Manitowoc, Wi to Ludington, Mi

July 14, 2003

Westbound: Appleton to Manitowoc Eastbound: Ludington to Morely

Manitowoc, WI to Ludington, MI: A rest day on the inland sea.

I awoke, had some more Orange juice, had leftover pizza for breakfast, and gathered my laundry. Not sure how far I might have to walk, I took the bike. It wasn’t far. The laundry was on the main street and quite clean. The street was entirely different on a business Monday compared to a racing Sunday. I used enough machines to get everything done in one cycle. All that was missing was a comfortable chair in which to continue to enjoy Mrs. Graham’s autobiography, on which I had been working since Fargo.

Basking in the sun before departure.

With my laundry done, I went back to the motel, packed, and checked out. The ride to the ferry was only a mile or two. There was a bit of a line to complete the transaction, but they recognized my reservation, gave the correct credit for my deposit, and got me on the ship. Once on board, I had to leave the bike, so I got the stuff I wanted for the afternoon and looked for a good place to settle in.

The deck at the bow was quite crowded as we loaded. The sun was bright and warm and many of the passengers were ready to catch some rays.

Entering Ludington Harbor

Eventually the ship was loaded and we departed. The trip was smooth and like most water voyages, much less interesting once land was out of sight. Of course, water voyages that remain interesting either have good entertainment or terrible weather. As we got further toward the center of the lake and built speed the balmy conditions on the forward bow did not persist. Some bundled up; some went inside. I joined the wimps and went inside to get a hot dog and continued to work on my book. Late afternoon got us to Ludington and it took another mile or two to reach the Avenue Motel. The short day yesterday and the full rest day today were the most rest I’d had since leaving.

I walked back a block or two to Luciano’s Ristorante. It was very nice. From Ellensburg to Jamestown, there hadn’t been many superior dinners. Ritzville, Great Falls, Standford, and Medora were good but not special except in comparison to Winnett and others. Fargo was nice, Appleton great, and this dinner just a cut below, possibly because I wasn’t as starved.

A few tables away, I saw and heard a trio of young men—18 to 22 or so—that looked like they were also cyclists. After dinner, I went across the street to an ice cream place and saw their bikes. They came out and we chatted.

Two were brothers bound for New England; the third was by himself and bound for Grand Rapids. Both parties had started from Oregon, but they only met at the ferry, arriving after I had. The brothers were unassuming but the third guy gave me at least the impression of a bit of a swagger. He was riding his bike solo across the country and that was cool. In this particular crowd, of course, however cool it might be, it was nothing unusual. Perhaps I am unfair, but that’s the way it seemed and he triggered, intentionally or not, some of the competitive juices that often stimulate my behavior, not always for the best. This time I, however, I was quiet.

As we shared notes, we compared our routes. Surprisingly, they too, separately, had gone from Missoula to Lincoln to Great Falls and shared the frustration of the up and down stretch beyond the Divide. After Great Falls we’d taken different paths.

When it was my turn, I told them about meeting the tractor guys on the Fourth of July on the way to Jimtown and how much fun that was. After a minute of calculation, the guy headed for Grand Rapids suddenly looked at me with a different expression. He and the brothers had all been near the Twin Cities on the Fourth. I had essentially covered the end of North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin in the same time they had covered Wisconsin and the last of Minnesota while giving them nearly 40 years of age. It’s hard to abandon competition.

With the brothers headed for Canada, the third for Grand Rapids, and me for Lansing, there was no commonality in the next day’s destinations or routes. Our chat wore down and I wished them safe journeys and headed back to my motel.

At most 4 miles of riding in about a half hour on the bike.

Back up to Manitowoc to Washington, DC

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Westbound: Appleton to Manitowoc Eastbound: Ludington to Morely