharp, checkout time, and headed north.

When Heather was a little girl, she always heard the weather reporter stating what the temperature was at her location, but also at the "windshield factory." "It's currently 35 degrees, and the Windshield Factory is 27 degrees." She never learned where the elusive windshield factory was, and now it's what we jokingly say instead of the windchill factor.

Near a pothole, Lori found the sandwich that leapt to freedom from the back of her bike last night. There weren't even any teeth marks or holes from animals... although that might just be an indictment against fast food.

The Portage Lake Lift Bridge. The waterway it spans is filled with the tears of cyclists who have to climb out of Houghton and Hancock.

Once we reached the top it was relatively flat the rest of the way. I didn't notice this giant beaver dam - Lori pointed it out to me. Because of the extremely frigid temperatures here, beavers build their dams deeper than in other places.

One of the great things about traveling with Lori has been that she’s up for anything. If I had said:
“Want to see the country's biggest piece of chewing gum? It's the size of a car, and still moist, so you can leave your handprint on it, or even your face print.”
Her response: "Uh, duhhh.... of course."

"There's a 16-foot statue of a parrot eating a corn dog down that road, and it's only about an hour out of the way. Interested?"
“Yes!” would be her response.

“I don’t know if you’re interested but if we take a left here then climb 5,000 feet there’s a rock we can take a look at. It’s square.”
“What?? Really?? Let's go!”

"Are you interested in seeing....."
"Yes!"
"But... I didn't finish my sentence."
"Oh, okay."
"Are you interested....."
"Yes!"

It's been really great riding with her.

I’ve developed a custom at the end of my bike trips: I forget to get a final picture of me and the bike. I carried on that tradition today, and only remembered after we’d loaded the bikes into the SUV at the Calumet airport rental agency.

Between the 1840 and the 1960s, the Keweenaw Peninsula was the world's largest producer of copper. The city of Calumet was the epicenter of the copper mining industry and in the early 1900s it had a population of almost 5,000. Copper made it one of the richest cities per capita in America for many years.

As the availability of copper ore decreased so did the population, and there are now only 621 residents.

Calumet is also famous for the Italian Hall Disaster of 1913: someone yelled "Fire" in a crowded theater and 73 people (59 of them children) died trying to escape the building.

At the time, labor tensions were tightly strung, and although no one ever discovered who shouted “fire” many people in the labor community believed it was a strikebreaker or anti-union provocateur intending to disrupt the gathering and sow fear.

Laurium, which abuts Calumet, is where George Gipp was born and raised. Many of you may know him as “the Gipper,” a gifted athlete who set records for the University of Notre Dame which still stand today. He only 25 when he contracted strep throat, which then developed into a fatal case of pneumonia.

Knute Rockne memorialized him in a speech eight years later which inspired the 1928 Notre Dame football team to win against a heavily favored Army team. The winningest college coach of all time, Rockne, quoted Gipp from their last visit at the hospital:

"I've got to go, Rock. It's all right, I'm not afraid. Sometime, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys - tell them to go out there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock, but I'll know about it - and I'll be happy.

Ronald Reagan portrayed him in the 1940 film, "Knute Rockne, All American," and afterwards adopted the same nickname: “the Gipper.”

We got off M-41 as soon as we could in order to see Lake Superior, which continues to offer an apparently infinite range of varying hues of green and blue.

This building in Copper Harbor is covered with signs, and I wonder whether they were purchased or stolen.

I understand that Copper Harbor is a small town with a population of only 135, but there are between 80,000 and 150,000 visitors on an annual basis. That's why I was really surprised to find that there is absolutely no cell service.

This is one end of Highway 41. The other end is in Miami. At this point, in Copper Harbor, we're farther away from an interstate highway than at any other point in the continental United States. The nearest interstate is I-39 in Rothschild, Wisconsin, which is 251 miles away.

Not being a bear, I didn't feel the need to register.

Turn left out of the cove and you'll get to Isle Royale National Park in about 50 miles.

Some interesting notes about Isle Royale:
+ With about 25,000 annual visitors, it's the least visited National Park in the continental United States. For comparison, Yosemite hosts 3.4 million guests, the Tetons 3.9 million, and the Great Smoky Mountains Park sees a staggering 13.3 million visitors each year. On the other hand, Isle Royale has the highest return rates: the people who do go tend to return to the island again and again.
+ Because it’s so isolated, there are no white-tailed deer, black bears, or coyotes. Also, no poison ivy, snakes, or ticks... and no cellphone service, nor even a single paved road.
+ The park is home to the famous wolf–moose population study, the longest continuous predator–prey study in the world, which has been going on since 1958.
+ In 2019, the National Park Service airlifted 14 wolves from Minnesota and Ontario to reintroduce genetic diversity.
+ The island was mined for copper by indigenous people thousands of years ago, and is one of the oldest known mining sites on the entire continent of North America.

The front door of the General Store we went into to find something to eat. I don't know if you ever look at the stickers I post, but some of them are pretty funny.

The scenery was beautiful, but the roads were definitely unsafe for cycling. Renting a car was the right decision.

On the eastern side of the peninsula we stopped at the Gay Bar, so named because it's in Gay, Michigan.

It's about as classy as an 80-year-old bald prostitute with gonorrhea.

For lunch I ordered a pretzel. It was the color of dead flesh, covered by what appeared to be chunks of dried mucus poorly masquerading as salt. The texture (think yogurt with a crust) was as offputting as the color, and the melted Velveeta cheese dip (which isn't actually a cheese, but rather a “pasteurized processed cheese product,” aka tasty plastic) was the only thing that made it edible. The pretzel seemed to fit with the level of taste and sophistication of everything else in the place... the decor, the bartender, and the lone, sleepy customer on the other side of the bar.

