Day 35: Hi!-awatha

I spent almost all of today biking on US Route 2 across the southern side of the Upper Peninsula. Much of this is in Hiawatha National Forest. This included some nice dunes, very piney air, and lots of trees. However, biking on a somewhat busy highway all day, even with a great shoulder, is kind of meh. To boot, most of the things to stop for were on the other side of the road, which is no small stop when the road is a highway. Today is a day where I would have liked to stop more, but stopping spots were a bit sparse.

Pasty Up

Pasties (pronounced pass-tees) seem to be the main regional food here. Everywhere had them, lots claiming to be homemade. After getting an early start this morning and getting some miles in while the wind was favorable, I finally got my first pasty in Naubinway. It was ground beef with potato, carrot, and rutabaga kind of burrito’ed in a pie crust. A hearty roadside treat. I look forward to getting another tomorrow!

I ended up with a late morning pasty instead of coffee. But don’t worry, I got my coffee stop in the afternoon. I was very ready for a stop when I stumbled upon the Dreamland Motel. Mostly, they had a great shady tree to sit under and I figured at least some okay coffee. I was pleasantly surprised they had good bagels and chive cream cheese too! I saw another touring cyclist pass the other way while I was lounging under the tree, but I don’t think they saw me waving at them.

Near the end of the day, I got to Manistique and back to the shore (after the first section, most of the route was inland a bit). There was a nice beach park overlooking a lighthouse, so I stopped to take a breather and enjoy the beach before wrapping up the day’s riding.

I finally had some turns getting to the campsite! I had to remember to keep track of mileage and all that jazz. I’d had my computer displaying the clock instead of the mileage all day since I was just on one road with no directions to follow. Looks like I’ll be off route 2 for a little bit tomorrow morning too.