Day 23 - July 14 - Marinette WI to Rapid River MI - a scorching day in the North Woods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula

 Weather;  a scorching day with the temperature rising to 99F (37C) and a heat index of 108F (42C).  The sun felt intense, more so than in the South, perhaps because there were no clouds.  The day started at 80F (28C) and the humidity was still at 80% at 8am.  The wind was from every direction, swirling a lot, sometimes a tail wind, sometimes a head wind, sometimes a crosswind.   It was not terribly strong but when it blew in the afternoon, it just added more heat to the day.

Distance: 77.8 miles (125kms)

Average moving speed: 14.6 mph (23.5kph)

Calories expended: 2745

Elevation gain: 778feet (237 meters). Since the route closely followed the shoreline of Lake Michigan, and avoided the bluffs that overlooked part of the highway, it felt very flat.  At about 10 feet per mile elevation change, it certainly was.

Estimated sweat loss: 6.7 liters (226 fl oz)

Shvitz index: 8/10, though I tried to be ahead of the thirst, it was a losing battle despite consuming about 6 liters of water with electrolytes, a pint of chocolate milk, about 32 oz of lemonade and 48 fl oz of Gatorade.  

The options for the destination of Rapid River were a longer distance through the woods on county roads (of uncertain surface - could be gravel) or along the shoreline of Lake Michigan mostly following Michigan Hwy 35.   I opted for the latter and it was a good choice.

Since I was close to the shore all the way, there was hardly any climbing.   To stop my legs from getting numb with the same cadence, I tried to vary the gears.

I crossed into Michigan soon after I started out and to my delight, the shoulders (margins) on the state highways are the widest, smoothest, and cleanest that I have yet seen.  I don't mind riding on busy highways if there is a good shoulder but in most states, the poor condition of the shoulder is due to neglect. Typically, it is filled with debris of all sorts (and in the South, lots of fast food litter).

My last state on this triip.

About half of the day was spent with views like this of the lake alongside.  The lake was quite placid and there are many state and county parks on the shore.

But it was often the case that the view was of woods far back from the road and offering no shade.

Since this is the Upper Peninsula, lots of bars and restaurants offer fish fry dinners, usually on Friday (which used to be a Catholic tradition in Ireland but I don't know if that connection is the reason for the Friday offerings here).

Occasionally I stop to try to catch some cool air off the water but that was futile today since the wind was mostly from the west.

 

During the most intense heat of the late afternoon, I too shelter in the shade of an old park pavilion in Gladstone.   That town and the others along the bay north of Escanaba have a lot of hotels and summer fun activities.  

After Escanaba, when I reached US hwy 2, I noticed new signs on the road indicating a bicycle route 10 of the US network,  It presumably follows a safer route for bicyclists (aka wide shoulders on the roads).

Later I looked up this network and it's very patchy with just a few separated strips across the US.  Hopefully in time, they will connect and the trip from coast to coast, or in this case, from the Gulf to Canada can be followed in a safer manner.

Tomorrow should be my penultimate day on the road and I will follow this US bikeway 10 along highway 2 past Engadine to the northernmost point of Lake Michigan.  Then it will a north-eastern jog to the end point of Sault-Ste-Marie on Thursday.  

Tomorrow, the temperature is supposed to be about 10 degreesF cooler - that will be welcome.  By the weekend, normal summer highs of upper 70s/low80s are expected to return. Unfortunately, too late for me.