By David Freeze
Today, August 5th, has been the longest day of my Great Lakes adventure, and I don’t have much to show for it. I ran very early this morning in Belgium, Wisconsin. To those who saw my Day 5 report, I felt lucky to grab a reasonable room just at the interstate exit and north of afternoon rush hour traffic for Milwaukee and Chicago. Just as what happened in Detroit on the way north, my history has included getting caught in bumper to bumper, inching along traffic with people who do it every day! I dreaded Chicago. I have been in their traffic many times over the years and knew this time would likely be the same.
The motel was good! I kept my watch on Eastern Daylight Time while everyone else in Wisconsin is on Central Daylight Time. I ran, showered, checked out, got gas, a breakfast biscuit and ice before 6:30am local time. Driving through Milwaukee’s interstate was a dream. No issues.
I heard on the radio that three tractor trailers had collided overnight on the Dan Ryan Expressway, one of the major interstates around Chicago. Authorities were rerouting traffic, so my GPS sent me on Illinois 41. I was scheduled early to ride about 50 miles on the Dan Ryan. I got a two-mile notice to change to 41 and soon the radio started to tell others to do the same. After an hour of barely moving, I finally cleared the downtown area only to get stopped again by those brush and vacuum trucks that were cleaning the side of the interstate. Massive traffic that should have had three lanes had only one. One total hour added to my trip home.
Then in Indiana on Interstate 65, a portion was closed for an accident cleanup. All traffic was rerouted for about six miles of country roads. Another hour added to travel time. But the rest of the day went well, and I am spending the night in Charleston, WV. Only about 253 miles of the 988 going home from Green Bay remain.
Here are some thoughts on this wonderful trip. I saw over 1200 miles of shoreline or as close as possible from the nearest road. The weather was perfect every day. As always, the people were the real stars. The very first person that I met this time on the Great Lakes was Peter Ashwin Patel at his motel in Port Huron and the conversation was wonderful. The owners at the Gateway Motel in Newberry were fun too. Hard to beat was Steve Russell, the man who fixed my brakes while we shared thoughts on the world. But just like on a regular bike trip, I met nice people throughout.
I ran and did some purposeful walking every day too! I didn’t want to come home after missing eight days of running as I am still chasing 2,000 miles for the year. It was generally cool and comfortable but most often humid, which I am sure goes with the nearby mass of water. I didn’t get to ride the bike as much as I wanted to as time was always tight, but I found that I need more future miles to build up my pedaling muscles. I had not been on a bike for more than a year and a half. Porter at Skinny Wheels did a great job getting the bike ready for this trip.
I did most of the planning the night before visiting a certain area, same as on an extended bike ride. I used my big and bulky 2023 Road Atlas and a Michigan Great Lakes guidebook that is filled with great information. Every day was filled with problem solving, including what to go see and making it work with available time. Big surprises were Marquette, Michigan and Manitowoc, Wisconsin for all there was to see and do.
Every motel room has its own story, and I love playing the game! I am in a Quality Inn high rise motel in Charleston tonight. I spoke to the desk clerk on the phone before coming here and got a certain price. The same clerk was at the desk when I arrived but still tried to charge full price. I reminded her we had already agreed on a price. I have a nice 7th floor room. I can ride 100 miles a day on a bike but still must find the right motel deal to finish the day.
The lighthouses stole the show, just as I knew they would. Some I knew about as part of my early planning, others were surprises like the one in Manitowoc that I would have missed if not for a small sign on the interstate and Siri’s help. If you are wondering, I now have done about half of the Great Lakes shoreline over three trips, so there is much more to see. These are big lakes, and the rest of the shoreline will be high on my list!
As the final exploration for this journey, I ran in Charleston on Wednesday morning. August 6th along the beautiful Kanawha River, something I always wanted to do. After checking out of the hotel, I went exploring around the magnificent West Virginia State Capitol building. I walked and took photos for 1.3 miles on the capitol grounds and saw my first ever black squirrel, and statues of Abraham Lincoln, Stonewall Jackson and one for the Union Soldiers of the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln was the major player in helping to establish West Virginia, largely filled with his supporters after receiving fewer than 2000 votes from Virginia for his election in 1860. He signed the West Virginia statehood bill in December 1862.
Another adventure is done! This one will total just eight days, including the first with all driving that didn’t count, and it was great fun! Final mileage covered on this adventure was 2669. I hope you find your own adventures and thanks for letting me share this one with you!
