UP For A Road Trip?

[emptysea]

At my age, it's unfair when people remind you f flames like Lee Remick. It just provokes a whole lot of emotions too hard to deal with. But the rest of the report was wonderful as always.

If it really bothers you, PM me corrected text and I'll replace it for you. Might be out of range for a while after today my time.

Lee Remick’s character in this movie is every woman your mother warned you about. Between her and Grace Kelly? Yes.

I will PM you the corrected text. If you can fix, great, but it’s not a huge deal.

[Cormanus]

I’ll do it, but it may take a day or two depending on internet access.

[emptysea]

August 12, 2021

From Munising to Grand Marais and Back, and Back, and Back.



[url=https://new.spotwalla.com/trip/5c1c-310f6-70d8/view]August 12 Interactive Map

"Do you have Butter Pecan?", Glen asked the young lady on the other side of the glass-covered freezer chest

"No one has Butter Pecan anymore.", Laura interjected. "Only old guys like it. No demand for it these days."

At least that's how I imagine the original conversation about the demographics of butter-pecan ice cream demand went down. I wasn't there and only heard of it a few days earlier in the week when we went for ice cream after dinner in Appleton. Apparently, butter-pecan and other more traditional flavors like New York and/or Black Cherry are out of favor at the hip, trendy ice cream parlors that have popped up over the last several years. Being a fan of butter-pecan, I was taken aback by the news of this and naturally called into question the accuracy of both the popularity of the flavor and the implied if not expressed characterization of me and my friend Glen as "old".
------------------------------

The City of Munising is the county seat of Alger County, but it's mostly known as the access point to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. From here, you can kayak, ferry, take your own powerboat, or book a tour boat to view the multi-colored sandstone cliffs that loom over Lake Superior from the mainland and from Grand Island which is located just 5 miles offshore. Our morning was supposed to be spent aboard kayaks getting our exercise and enjoying a seabird's eye view of the cliffs. The pandemic reduced the number of outfitters and other tours and reservations, which we never made, were required. Mike did some research on this upon our arrival at the Econo-Lodge and found that the next opening for 6 people, regardless of vessel, was Saturday and we'd be 200 miles away and on our journey home by then. Cheryl and I were disappointed in the news as we were the only ones in our group not to have been out to Pictured Rocks [side note: a large portion of the rock cliff plummeted into Lake Superior just last weekend (June 19, 2021) [url=https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2021/06/28/watch-200-foot-pictured-rocks-cliff-face-plummets-into-lake-superior/]Pictured Rocks .]

There was an opportunity for a morning paddle on one of the many small rivers and everyone save Glen and I were excited about that opportunity. Glen and I decided that we would ride into Munising for breakfast and then take a morning ride to Grand Marais. The county highway that leads to the tiny town was reported to be a fun road and fun roads are made extra fun when riding in pairs instead of groups. So, four of us headed to the kayaks and two of us to a coffee shop.

Glen and I gassed up in Musining and then parked on a side street to walk the two main drags, Musining and Superior Streets, in search of an egg or two. In towns of this size, there's usually only one or two breakfast spots, but the ones that we walked past here were closed due to pandemic restrictions. Fortunately, [url=https://fallingrockcafe.com/]Falling Rock Cafe & Bookstore was open for business, but being the only game in town, the socially distanced line was out the door and down the street a bit. They had a limited breakfast menu and a very limited number of toaster ovens in which to prepare said items. It was going to be a wait.

I should mention at this point that, because of the outdoor recreation in the area, it's a mecca for the young and vibrant and Falling Rock Cafe seemed to be a gathering place within the town for the 18-30 year old set. Glen and I were among the older of the patrons at the time of our visit. I should also mention that, in addition to coffee and breakfast sandwiches, they sell ice cream.



Transitive Property of Equality: If A=B and B=C, then A=C.
Possible conclusions: Either Glen and I are young and vibrant OR butter pecan and black cherry are not the ice creams of the old and feeble. I'm going with the former.

The breakfast sandwiches were quite good and we ate them on a bistro table in the shade of a small tavern that wouldn't be open for several more hours, assuming that their workers show up. Our table sat on a street that dead-ended at a marina. From our vantage point we could watch folks provisioning their vessels for their morning cruises. After we ate, Glen and I walked down to the docks to admire the wide range of watercraft there.

