John Turner

Today was the last day, leaving Chicago and heading back to the D. I got up, met Peter downstairs for the standard motel breakfast and we planned our route. We decided that we would go into the city to get near the water, then grab the 80/90 tollway out through Indiana to I-69, then I-69 north to US-12 in Coldwater. From there we could do the very familiar ride east on US-12 back to Ann Arbor for Peter and back to the D for me. We figured that since it was early Sunday morning traffic in the city wouldn’t be bad and we could get through on the bikes without having to sit idling in traffic. We packed up the bikes, stopped to gas up, and left. I made sure to put a bunch of singles in my rain jacket’s outer pockets so that I could grab them easily with my gloves to pay the tolls.

Peter took us into the city on the freeway to Addison Street and we headed east through the city to Wrigley Field. It was nice riding through the city on an early Sunday morning…very little traffic, just some people walking around getting their newspapers and bagels or whatever. The sun was coming up over the lake and things were starting to warm up a bit. We passed Wrigley and got over to Lake Shore Drive and headed south. There were a ton of bikers (the bicycle kind, not the motorcycle kind) riding on Lake Shore. We didn’t think anything of it until we got closer to downtown. Turns out the day we thought wouldn’t have much traffic was the day of some sort of race or marathon (bicycle and running). Downtown near the water was packed. ARGHH!! On top of that, they were doing construction so they had gone through and ripped up the asphalt which made the road surface a treacherous set of grooves for miles. It was worse than the grates on the Mackinac Bridge. ARGHH! So much for planning! LOL

It took us 20-30 minutes to get through the crowds and the traffic…we were going to stay on Lake Shore but it was so bad we both instinctively decided to get on the Interstate ASAP so we cut it short and got onto the I-290 spur outbound. From there it was the standard leaving-Chicago-on-the-freeway route. Skyway, the whole bit. Nothing major, just some freeway riding. We got into Indiana and it started raining. We pushed on down 80/90 through Indiana, pretty much soaked but not very cold. We stopped for gas and a pee break at a service plaza and kept going. The scenery was nice, the ride was uneventful, but it was day 4 and I think both of us wanted to get home. We got onto I-69 and powered north to Coldwater, getting there about 1:30.

We had lunch at a Chinese buffet, gassed up, and got onto US-12 for the ride home. I followed Peter to his place, I wanted to make sure he actually got home safe so his wife wouldn’t be angry at me. LOL I was going to take the back roads home but after all the rain in Indiana I was kinda cranky so I opted for the freeway and rode home from there. Got home, hopped into the truck and drove over to the kennel to pick up dogzilla around 5 PM. She was so happy to see me and I was really glad to see her. It felt good to be home! Total mileage today: 310

Left Milwaukee and Water Street Brewery and headed south to Chicago. We decided to save some cash and stay in the ‘burbs instead of the city, plus we figured it would be safer parking the bikes where we could see them instead of some garage or whatever we would find in the city.

One thing I found that was strange but weird was that Elk Grove, IL actually has a grove with elks in it! Or at least a park. We got off the freeway an exit too early (maybe by design?) and ended up riding down the main “drag” which went right by a big park. I’m looking at the park thinking “that’s a nice park for a suburb” and I notice a bunch of elk chillin’! Always nice to see wildlife unexpectedly like that.

Found the motel, no problems. Standard commuter motel, pretty basic but nice, no issues. Unpacked, and I got on the net and started looking for someplace to eat. Peter and I had already decided not to do pub food again and the Chinese food in Green Bay had us thinking “Thai food!”. I found some stellar reviews for a place called Happy Elephant so we decided to check it out. Turns out the restaurant was just a short walk away from the motel, but we had already jumped on the bikes so we rode over anyway. The food was excellent. Really nice little place, absolutely spotless, well decorated. The chef/proprietor came out to our table not once but twice to talk to us and make sure everything was OK. Very refreshing change from most places. Next time I am in Chicago I am going to make a point of eating there again, even if I have to drive/ride a ways to do it.

