Mental Floss

  • April 30, 2011 11:54 AM PDT
    ....thats what our good friend Black Dog calls it...and he nailed it right on the head..


    ....got up to around 65 degrees and partly sunny today...but was still a tad chilly....we didnt mind though...we just cranked the old Gerbings up and stayed warm as toast....


    ...we got in the wind around..surprise...1 in the afternoon...well...we we had to make time dont cha know..


    ....took the Super Slab 25 miles North to Gaylord and that headed the back way up to Rt 119....turned on to it and even though the leaves arent even close to being out...was still an enjoyable ride....tourist season hasnt begin yet, so we pretty much had the entire road to ourselves....I took my time this time, instead of playing..beat the clock...as the Tunnel of Trees is usually still got a lot of gravel left over from winter in some of those hair pin curves...


    ...the Legs Inn isnt open for the season so we cruised on by and right on into the dunes  on Sturgeon Bay, off lf lake Michigan...decided to stop and wander round for a spell..





    ...like I said...no tourist to be found...so we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves, which was definitely nice..



    .....the lake was pristine as always...Chili and I cruised down last summer on the bike and had a Pic a Nic lunch...which we plan to do again this year...those Dunes are so much nicer wne their not covered with snow and ice..




    ...so we just kinda strolled up and down the beach and got into the solitude for a bit..




    ....the water is just about crystal clear...as you can see by these rocks..




    ....path leading through the dunes, and back up to the bike..



    ...weather was nice and warm down in the dunes...even took my Gerbing off....but by the time we hit Mackinaw City, the temp had dropped a good 15 - 20 degrees....we had lunch at some place we had stopped for breakfast at , on the Dragons on the lake Ride last summer...but the food wasnt that good this time....so we strolled out and hopped back on the bike, and rode down by the bridge...whole town was pretty much deserted due it being so early in the season..so I just manuvered the bike onto the Pedestrian Walk way and rode right down to the foot of the Mighty Mac Bridge and took some sweet shots...Friend of ours makes a Monthly Calendar Page with pics of friends bikes....she asked me to get some good thots so she can use my bike for the month of may....these are some of my favorites..




    som.


















    ....Anyway...it was Wayyyyy Cold down by the Bridge and in town in general....so after we took the shots...we gassed up...cranked our Gerbings Wayyyyyyy up to High....and hit the Super Slab...we bugged outta Mackinaw City and I did 85 - 90 all the way home...got warmer soon as we got about 10 miles outta town...and by the time we hit Top in the Bee...things were definitely warmer....was still a Nipply ride home...I checked the Thermostat when we got home and said 60 degrees...but I,ll tell ya what....that was the coldest 60 degrees Ive felt in a while !! 


     
     
     
     
     
           
         
                   

  • May 1, 2011 5:38 AM PDT
    Sounds and looks like a nice ride.
  • May 2, 2011 1:39 AM PDT
    Ive watched lots of history channel shows about the Mackinaw bridge and its construction but had no idea the area around it was so nice, thanks for the great pics and i'll have to add this ride to my bucket list of rides.
  • May 2, 2011 11:10 AM PDT
    ...Wheels


    . ....The Upper Peninsula is a very cool place....a new adventure around every corner....Mother Nature in all her Glory.
  • May 2, 2011 1:38 PM PDT
    Good man Wolf...keep the tales and pics coming brother!We still have crap weather and snow flurries,not happy lol!
    • 2 posts
    May 3, 2011 2:23 AM PDT
    Keep the pictures coming

    Your territory is my favorite anyplace - Hope to drift back your way again this year - Up to Copper Harbor & back by way of Sturgeon Point

    Pray that they have all the lanes open on the Big Bridge - Last crossing was on the open metal decking
  • May 3, 2011 9:28 AM PDT
    ....Hay Savage


    ....Ive heard many people ..(especially wimmin)...complain about going over the metal grate on the Mighty Mac...personally it dosent bother me...I dig looking down as I pass over the grates at the water below....few years back we were going up to St Ignace for the weekend and I was towing a trailer...there were thunder storms in the area....wind was blowin like Hell....started out in the middle lane..(over the grates)...and by the time we got over the bridge ..(its 5 miles long)....the wind was blowing so hard had blown us clean over into the slow lane....I was screaming out....Ha Mule !. ...Haaaa !!!. ...the entire time...lol


    ....speaking of Copper Harbor....we,ve led  two rides up there already....first one I led over 30 bikes up there for the weekend...were doing a small ride up there ..(4 - 5 bikes)...some time in July for the weekend....we get rooms at this tiny Mom and Pop Motel thats right on Lake Superior....riding up there is awesome....ever been to that tiny Monks Bakery up there ?. ....they make cinnamon buns big as yer head ! 
    • 0 posts
    May 3, 2011 1:21 PM PDT
    Shit wolf in my case that'd be a bloody big cinnamon bun mate..Feed a family of 5 for a coupla bloody meals..CHEERS BOOF
    • 2 posts
    May 4, 2011 1:34 AM PDT
    Sweets  never my vice, save the calories for alcohol; when up that way prefer fresh water fish or pasties (pronounce that with a long 'a' sound or you get stared at), one of those carries a body all day.

    When crossing bridges w/ open metal grates is not the view down that bothers one, it is how nervous the ride gets.  - End up dropping down a gear, taking feet off the pegs & hugging the tank bag like it has teats. - Never had the nerve to apply the brakes on an open metal grate, is it best to use front or rear brake?

     
    Next time I get that way want to visit an old bud in Sturgeon Bay but would just as soon avoid the 100 mi/2 hour detour thru Green Bay. - Map shows a passenger ferry between Menominee & Sturgeon Bay, ever taken it?
  • May 4, 2011 3:23 PM PDT
    .....personally...I find its best to use both brakes..evenly...in any given situation....that will give you maximum braking power, and stop your rear end from comming round....far as the ferry....Ive never taken it, but have talked to a few who have...my understanding is that its a nice ride....but a tad on the expensive side....best used if you want to knock a few hours off your ride....no idea why anyone would want to do that....


    ....oh ya. ....I pronounce the "a" in Pastie like any good jersey boy would.....saw one in a strip joint in Hoboken once....it *sparkled* ..
  • May 7, 2011 2:07 PM PDT
    wheels wrote...
    Ive watched lots of history channel shows about the Mackinaw bridge and its construction but had no idea the area around it was so nice, thanks for the great pics and i'll have to add this ride to my bucket list of rides.

    =========

    It truly is beautiful in the Upper Peninsula.  You really can't go wrong up here.  The amazing thing is that MDOT has some first-class highways up here.  You can ride M-28 all the way from the Soo over to Ironwood.  The Seney Stretch is wilderness at it's best... at least, northern wilderness... muskeg, rivers, the Hiawatha National Forest.  Take a break in Marquette, then head west through the high country towards Wisconsin.  Do not pass the Keweenaw without a side trip to Copper Harbor and etc.  Houghton is on eastern time, which means that in mid-summer, it doesn't get dark until almost 10:00 PM.  And whatever else you do, find a way to spend a few hours looking out over Lake Superior with a beer in your hand. 

    I love the north country and would honestly hold the UP above the Boundary Waters over in Minnesota.  Closer to home I seriously have come closer to hitting a wolf trotting across the road by Lake Emily than the deer.  But you *do* have to watch out for the deer because those critters are all over the place. 

    Pasties rule, man.