Coming to America...

[MikeO]

Originally Posted by Rubber Cow

Escanaba....I only know the name from the Jeff Daniels movie Escanaba In Da Moonlight . Funnier than hell and weird also....As you know, that combo suits me well. Keep you head down Mike and dont walk into the woods at night.
You must seek out this movie at all costs when you get back to the UK.
Cheers,
Jorge

I don't know Jorge - I've read and watched some weird shit on your recommendation...

Mike

EDIT - Critic's note from the link: "I Watched, Laughed, Farted and Then had the Urge to Hunt!"

[Fang]

Early '50s Pontiac, say '50 thru '53; "Indian head" Pontiac insignia went in the now-empty round hole in the centre of the grille.

[Rubber Cow]

Originally Posted by MikeO

I don't know Jorge - I've read and watched some weird shit on your recommendation...

Mike

EDIT - Critic's note from the link: "I Watched, Laughed, Farted and Then had the Urge to Hunt!"

You'll have a new definition of a fart scene after this movie...plus there are alien-mind-control scenes that are to die for.


What ? You didn't enjoy Office Space? !

Cheers,
Jorge

[MikeO]

21st September

I wake early. At least it feels early, but the clock in the room says 0820. These time zone changes are beginning to get to me …

I pack the bike and I’m just about to leave when another bike turns up…



…it turns out to be Mike, an ADVRider (Yooperbikemike), who, reading that I was in Escabana, about an hour south of where he lives, rode down to say hello… Brilliant – my very own stalker :yelrotflm. We ride north out of town, heading towards Rapid River, past this rusting relic…



…and stop for breakfast at a local café. It turns out Mike is an attorney. He used to work for the state as a prosecutor, but has now changed to become a defence attorney – a bit like Keanu Reeves in The Devil’s Advocate. Unlike Keanu Reeves (who has never bought me a meal), Mike treats me to a vast breakfast. We each order an omelette from the colourful menu. Mine’s a ‘Garbage’, Mike’s a ‘Gourmet’. When they arrive, they look the same. There’s probably some deep philosophical conclusion Mike & I should draw from this – but we are too busy trying to make a dent in the ridiculously large meals.

We eventually give up and, after Mike tells me how to contact him if I run into any trouble with the Michigan Police, we kit up and head off around the top of Lake Michigan. Mike peels off at Rapid River and heads north towards home and an appointment with a client this afternoon – what a nice chap …

The weather is beautiful – like a fresh spring day in the UK…



…and the views south across the lake are very pleasant. I ride past several tourist attractions…



…although I also meet a patriotic moose…



…before arriving at the Mackinac Bridge…



…which, unsurprisingly, crosses the Straits of Mackinac. The toll for the bridge is $2.50 – the same as for a car or SUV. Although this is common practice throughout the USA, it still irks me that motorcyclists are ripped off in this way.

The outer lanes of the bridge are closed for repair, so I ride the lane nearest to the centre, the surface of which is made from metal grating. Riding on this not only causes the bike to wander about a little, but also allows you an uninterrupted view to the water a hundred feet or so below…

Riding south through the ‘oven mitt’ shaped part of Michigan, I follow Highway 31 for most of the time – the scenery varies from woodland…



…where the first hints of the autumn colours are showing on the aspens and maples, to the return of the fields of corn, which I last saw in Wisconsin and Iowa.



This one was for sale, if anyone’s interested. Any ideas what it is?

Everywhere, it’s clear that people are preparing for winter. Advertised along the road are snowmobiles, snow ploughs and this stuff…



…huge sheets of shrink-wrap, to keep your car/boat/whatever clear of snow for the season.

In most states, I’ve seen signs on the approach to road works stating ‘Fines Doubled in Work Area’, or words to this effect. Here in Michigan, they also have these, and are a little more specific about other possible penalties…



Around 1700, I start feeling a bit weary, so set Bettie the task of finding me somewhere to stay. She points me to the Hampton Inn at Cadillac, where I check in just before 1730. A good day – and I’m still not hungry…

[Rider]

Originally Posted by Mulekick

I thought you had plans to do Oz next...................... ????

Who would wanna go there? All there is to see is five 'roos, a wallabee and five drunks in a bar fight.

[Fang]

Late '40s GM - probably a Chevy, probably '49.

[Castle]

Originally Posted by BMW Rider

Who would wanna go there? All there is to see is five 'roos, a wallabee and five drunks in a bar fight.

On a trip to the Hunter River region, I kept asking to see a wallaby. The five drunks, er, blokes I was with stopped fighting, er, drinking long enough to tell me to look for a 50 lb bag of cement. Never saw a wallaby or a bag of cement. Oz looks like California with strange animals.

[MikeO]

The Routine

Although I’ve tried to keep the whole journey as loosely planned and spontaneous as I can, I’ve come to adopt a few routines in my daily travelling. I remember Ted Simon saying that his journey* was as much about packing and unpacking as it was about travelling and, unsurprisingly, he’s right. My routine has gradually come about as a result of learning, very often the hard way, that, if you aren’t careful, you can lose a lot of kit. In my case, this has included a CamelBak in Tucson, a sheepskin seat cover in Idaho and a computer cable in Virginia, to name but a few.

When I started the trip, I had no real plan as to what was going to be stored where on the bike – I’d often cart all my luggage into the hotel, then spend half an hour the following morning trying to get it all to fit back in. Gradually, however, I managed to come up with a method which made life a lot easier – quite important if you’re hot (or cold) and tired after a long day’s ride.

