Day 2 - Keweenaw Penninsula Ride - The Adventure Begins

Day 2 July 2, 2010 – Hancock to Copper Harbour 100km

Sun and tailwind, what else can you ask for?
I found myself all alone because I still had to eat my continental breakfast. Surprisingly, I met Cristine and Carol who haven’t yet let either. Yippiieee, I had company!!
After two danishes, a hard boiled egg, some yogurt and juice, followed by slapping on some sunscreen, I was ready to join the two women for a fun-filled ride to the tip of the peninsula.

We started on hwy 41 which exited directly onto the nicely shaded route 203 which took us by FJ McLain State Park. I took them to see the lighthouse. The air temperature at 10:30 am was perfect – maybe 20 Celcius. So we hung around on the grass and did some stretching and showed each other some new moves. As we rode along the great lake, I had to do my “touch the water” routine. So I got off my bike and walked over the beach into the very refreshing (ie: cold) water. That will sure wake anyone up.

Next was the substantial climb up the waterworks road towards Calumet. Unfortunately, at the top, I got a flat. I was surprised to have been offered help by a passerby jogger. It was such a nice gesture, however I had an extra tube and a pump so I was OK.

I thought I had lost Cristine and Carol but I found them lounging at the ? Café in Calumet. What a quaint little find (in the shade) that Ang had made. Their homemade soup and rhubarb squares were delicious. It was funny however, to realize that it was also a drivethrough. I don’t think I’ve seen many funky spots that has this “rolling” service.

After a stop at the local bike shop (for me to pump my tires hard and Carol to buy some new socks) and meeting the owner (Rick, I think) we continued on our way through Ahmeek to Five Mile Point Road. We had a wonderful downhill through some of the tiny mining ghost towns of ??? and ???.

The ice cream parlour was being served by Dave, a man of great one liners. In his manner of complimenting Carol’s trim body, he said “You are so trim that you’d have to dance in the shower to get wet”. Cristine and Carol helped him behind the counter. As my pistachio ice cream melted as I enjoyed my favourite flavor, I ran into two fellas (Mark and ???) who are from Madison, and know some of my friends (like Kay and Harry), and actually I’ve had breakfast with them in Hayward before and after the first annual Birkie Tour (not to be confused with the Birkie Loppet/Race). They were doing spoke tours based out of Copper Harbor.

Anyway, we continued to be fully at the back of our group of riders.
Onward ho! Our next stop was at Jacobs Falls where we got a cool shower under the rushing flow. Then, next door was the Jampot where the monks sell fresh jams, breads and other baked goods. It sure smelt good in there. I’ve always chat with a brother on previous trips, but this time it was a priest, Father Basil. We had a nice chat about global warming and how he’s noticed a change in the seasons.

We bought one carrot muffin to share amongst all three of us and ate it just before the formidable 670 (approx) foot climb. I unfortunately discovered a slow leak in my back tire (the same that had a flat), so every 10 minutes had to pump it up as hard as I could with a hand pump (maybe 70 PSI). I tried to lean forward as much as I can to put as little weight as possible on my tire.

Before the climb, I had a quick jump in the water at the sandy beach. This cooled me off, but contributed to a diaper rash that I got as I continued riding with the wet pants.

So, there we were at the base of Brockway Mountain. With a little encouragement, we gave Carol the confidence that she could do it. And, as I remembered, it was a series of ups and some downs, then some steeper ups, to a point about 1300 feet above see level. I think we started at approx 630 feet. It was 8km to the top where we had great 360 degree views of both the peninsula, the valley, the ridge to the south, and the magnificant lake.

The shorter ride down was exhilarating, but a bit scary (with some steep climbs as well).

At the stop sign at the base we were in Copper Harbor and headed to The Pines Inn Resort. It’s funny because it kinda seemed empty with only 3 vehicles in the parking lot because we all came in bikes and had the entire place booked to ourselves (except for one cabin). I was bit weary from the sun so it felt nice to relax with everyone in the common room outside the motel rooms. Yes, I said “everyone”. This was the first time in the entire day where I met with the rest of the group. It was 6:30pm. They were feeling a bit concerned about me, but I usually arrive even later. I like to stop and smell the roses.

Ang and Al (and maybe others) conquered the Brockway climb from the Copper Harbor (eastern) side. That would have been much steeper than the other side because it is considerably shorter (approx 5 km). And, some of the riders who took the lake route around the mountain were driven up by Ang.

I met fella who’s responsible for cutting the world famous bike trails here in Copper Harbor and am on a quest to find his name.

It was a great day!!!