Day 3 on the Road

Oconto, WI  - Tawas City, MI
640km    $21 in gas for 7.5gallons
Hotel $50.00
$4.00 toll on Mackinac Bridge

A third day of fantastic riding, weather, company, food, fate, and all those things that happen and go on during a trip such as this.  Darin and I weren’t in too much of a hurry, but pushed off by 8:30 or so, but soon stopped at a cool place called Elmer’s in a place in Michigan along Hwy #2 that started with an “M”.  We passed through a number of towns and communities today, and I can’t quite recall where exactly we were, but it was a delicious feed and the service was nothing short of fantastic.

So we basically just plowed over pavement with a determined grind.  30km outside of St. Ignace, MI the terrain gets quite neat, and familiar.  I have passed over this road a number of times.  It hugs the top of Lake Michigan, the lake is always rough, and the wind is strong.  The Mackinaw Bridge gets in sight and a bit of nervousness goes through me.  Not only is the bridge a long passage with heights, but it is always windy and part of the surface is graded steel which is just difficult for me to travel across.  But this road also has a few Paul Bunyan monuments with his Blue ox Babe.

    Nothing epic or extraordinary happened during this kilometrage.  We saw the most police presence, and Darin scarcely missed a partridge or a grouse....  It was close.  I saw it directly in front of him and he indicated he could have reached out and stroked it!  Sunny skies all day for the most part - a bit of rain drops, just a few, met us about 30km from the destination where we find ourselves this evening.

The main stop and walk around was in Mackinaw City.  Again, been there, and done that.  But did it again and despite not seeing anything new or unique, it is worth the hour off the bike to suss out.  I got a t-shirt.  We ate a the local bakery off the main drag.  And talked to some like minded travelers.  It is a must-see for those who haven’t done it.  And even if you have done it, it doesn’t disappoint.

The hotel we are staying in is okay.  The concierge dude is rather intense and has a serious disposition.  It is the first time we have come across such an individual.  Everyone we have met on the trip has had a great, relaxed mood and you could joke around with.  But this feller is not like that.  He is serious about the rules, serious about the towels for the pool, about the check-out time, and about just about everything regarding his job as someone who works at a hotel.