100 Days 48 States - The Journey

"In the United States there is more space where
nobody is than where anybody is.
This is what makes America what it is."
– Gertrude Stein

TODAY’S ROUTE:
Sault Ste. Marie, MI to Houghton, MI: I-75 South to SR-28 West to SR-221 North to Brimley, to SR-123 North to Paradise to Whitefish Point, back to Newberry, SR-28 West to Seney to SR-77 North to Grand Marais and then South back to Seney, West on R-28 to Shingleton to H-15 North to Miners Castle, South to Munising, West on R-28 through Christmas to Marquette, West on US-41 through L-Anse to Houghton. (MAP)

THE DETAILS:
Cross the Mackinaw Bridge north into the U.P. (that’s Upper Peninsula to you and me) and you enter another world. Civilization disappears and you get the feeling you’re approaching the top of the world. The sky feels bigger. There can’t be much more than a few caribou between you and the North Pole.

My first stop in the morning before heading west is the great Soo Locks. These mammoth chambers move the largest of ships up into Lake Superior from Lake Huron and then back again. The Poe Lock is larger than any other lock on the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway, Panama Canal, Europe or Asia. The boat traffic moves through all day like clockwork. Within a few minutes the lock is filled and the boat is through.

I head towards the town of Paradise, northwest along the edge of Whitefish Bay and the shores of the "Gitche Gumme." Although the map says there is an unpaved section, the road is excellent the whole way. Empty asphalt, a clear blue sky, lush green trees, and a shining Lake Superior make for a great ride.

Whitefish Point Lighthouse is my next stop, located at 46 degrees North, 46 minutes, 240 seconds, and 84 degrees West, 57 minutes and 125 seconds. At least that’s what my GPS says. The Great Lake Shipwreck Museum is located on the grounds of this first lighthouse on Lake Superior, built in 1849.

Whitefish Point has been called the graveyard of Lake Superior as many of the 550 wrecks in the lake have been near here. Since the first known shipwreck of a commercial vessel, the poorly named Invincible, in November 1916 to the Edmund Fitzgerald on November 10, 1975, approximately 320 lives have been lost in over 300 shipwrecks and accidents in the area known as the graveyard. Also located here is the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory where migratory birds, which pass through the area each spring and fall are studied. I study the chart so I can try to identify the large Osprey and Hawks I spot flying above as I move down the roads.

I stop for lunch in Grand Marais, a tiny town on the shores of Lake Superior and then head over to the Pictured Rocks Visitor Center at Grand Sable. I had planned to ride through the park, but the map and a chat with the Ranger reveals that most of the roads are unpaved. As I don’t enjoy riding on dirt, I have to go around. I re-enter the park at the southern point, 50 miles around, and check out Miners Castle. For 40 miles the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore hugs the coast of Lake Superior. Sandstone cliffs-ochre, tan, and brown sandwiched with layers of white and green-tower 50 to 200 feet above the water. It’s a beautiful place, and probably best seen from the water.

If you are enjoying my journals from the road, then you might enjoy reading about the Iron Butt Rally in progress. Bob Higdon, the renowned BMW Riders Association writer, is posting wonderful reports on a regular basis at the Iron Butt Web Site. Go to http://www.ironbutt.com and click on the 1999 Rally Link. 45 BMWs are entered out of 98 bikes. The first checkpoint has been completed and things are getting very interesting.

THE DAILY TAKE:
Miles Today: 405.6
Total Miles: 5,154
Time on Motorcycle: 6 Hours 38 Minutes
States Visited today: 1 (MI)
Total States Visited: 16
National Park Service Passport Stamps: 1
NPS Stamp totals: 44 Stamps, 13 States
Weather: Mild and Windy
Number of socks lost in laundry: 0

SEEN ON THE ROAD:
"Welcome to Paradise. Glad you could make it." – sign in Paradise, Michigan, route 123
"Do Not Pass While Opposing Traffic is Present" – along route 28

RANDOM PASSINGS:
The time has come to do laundry again. There is no way around the fact that I’ve only got 8 days' worth of clothing and I’m going to have to do wash 12 times during my journey. So I’m watching the socks spin around the dryer at the Wash-A-Rama Laundromat located at 304 East Montezume Street in Houghton. I’ve got the place all to myself. I check out the message board and notice someone has found a driver’s license and tacked it onto the board. Will someone please call Michele Denise Worthing and let her know that I mailed her driver’s license to her and she’ll have it back soon. Her address is 11375 Webster Road in Clio, Michigan, 48420. Michele was born June 9^th, 1977 and she is 5 feet 2 inches tall with hazel eyes.