Firstly, I keep everything I normally need in one pannier – the right hand one. The right hand one because that’s where the ‘holster’ for my laptop is – plus the left pannier liner is very fragile after getting torched first time out in February. The left hand pannier contains stuff I need – but not right now – heated clothing, armoured jeans, winter gloves etc. Depending on the climate, kit obviously gets swapped from one side to another.

The right hand pannier bag carries:

T shirts, socks, pants, jeans, boots, wash kit, laundry bag. The bag which fits in the lid of the pannier carries all the computer & other cables and some maps, books etc.

The Tank Bag contains:

Important paperwork (registration document, passport, insurance & driving licence - I have copies or duplicate of all these documents), remote hard drive, mouse, wireless card, spare gloves, glasses, bottle opener and other essentials.

So, on arriving at a motel, put the bike on the sidestand and then ask the important questions:

Do you have:

1. Hi Speed Internet?
2. Guest Laundry (if I need one that day )
3. A discount rate for the military.

If the answers are satisfactory, I start taking my kit in – first trip, the tank bag, GPS and the kit I’m wearing. In the room, I switch the air conditioner to hot or cold as required, take off my helmet & jacket, then go back out to the bike. I unpack the right hand pannier, undo the tank side bags and put them in the empty pannier, lock the padlock and, after putting the bike on the centre stand, carry the gear inside – the bike’s now secure – this normally takes about 4 to 5 minutes from checking in.

Once inside, I check to see that the Internet connection works. It hasn’t in a couple of hotels and means moving rooms – much easier to do before you unpack. Assuming there’s connectivity, I download the pictures from my camera’s CF card (using a PCMCIA adaptor – very quick), deleted the pics from the card, then fit the spare battery into the camera. I put the used battery on charge. I then create a new ‘gallery’, with today’s date, on my SmugMug (on line photo-album) account and start uploading the pictures. Depending on how fast a connection I have, this can take a long time. Meantime, I put some laundry on (if required), clean my visor and helmet, and have a shower. If the hotel has an in-room coffee maker, I’ll probably use it – though the liquid which these dispense bears little relation to coffee…

I then check my emails and may spend a while replying to them. I’ll generally not eat in the evenings, preferring to have a late afternoon meal, so I’ll get a cold drink and set about writing the day’s journal whilst it’s still fresh in my mind. I’ve found that, even leaving it a day, as I often have to, I can miss some small detail which will come back to me several days later. Having 2 or 3 days journal ‘owing’ also makes it a chore to be done, rather than just jotting down some recollections. When I’ve finished the entry, I post it on the UKGSer site first, then proof read it on the screen. Inevitably, there will be 3 or 4 edits before I’m happy with it (usually typos or links to the wrong picture). Once I’m content with the version, I re-post it on ADVRider, making minor alterations (different ‘smilies’, for example). By the time I’ve completed all of that, it’s usually quite late. I may plan a route and programme it into Bettie, or just watch TV for a bit. I’ll pack away everything I can – the spare camera battery will be charged by now, so goes into the pocket of the camera case on the belt of my jacket – if I’m planning to leave early the following day, I’ll pack the computer away.

The following morning, I re-pack the bike, check the oil & tyre pressures and, every 2 or 3 days I’ll have a good look around, making sure everything is secure. I check the lights each morning ( I should also wash the bugs and crap off, but I can’t be arsed). I go back to the room and have a good look around, then push the bike off the centre stand, start up & put it in first gear…

Here’s the story so far…




*Jupiter’s Travels – if you haven’t read it – go and get it!

[kave]

Thank you thank you Mike. Since half a year now my daily routine is as follows:
1. Get up from bed
2. Start making some Swedish Coffee, Gevalia
3. Wake portable computer from sleep
4. Check out Ride reports on Advrider after your updates
5. If you done any updates since last morning I spend 30 minutes with your report and eating brekfast
6. I try to get some work done, but I very often have my thoughts elesewhere, mainly in the US :)

[rallybug]

Originally Posted by MikeO

*Jupiter’s Travels – if you haven’t read it – go and get it!

As you're in Michigan, could you stop off at my girlfriends and pick up my copy of Riding High by Ted Simon - I left it there 2 weeks ago when I packed to come home

Noticed that the mornings are a bit nippy in MI now - although by the afternoon it's still pretty warm

Great trip, Mike

[tengai]

Rallybug,

You mention your girlfriend is from the "thumb" area. I too hail from the thumb (Harbor Beach, MI) - currently reside in Wisconsin.

MikeO - really enjoying your trip report. I don't know if I'd go so far as to recommend a trip to the thumb, but I guess I would recommend following the shoreline around the thumb, and stopping in Port Hope (Leroy's bar) for an outstanding hamburger if your so inclined. It's pretty flat land and a lot of farms.

Here's a link to a good write up about the area and it's shoreline.

http://www.geocities.com/wlmmcn7/

[Viking]

Were you thinking about visiting Toronto?

[MikeO]

Originally Posted by Viking

Were you thinking about visiting Toronto?

Not really.

[bavarian]

Being born in Munich - that was SPATEN not HOFBRÄU beer. I probably might get a heavy head with Guiness or some other similar brew from your island.

Enjoying every one of your reports.

[Spanish Bob]

Originally Posted by kave

Thank you thank you Mike. Since half a year now my daily routine is as follows:
1. Get up from bed
2. Start making some Swedish Coffee, Gevalia
3. Wake portable computer from sleep
4. Check out Ride reports on Advrider after your updates
5. If you done any updates since last morning I spend 30 minutes with your report and eating brekfast
6. I try to get some work done, but I very often have my thoughts elesewhere, mainly in the US :)

thats odd mine is the same to 4 and then 5 is repeat 4 until leave work...? peculiar