Munising Ave., one of the two main drags in town is really the only eastbound way out of town. The construction project, roundabout installation I think, moved us on and off the main drag a few times, but eventually we exited the town, headed up a fairly steep grade where Munising Ave. changed names to Adams Trail Road also called Algers County Highway H-58. Take note: H-58 is one of the most delightful stretches of road I've had the joy or riding over. It's 50 miles of beauty with plenty of curves, relatively light traffic and scenic pull-offs with a charming fur trading post turned fishing village turned resort town at its end. Well, not technically its end -- H-58 continues east another 15-20 miles, but it was to be our destination this morning.

I don't know the posted speed limit on H-58, but I know I exceeded it. Our Cardo Pack Talks allow Cheryl to calmly remind me of the speed limits when I push beyond them. It wasn't my fault she decided to spend her morning on a pointy boat in small river someplace, was it? I mean, was it??



I didn't have to slow much to get Glen back in my rear view. He's a very good rider.

We made it to Grand Marais in about an hour. Don't do the math or, if you do, don't share the result with Cheryl. We parked next to the public beach and before I could get my helmet off, Glen was walking away toward the stores and shops we had passed on the way to the beach. I assumed that he was looking for a 'comfort station'. He was gone long enough for me to capture some photos of the area and of my bike in the area. The waterfront was simply amazing.





Glen finally returned with a small package of smoked whitefish wrapped in butcher paper and two plastic forks. We had the motorcycling in Michigan version of 'shore lunch' right there on a picnic bench in Grand Marais.



Shore Lunch

I took it a little easier on the way back to the Econo-Lodge. It probably took us an hour ten or so to get back. Glen thought it would be a good time for a cigar while we waited for the mad paddlers to return to base. The plan was for all 6 of us to ride to Grand Marais for the afternoon and then ride back to the Buckhorn for dinner. Jennifer, who is our least experienced rider, was tired from the kayaking and didn't feel up to a 100 mile afternoon ride. We mounted up and headed out (to paraphrase the 'Rawhide" theme).

We let Mike take the lead and I was behind him followed by the two girls and then Glen at sweep. Mike does a pretty darn good job slinging that 'Wing around the curves and it's fun to watch him do so.





He guided us into Grand Marais and parked a few hundred feet from where I had parked that morning or, as they say in Grand Marais, "at the other end of town". We spent a good couple of hours walking around the town. Cheryl, with me in tow, looked for a souvenir ring. She usually gets an inexpensive ring to commemorate each big bike trip. She had the pattern of one of her favorite commemorative ring made into a tattoo which is on the inside of her........right wrist. I don't recall if she found a ring in Grand Marais. Amazingly, one store has an H-58 sticker which is now proudly displayed on my side cover.


If there was an award for Most Aspirationally Named Hotel, the Superior Hotel would win the prize.


I believe this one is called "Pickle Barrel House" and it was once a vacation cottage for the founder of the Chicago Tribune. It was designed and built by an cooperage company in Chicago.

Cheryl at one of the observation decks


All (most) of us on the observation deck. Lake Superior some 300 feet below us.


I kinda like this woman


Artsy photo of Lake Superior.


Artsy late afternoon pic of Mike leading us home.

We picked up Jennifer at the Econo-Lodge and headed to the Buckhorn for another dinner. I think I had a burger. It's typical pub food at the Buckhorn, but they have good local craft beer and the food is fresh and served promptly


Was a little nervous when Cheryl ordered this beer.


The view from our dining hideaway

I covered about 250 miles on mostly curvy roads at mostly higher-than-posted speeds. Returned to the Econo-Lodge, poured myself a cocktail from my growler, lit up a small cigar, and kicked back and reflected upon the beautiful day I spent with my beautiful wife and beautiful friends. Not too bad for a man of a butter-pecan age.

[the Ferret]

. All I can do is smile. Pleasurable reading causes that.

