7/14/18 - Winnah Winnah - Chicken Dinnah!

Happy to report that temporarily suspending bike training for golf practice ultimately paid off. My partner and I won our flight at Montreux in Nevada. Four strong matches to establish a lead and we limped home in the final match to a win. The week was not without drama - naturally. In the practice round on Wednesday I injured my elbow when I hit the big ball before I hit the little ball. Reno has an emergency orthopedic clinic that reluctantly agreed to a cortisone injection and also provided an arm brace. The steroid worked its magic on day two following my partner's back injury sustained while carrying me during the recovery period.

This evening we will collect our winnings (shhh - please don't tell the IRS) enjoy the company of fellow competitors and a few cocktails. We fly back to Chicago Sunday morning and leave for Sault Ste. Marie on Wednesday. Thursday morning my adventure begins on the shores of Lake Superior.

A couple of last minute preparations were completed on Amazon, this morning. Gu nutrition for emergencies. Potentially, a low mileage day due to wind or hills could keep me from reaching a population center and a proper meal. Another safety purchase - water purification tablets - in the event that I run out of water with too many miles remaining to the next fill. Superior is drinkable in many places, but best to be sure.

The last bid of prep involved arranging a month of Canada coverage with Verizon to enable continued blogging during the first 2+ weeks until I return to the U.S. at the Minnesota border.

Comments

Day 1 7/19/18

Hey FOB’s (friends of bike) - I’m baaaack! Have had some WiFi issues. I entered the Ontario provincial park at the end of day one. The park is big on breath-taking scenery but connectivity is not a priority. Started the day in Sault Ste. Marie, MI and immediately crossed the Canadian border over the International Bridge to Sault Ste Marie, Ontario. Now you might romanticize this city to be the gateway to the great white north with towering pines and hardscrabble granite. Nope. The Soo, in Canada, is a gritty industrial city with belching smokestacks and a parade of 1,000 foot freighters passing through its locks. I think it may qualify as a S*hole which led me to the conclusion that there must be a long line of immigrants requesting amnesty. But when I passed U.S. customs there were no signs of huddled masses. Not a single anchor baby waited in the holding tank after being ripped from his mother’s arms. The whole scene made me think we need to rethink our new policy permitting entry

Day 15 - August 3

It's 7:00 a.m. and I am packed and ready to roll. Two of my new Kansas friendsds are awake and I donate purchased but unused firewood for their Friday night fire. A brief but tearful goodby and I'm off. The first mile is all up hill. The second mile is all up hill. After the third uphill mile I pass a cell phone tower which usually signals the top of the hill. Another four miles and there is finally a crest. The view is breathtaking but I have no breath left to take after 7 miles up hill. The remaining 47 miles is considerably easier. It is all going on in Ashland, Wisconsin. Today is the first day of their annual festival. Sidewalk sales, food trucks and music. There is a Big Wheel tricycle race on Main Street and lots of happy faces. Tomorrow there is a swimming race in the 50 degree water of the bay and a 50 mile bike race with 400 contestants. I had dinner at the South Shore Brewery at the bar and sat next to a couple from Oshkosh that came up for the bike race. As fir

Day 2 - 7/20/18

This blogging stuff is way harder in an iPhone than it is on a Surface. Day 2 is one that I hope not to repeat on this trip. The weather forecast is for rain overnight tonight, continuing into Saturday 7/21. I modified the original plan to accommodate the rain prediction. At the time it seemed like a good idea. Rather than 40 miles to Agatha Bay on Friday and then 50 miles to Wawa in the rain in Saturday I’ll just do the whole thing in one day. So... I start out on a beautiful morning that quickly steams into the 80’s. Up north is not supposed to be this hot or this humid. The gentle hills also turn into killer mountains that strain every inch of gluts and quads. In all a 4,000 ft elevation gain. Several of these “hills” were at grades that forced me into hiking mode. My Apple Watch says that I covered 35, a 000 steps totaling 17 miles - uphill. The day’smileage total was 92. Most of the Ontario Provincial Park is undeveloped. No food, no gas, no hotels, and no stores. A prote

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