I didn't know about this until Lori showed me the picture, and wondered why she lingered in the restroom for so long.

After a bite to eat.... back on the road.

The entire building is listing, and appears to be close to falling over into the water.

From there, we drove back over the Portage Canal Lift Bridge then began our 8.5-hour drive back to Iowa. It seems weird that the trip, 182 days later, is actually over.

Lori told me about her grandfather, a man with a true zest for living. On occasion, he would be sitting at the table, having just finished dinner, then slowly nod and say, "This is reeeeaaaallllllyyyyy living."

It's become a phrase we say to each other now and again, and it describes exactly how I've felt every single day of this trip, whether it's sitting in my tent as I ride out a squall with 40-mph winds, checking into sketchy motels the likes of which only a fraction of readers would consider staying at, wrestling an alligator, coming up with creative ways to battle hordes of mosquitoes, talking to strangers about why they they believe UFOs are real, or learning more about the endless and amazing sights and people in this country. I've felt like her grandfather every single day of this trip, because for me, this is reeeaaalllyyy living, and I can't believe how fortunate I am to be able to experience something like this.

I'll have one or two more posts, but until then: thank you to everyone who tagged along for the trip.... I really appreciate it. You're the main reason I write.

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Today's ride: 10 miles (16 km)
Total: 3,409 miles (5,486 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	13
Comment on this entry	Comment	20

Rich FrasierDoes this mean you're done? Boohoo!
Great journal, Mark! I enjoyed it immensely!
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2 months ago

Suzanne GibsonGreat journal! You are certainly going to continue when it warms up in the spring?!
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2 months ago

Bill ShaneyfeltFun stuff! Reminds me of some road trips I have done with my daughter.

By the way, don't believe all the hype about everything that you find. Although No deer and no bears on Isle Royale is correct, there are a couple species of garter snakes.

https://www.nps.gov/isro/learn/nature/reptiles.htm

But no venomous snake species.

Eagerly awaiting the next installment!
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2 months ago

Betsy EvansIt's been really fun following along, especially this last section that is near my home town of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Lake Huron and Lake Superior are special places to me. Great journal!
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2 months ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesWhat a ride you had!! But surely you can't stop now. Part 2 next year? If you make it as far as Vancouver Island our spare room is yours for however long we can get you to visit. Even if we are not home, our house sitters will have instructions to let you in. Heck, we may even make one of our famous scrambled rush return home trips to greet you when you get here.
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2 months ago

Larry FrahmThank you for taking us along on your trip. It has been a real treat. I very much enjoyed your sense of humor (although it is a bit perverted and silly). But then I think I already knew that before reading your journal entries. Thanks again, Mark.
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2 months ago

Karen PoretLotsa fun and fun facts! Let’s be sure to get your Spring Edition in 2026.
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2 months ago

Halûk OkurNot only a great trip, great writing too. I enjoyed every line of it.

Thanks...
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2 months ago

Mark BinghamTo Rich FrasierIt means I'm done... for now. There'll be more posts for this journal, but the riding is done. But: I'll be back!
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2 months ago

Mark BinghamTo Suzanne GibsonI'll definitely be taking another trip in the Spring. Thanks for reading, and for all the wonderful comments!
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2 months ago

Mark BinghamTo Betsy EvansEven having lived in the Midwest for the past 20 years, I had no idea that the Upper Peninsula and Lake Superior are so beautiful. They're certainly hidden gems, and special to me as well.

Thank you for following along!
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2 months ago

Mark BinghamTo Steve Miller/GrampiesWhat a ride indeed! Oddly, even the "hard" sections were still so much fun! I won't be riding in your part of the world (at least, not in 2026) but will be there in May before I take off for my next tour, and certainly hope to get together.
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2 months ago

Mark BinghamTo Larry FrahmThanks for reading, Larry. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Of course, you realize that the reason you enjoyed my humor is because you have the same "perverted and silly" sense of humor as me!
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2 months ago

Mark BinghamTo Karen PoretSpring edition coming in 2026... Thanks for reading, Karen!!
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2 months ago

Mark BinghamTo Halûk OkurThanks for joining me, Halûk, and for the great comments along the way.
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2 months ago

marilyn swettThanks for posting this great journal, Mark! You made me laugh as you brought back many memories of our own bike tours. Lots of fun!
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2 months ago

Mark BinghamTo marilyn swettIt was SO much fun, Marilyn! And I appreciate you following along and making comments!
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2 months ago

Jo HaileyI have enjoyed following along so much! I’m so glad to have been my nosy self when you stopped to tour the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home in Savannah. Otherwise I would never have known about this incredible journey of yours. What a ride, even vicariously!
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2 months ago

Mark BinghamTo Jo HaileyI'm so glad you decided to follow along during my travels! Your comments have been certainly appreciated, and I hope to see you on my next journey!
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2 months ago

Laura SeiditaMark, I can't find your note to reply to, but was thinking of you the other day - what a coincidence!

I fell off when we went on vacation for the month of July and never caught up when we came back. I will have to get back and catch up on the rest of your journey!

Congrats on a successful long tour! Look forward some more comments as I get through the rest of your journal 😉

Big Dave and I will be back touring again in the spring of 2026. He is currently on the IR after a major surgery and still has 2 more weeks before he'll be cleared to start riding again. He has a sad look every time I head out on a bike ride😪 Such is life as we age. I've had my turns on the IR and know it isn't any fun!
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2 months ago