[TXBikerGuy]

The alarm on my phone went off at 6:00am. Cheryl rolled over, kissed me and said "Happy Birthday, Honey. Now, get showered so we can hit the road." She has a new and wonderful enthusiasm for riding since recovering from her 2016 crash and maybe even more so since trading in her Honda CTX for her Triumph Speedmaster. Her excitement, along with her long-standing insistence on punctuality, would probably have been enough to get me moving, but as added inducement, she pulled the top sheet and comforter from the bed and moving, I got. Don't read this as me not wanting to get started on our ride, but with little or no city traffic with which to contend and with not much to do at our day's destination, my only obligation was to get her to breakfast before she got hangry (9:30 latest) and to get to our Hotel in Appleton, WI before dinner.

It was Friday, August 7th, in The Year of Our Coronavirus, 2020.
Day #1 of our annual motorcycle week with our friends Glen, Laura, Mike, and Jennifer was to go kickstands up at 8:30am -- for the Illinois contingent. A few years ago, the other two couples (some might call them the smarter two couples) moved out of Illinois; Glen/Laura to Wisconsin and Mike/Jennifer all the way across Lake Michigan to Suttons Bay, MI. Things would be a bit different for this trip, partly because of epidemiology and partly because of geography, but a motorcycle trip that starts on my birthday is about as good a gift as a guy like me could receive. 59, in case you're curious.

Planning our annual trip has become a little more difficult since their moves. The destination choice could easily add an extra day of riding for one or two of the couples. In 2019, M&J were unable to join us on the trip so we based out of G&L's home in Wisconsin and toured the "Driftless Area". It was a 4 hour ride for Cheryl and I, but would have been a solid two days for M&J at a little over 500 miles. We missed M&J on the 2019 trip, but it did make it easier to plan. 2020 was Mike's turn in the trip-planning rotation and, taking into account his love for the area and of course the logistics affecting participation, opted for a tour of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.



For the uninitiated, the Upper Peninsula, or U.P. (of from now on herein "UP"), is that part of Michigan that rests like a fish-shaped hat on top of Wisconsin and that it keeps Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron from joining forces and dwarfing the remaining two Great Lakes. Were it not for a cartography error that lead to a border dispute between Michigan and Ohio, the Upper Peninsula would likely have become part of Wisconsin. In its bid for statehood in the early 1800s, the Michigan Territory agreed to leave Toledo (Ohio) and access to Lake Erie to the State of Ohio in exchange for including the UP as part of the new State of Michigan. It was unclear in my research for this report if Michigan officials knew at the time that the Upper Peninsula had the capability to supply 90% of America's iron ore and copper in the coming years, but it is clear that the Wisconsin Territory regretted not laying early claim to the land and that some people in that state still feel that it was stolen from them. There remains to this day a certain attitude of independence or defiance among the "Yoopers" as residents of the UP are often called. I think most of that comes from the remoteness of the area, the climate, and the toughness that evolves through generations of mining, stevedoring, and working of the land, but it is possible that there is a 200 year old chip on the shoulders of some from the backroom dealings that made them Michiganders.

The UP is almost like its own state, some (especially Yoopers) would say almost like its own country. It's unlike any place I've ever been. Until this trip, my only other visit to the UP had been a quick pass through on my way to completing my Iron Butt SS1000 trip around Lake Michigan. I knew then that I'd want to spend more riding time up in the UP.

Given each couple's relative proximity to the UP, it made the most sense for Glen/Laura to meet us in Appleton, WI at the end of Day 1 while Mike/Jennifer worked their way around the top of Lake Michigan from the east. Heading out with just Cheryl felt different, but, everything else was different in 2020, so why not this?

And so, I got myself showered and packed up my bike for our 8:30 departure time. According to the stamp on the photo I took as we left, it was 8:42. Was Cheryl upset that we were 12 minutes late? Of course not, because she knows how slow I am getting geared up and had a KSU time of 8:45 in her head all along. So we were 3 minutes to the good as far as she was concerned.


The two growlers strapped to my bags contain Manhattans for post-ride cocktails on the trip. With so many bars being closed, it seemed unlikely that we would find one within walking distance of our lodgings, much less one that could make me a proper Manhattan.

