Tardy But Travelling

When travelling on a motorcycle it is always important to do a daily pre-ride inspection which includes checking tire pressures. Our back tire has been losing pressure and yesterday was down to 29 pounds pressure. Barry added some air and we rode for the day, however, this morning the pressure was down to 19 pounds. Obviously there is a leak in the tire and fortunately we only have to backtrack 5 miles to a Harley dealer. A big thanks to Vandervest Harley Davidson of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, who took the bike in right away and had us back on our way in an hour and a half, with a new tire and a oil change! We had enjoyed a particularly excellent complimentary breakfast at the Comfort Inn, Marinette, and they were kind enough to allow Marlene to stay at the motel beyond the check-out time while the repairs were done. We were impressed by the friendliness, service, and value of this motel, which just added to our already great impression of Wisconsin.
About noon we cross the Menominee River and enter Michigan. We are riding Highway 35N along the shoreline of Lake Michigan, which is so big it seems like the ocean but it doesn’t smell as nice! It is windy and from the appearance of the scrubby trees we surmise that wind is a constant on this side of the lake. This area, referred to as the Upper Peninsula, has much lake front real estate for sale. At Rapid River we take Highway 2 east and ride through the small closely- set trees of Hiawatha National Forest. The land is flat so the road is very straight most of the time which is a bonus because it‘s only two lanes and has much traffic. At Blaney Park we jog north on H77, then east on H28, and finally get on to H123, the road through Tahquamenon Falls State Park.
This park boasts one of the largest falls east of the Mississippi and is a very pleasant camping and hiking destination. The country around the park is full of vacation cabins. When we arrive in Paradise (a bit of wishful thinking in this name) we get our first view of Lake Superior. We take the twisty road north to the oldest active lighthouse on Lake superior, dating from 1849, the Whitefish Point Lighthouse. This part of Lake Superior is called the “graveyard of the great lakes” because so many ships have sunk here, including the Edmund Fitzgerald, that ship that Gordon Lightfoot made famous in his song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”.
Whitefish Point provides us with a spectacular view of some freighters on Lake Superior and its windy log-strewn sandy shoreline. Gitchigumi is the Chippewa name for Lake Superior, the most treacherous of the five great lakes. Whitefish Point has a number of attractive sites to see in addition to the restored lighthouse, including the Shipwreck Museum, a United States Coast Guard Lifeboat Station, a couple of gift shops, and even accommodation in a restored USCG Crew Quarters. When we arrive at Whitefish Point we are surprised to learn we have lost an hour - we’ve crossed a time zone without knowing and it is later than we think! We ride along scenic Whitefish Bay to Sault Ste Marie, Michigan for the night.