Lake Superior near Ashland
The cafe opened at 7:00. I got there about 7:20 and ate 3 orders
of french toast--my staple. Time out on the road: 8:30.
The day started off stormy and gray and only about 67 degrees (f). Most
of the cars were driving with their headlights on. The good news: TAILWINDS--about
10-15 mph. The road was hilly most of the day though.
Ashland looked like a nice old port town. The stores seemed successful.
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At Ashland, I stopped at Bay City Cycles and purchased some new
Trek CoolMax socks--one of my 3 pairs is developing a hole (and the white
ones are no longer white).
 Bay City Cycles (great sign) |
 Kurt Faber, Owner |
Then I went to an office supply store for more microcassette
tapes; to Superior State Bank for some cash from the ATM; to IGA (Independent
Grocers of America) for some fruit, Gatorade and lunch. Then, I took my
lunch to the Ashland city park, where I ate it at a picnic table.
The cloud cover was burning off and it was getting hot, so I
took my time getting on my way from Ashland. From Ashland, I crossed the
Bad River Indian Reservation, and in doing so, crossed the Bad River.
According to a historical marker, the Bad River was named by
the French due to difficulties in navigation. About 1850, there was a government
effort to move the Indians west of the Mississippi. A protestant missionary
concluded that it would be more a deed of mercy to shoot the Indians than
to send them to the new region. Eventually (1854) Reverend Wheeler's efforts
were incorporated into a treaty with the Indians.
As of 1:08 PM, it was 94 degrees (f). While riding along in the hot sun,
I saw one of the elusive Gatorade alligators right in the road.
I did a doubletake. I coasted a few feet and decided to ride
back and confirm what I'd seen. It was still there, but it was never actually
alive. It wasn't an escapee from some Gatorade container. It was actually
a rubber toy.
I climbed several steep hills, but stayed in my middle chainring, never
using my granny gears. There was a spectacular, but distant, view of Lake
Superior.
I reached Ironwood, Michigan (about 500 miles from Williamston)
extremely hot and dehydrated--so much so that I forgot to take any pictures
of the Michigan sign. I got to the Michigan tourist information center at
4:30 PM CDT and inquired about a pharmacy. I was told that there is one
in Ironwood, but none to the east for hundreds of miles. I am running out
of prescription medication and need to refill my prescriptions. My doctor
is in East Lansing, Michigan, so he can call in a prescription easily now
that I'm in Michigan. But it was 5:30 PM EDT in East Lansing and too late
to reach him, so I was forced to stop for the night just when the tailwinds
were great and it was finally starting to cool down.
53 miles.
  Wisconsin - Michigan |
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© Ed Noonan 1996, 1997
