runningchunk.com

Friday, 10 Sep 2021
113.7 miles
4127 ft of climbing

I got out the door slightly later than I'd hoped but right on time compared to previous trips. The skies were just starting to brighten at 7:15 AM and I headed toward South Range, going through my mental packing list over and over.

It was chilly and a little damp, and I wore a long-sleeve wool jersey over a short sleeve synthetic top (my lucky Two Hearted Ale jersey), and a reflective high-viz vest. I made the obligatory stop at the Hop Sign on Onkalo's Corner and took a photo for good luck.

An uneventful cruise to Tapiola with a brief stop at the ball field for a nature break and to top off my water bottle. Karvakko's and Kurt's stores were both open already but I had barely started so didn't need a resupply.

I stopped at the church at the south end of Pelkie to dial in my rear deraileur--something didn't seem quite right. After a snack I hit the road again, and stopped again briefly at the veterans memorial in Laird. Somewhere along the way I ditched my long sleeve jersey as it was warming up with mostly clear skies.

After the usual slog west on M-38 I finally hit Forest Highway 16 and could enjoy the quiet stretch to Kenton in the Ottawa National Forest. At the Kenton wayside I was pleased to see the water pump still working, and stopped to rest and eat my sandwich. At this point I'd decided that the clunking I was hearing was something to do with the bottom bracket, and looked up the nearest bike shop, Bikes & More in Iron River.

Lunch done, I was back to FH-16 on the other side of Kenton for a good grind to US-2. US-2 has wide shoulders where FH-16 meets it, but quite a bit of traffic which makes it a noisy and uncomfortable ride. The climbs and descents are long and uninspiring. Coming in to Iron River, the wide shoulders disappear and are replaced by hard curbs, and it was around here (in a 45 MPH zone) that a driver overtook me and then cut hard in front of me, I assume to "teach me a lesson." Further down the road I got the classic "Get the fuck off the road!" from a passenger in another car.

I left US-2 and navigated to Bikes & More, but was too late. Way too late, as the place was shuttered with a real estate sign out front. I paused for a break, and decided to continue on my planned route.

Bikes & More turned out to be on the way to the grocery store I'd planned to stop at, Angeli Foods. I stocked up with supper supplies, snacks for tomorrow morning, beer, and a gallon of water for drinking and cooking. Then, joy, back to US-2 for the final stretch of the day.

Bewabic State Park looked like any other Michigan state park, and I rolled up to the reservation window. After a brief wait I got checked in and got my site permit ("Just put this window tag...wherever?"). The check-in was aways from the campsites, so it was one final good climb up the hill and to my spot for the night. The site was hard packed dirt, but I found a reasonable spot to pitch my tent, and got settled in.

My site was one of the very few without power, but I was able to "borrow" some briefly from a couple of empty sites until their occupants arrived. The showers and restrooms were nice, and I enjoyed some hiking trails down to Fortune Lakes where I ate the last of my supper while watching a pair of loons.

Just behind my site was a large wooded area, so I was able to scrounge up enough wood to have a small fire, just enough to warm me up before bed.