The road that beckons...

The road that beckons is a tad hot and sweaty given the 90 degree heat and almost corresponding level of humidity. This Colorado boy can deal with one but not both of those things so I'm sitting in the Superior Dome at Northern Michigan University in beautiful Marquette, Michigan which is the first host town of the MUP (Michigan Upper Peninsula) bicycle ride. This morning we rode out toward Big Bay on an out and back course of rolling hills, frolicking winds, minimal traffic (at least on the way out) and a course that took us around Presque Island before meandering along the lakeshore toward our turn-around point.

We arrived yesterday around noontime and stopped at Subway to sample their new menu (what was really wrong with the old one?) before checking in at the aforementioned Superior Dome. There are about 250 riders on this cycling extravaganza put on by the League of Michigan Bicyclists which is somewhat similar to Bicycle Colorado back home in terms of advocating for safer places to ride our two-wheeled contraptions.

We all assembled in the cool air-conditioned Dome last evening for the prerequisite rider meeting where they cover all the necessary minutiae that goes along with events such as this. I mentioned in my last blog that we had originally signed up to do this ride in 2020 but it was cancelled not once, but twice, due to COVID. We had done their Shoreline West ride and had so much fun we decided to try this one which takes place in - you guessed it - Michigan's northern Upper Peninsula which apparently is as uncrowded and wild as Michigan gets. 

Last night we had an unexpected treat before hitting the pillow. Right outside the Superior Dome there was an evening concert featuring the Marquette Symphony Orchestra. They were remarkably good and it was great to see all the locals out supporting the local arts.

There's a new event manager for the MUP this year. He's a young guy who's probably half the age of the demographic of the riders who I'd hazard a guess all have a Medicare card in their wallet or purse. Apparently he was hired in part to bring the ride organization into the 21st century and God love him he's giving it his best shot. In the two years since the last running of bike events such as this a lot has changed which caught me a little by surprise. Technology has reared its big ugly head and we no longer get things like paper maps for the routes. Instead we've all loaded an app called Ride With GPS which has the routes available to view on our handy-dandy phones. Heck, it even provides turn-by-turn audio directions. Now, I geek out on tech with the best of them (I even brought my drone with me to shoot some aerial shots) but I come on rides like this to specifically get away from my phone for a week, not to be glued to it in case I miss a turn. Thankfully they still mark the route with orange paint telling us which way to go but I fear even those days are numbered. And hey, I didn't get lost once today (I know - it was out and back so its rather hard to lose your way but if anyone can do it...)

Another change is the number of E-bikes (motorcycles in my pea brain) on the ride. At the rider meeting there was considerable discussion about whether there would be recharging stations for the E-bike batteries out on the course. And the answer was yes! So just like at home I can be working my butt off climbing some of the challenging hills, thinking I'm rockin' it a la Tour De France, when up from behind comes one of those Medicare card wielding folks as cool as a cucumber, smiling an waving as they fly by leaving me in their E-bike dust. 

Something else that I've never seen on a ride is in the camping amenities. For years now you've been able to hire a company to put up your tent, blow up your inflatable mattress, and even place a comfy folding chair to fit your screaming backside post-ride, all without you lifting a finger. Granted it will cost you a pretty penny because these companies aren't doing this out of the goodness of their heart but still, for those so inclined it does represent bike glamping at its finest. What's new is that there are special areas set aside for those using CPAP machines to help them breath while sleeping. Hopefully you don't know this, but these machines can be a little loud and tend to keep one's sleeping partner (let alone the entire rest of the campground) from getting the requisite zzzz's ahead of the next day's ride. I think this is great and kudos to folks needing these devices for simply being able and willing to do bicycle tours and we all deserve a good night's sleep which is what I'm looking forward to right after dinner which starts in just a couple of minutes. So I guess I'd better sign off for now. Sleep tight!