In August, the Illinois and Wisconsin pandemic mediation plans allowed for indoor dining, but with limited seating and as much ventilation to the outside as reasonably possible. The Red School Cafe was indeed a schoolhouse at one time as is evidenced by photos and artifacts on display as you enter. We were able to snag a small table right next to a window which we opened shortly after the photo below was taken.


Red School Cafe is located an eye blink over the Illinois/Wisconsin border on US45. The tiny little diner has been open on and off for at least 40 years and the breakfasts are delicious.


This picture was taken at 9:35am. While not actually eating by 9:30, we were in the restaurant on time which explains Cheryl's half-smile.


Birthday Breakfast!! (try not to look, RickCB and Ferret)


A note on the maps included in this report: I have taken screenshots from my Spotwalla account showing the route I rode each day. Most times this is the route that we all rode, but there will be some exceptions as the week and the report thereof goes on. The link below each picture should take you to the saved trip in Spotwalla. You should be able to click on the dots and get location, time, and speed data. Please advise the author if you are unable to do so.


[url=https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=254455fe89b7ebd624&hoursPast=0&showAll=yes]UP Trip Day 1

Glen and Laura agreed to meet us in Appleton on Friday night. Appleton was roughly on each of our routes to Iron Mountain, MI where we would meet Mike and Jennifer. It was little east of the lay line for Glen, but Cheryl and I have come to love the town after visiting our son while he attended college there, so we knew a great place to stay that happens to have a lovely restaurant attached to it. Glen and Laura happily agreed to the slight detour in order to join us for a birthday dinner.

Our route to Appleton roughly paralleled US45 except near Milwaukee, which we avoided. Much of it was along or through the Kettle Moraine State Forest about which I have reported several times in the past. Since is well-traveled ground for me, I didn't take many pictures. Our ride was uneventful. We've passed this observation tower several times over the years and this was the first time we stopped. Unfortunately, Covid restrictions prevented us from legally climbing it, so we just took a water break and continued on.

Parnell Tower, County Hwy U, Plymouth, WI

Although there are no other pictures, this was a delightful trek, with more than a few curves, through forest and farm country and into the lovely town of Appleton.

Our son Justin graduated from Lawrence University with Bachelor degrees in both Music and Math. This building serves as the main concert hall on campus. We have seen him perform here many times.

Lawrence Chapel, College Avenue, Appleton, WI


Shattuck Hall of Music reflecting Lawrence Chapel

The Copper Leaf Hotel is a wonderful place to stay on a motorcycle trip to this part of Wisconsin. It's right in downtown Appleton, but there is a covered parking garage with motorcycle-designated parking directly behind it. It is attached to Rye, which is an upscale restaurant with a great bar and you don't even have walk outside to get there. If Rye doesn't suit your dining tastes, there are a number of restaurants within very easy walking distance. The only downside is that the Copper Leaf's room rates are a bit higher than we typically like to pay on a trip like this. However, it was my birthday and we figured that it was worth the extra cost for a special occasion.


Arrival at Copper Leaf


Bikes parked. Note Cheryl's cameo and that Glen and Laura have downsized their rides from a K1600 and 1200RT to the 800GS BMWs.



My Old Fashioned at Rye

We had a lovely dinner at Rye with Glen and Laura. Turns out that our server rides an old CBR 900. We told him a little of our plans for the week and he delivered this note with our check. The riding community is, with some exceptions, populated with friendly and generous folk.


Scenic route from Appleton, WI to Iron Mountain, MI

More on the above route on the next installment.

In all, I would be hard-pressed to come up with a better way to spend my birthday. See you in the morning.

-----

Just catching up and seeing this excellent ride report. Having grown up and started my riding life in Waukesha, WI--it was a nice throwback to see a Kettle Moraine reference. May or may not have skipped a few classes in high school to run up the road to some of the nice Kettle Moraine twisties. I love Texas...but I sure miss WI motorcycle riding. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

[emptysea]

I didn’t ride when I was young and foolish, so I took the Kettle Moraine twisted in my 1980 Toyota Corolla. It was an SR-5, if that makes it seem like I was in a sports car.

[suhawk305]

MTC, Good stuff, I’m enjoying following your travelogue.