1997 Lake Michigan Bike Trip (1)

It's been 10 years since that ride, and many of the hairs that I haven't lost have turned gray. But it was one of two long bike trips I made in my life. The other was a two-part trip, first a loop in Spain from Avila to Salamanca via the Sierra de Gredos, and then from Gaillac in southern France to Bretagne in the north. Both were great experiences.

Back in '97 I recall tht we first spent a week in Mancelona getting our bikes ready. We took them apart, re-lubed all moving parts and put them back together. Luckily for me, my brother did most of the work ... I'm not the most mechanically inclined person.

Then my dad dropped us in Manistee. The first day we rode only 35 miles or so, down to Ludington. Here we are, preparing to set off.



Here's an image from the Ludington campground at the end of the day. 35 miles on a bike is not that much, but if you haven't really trained, and you're loaded with camping stuff, it's a good day's ride. We ate pizza and drank beer that night, and slept in the park.



The next day we woke up early and rode the ferry over to Wisconsin.



We rode that day from Manitowoc to Green Bay, and decided to sleep in a cheap motel. After sleeping in a bed, we were ready to ride the next day. We made it back into Michigan, crossing the state line at Menominee. We had a nice picnic of smoked whitefish that afternoon, and camped in a park somewhere around Escanaba.

The next morning we ate heartily at some restaurant and hit the road. To be continued ...

MarkoZombie

Mark as a zombie brain eater. Jim, you're sick. Thanks for the pic

Green and Red Supper

Red: gazpacho
Green: pasta with basil pesto
Red: wine
Green: peppers in the salad
Red: peppers in the salad.

Re: Two Things ....

Guess what I have in my bag ...



Two cans of beer. My brother and I went skiing that day. At a certain point along our route, there are the ruins of a long-abandoned house, surrounded by an apple orchard. A lot of deer in that area. Sometimes we see impressions in the snow where deer have been sleeping. There is also an enormous, fenced-in private "ranch" where monied "sportsmen" can shoot captive animals. That's got to make you feel manly.

The Two Things that I Most Miss About my Hometown

1. Going mushroom hunting in May.

2. Cross-country skiing.

Indian Wedding Band, Bangalore (1997)

This is the shit. In fact, I saw James Brown in concert at the Durham Athletic Park the previous year and his band's uniforms were pretty much the same. Plus JB had dancers, one of whom was Isaac Hayes's daughter.