After dinner we rode down the street a bit to a park. The weather was great (and no helmet law!!) and I wanted to smoke a cigar. The park was in the path of O’Hare arrivals so as it got dark we could see the planes stacking up in formation. Pretty cool. Peter and I smoked and talked and then rode back to the motel to crash. Total mileage today: 300

Left Manitowoc and since there was no easily mapped way to Milwaukee without getting on the Interstate and since we were both cold and soaked, we decided to hop on I-43 and make a run for Milwaukee ASAP. So that’s what we did…I think we averaged 80 MPH the whole way…just one solid run straight down the highway. We were really moving, still getting wet every once in awhile from intermittent showers and road spray. I just kept my head down and focused on getting to Milwaukee as quick as possible. Peter was right on my tail. We got close and I happened to look down and saw my reserve light on. I had no idea how long it had been on, it could have been on for a tenth of a mile or it could have been on for 20 miles, that’s how focused I was on the road ahead, the traffic, and getting to Milwaukee. In any case, I signaled a stop to Peter because I didn’t want to risk running out, even though we were just coming to the outskirts of Milwaukee. There was no way to know if we would find gas downtown in the city.

We stopped and gassed up, then got back on the freeway and headed into downtown. We rode around for awhile, not quite sure where to go. It was pretty dead where we were…just office buildings, no traffic. We pulled over and Peter told me one of my hardbags was jiggling around pretty good. I checked it and it was blatantly loose so while I busted out the toolkit Peter got on the web via his phone and started looking for someplace to have lunch. I tossed a quarter into the parking meter just to be sure…no sense getting a visit from Johnny Law for something silly like not paying the meter. I got my hardbags squared away (note to self: next time use Locktite) and packed up the toolkit. Peter told me he had found a block that a had a couple restaurants and it was only about half a mile away so we saddled up and headed over there.

What a difference half a mile makes! It was like night and day…one second we’re riding through ghost town and then we make one turn and there’s all these people walking around. The sun even came out! We parked the bikes and saw Water Street Brewery across the street and headed over. We got a table and ordered beers and lunch. The beers came, and when Peter saw the glasses he said “they even have the correct drinking utensils!” so I knew we were in a serious beer spot. I ordered a BBQ chicken pizza to avoid yet another pub burger and fries and the pizza was really good. The beer was great. The restaurant was real nice…they had a beer can collection that was out of this world but something I thought was even more interesting was their beer tap collection.

I got on the MiFi and we scoped out hotels in the Chicago area. Peter and I wanted to stay on a budget so we looked out in the suburbs instead of the city and found a Days Inn in Elk Grove, IL. Called ahead to reserve a couple of rooms, got back on the bikes, and headed out. Someday I will go back and check out the Harley museum and the various breweries there…Milwaukee looks like a fun place!

Sturgeon Bay to Manitowoc, WI was uneventful. Typical countryside run…not much to see but it was relaxing. Got soaked, though, and it was freaking cold. Rolled through Two Rivers and on into Manitowoc. We stopped and I told Peter I needed a break someplace where we could warm up…I was just too darn cold and wasn’t embarrassed to admit it. If it was just cold and dry, or hot and wet, I could have handled it. But cold and wet both was a little much. He agreed and we scrounged around on our phones looking for a Starbucks or someplace similar. We found one in a strip mall shopping center in Manitowoc and went in for a restroom break and something hot. We didn’t stay long…I wanted to get out of there because it felt just a little too much like being back in the suburbs at home…same type of people driving the same types of vehicles wearing the same types of clothes saying the same types of things. If I had wanted to hang out somewhere like that I wouldn’t have gone on vacation! LOL

The run from Green Bay to Sturgeon Bay wasn’t that far, only about 50 miles. The weather sucked…the sun made an appearance a couple of times but not enough to do anything. Rained the whole way, and was pretty cold if you factor in the windchill from riding around 60 MPH. Rolled into Sturgeon Bay a little after 10 AM. Got down to the water, but couldn’t get over to the shipyard as the bridge was closed for construction. Hung out in a park right on the bay for a bit…too soon to need a break but didn’t want to detour that far off our route and not at least walk around a bit and take a couple of pictures.

Headed out of Sturgeon Bay back to route 42 and went south towards Manitowoc and Milwaukee.

Got up, packed up, met Peter downstairs for the typical free hotel breakfast. We scoped out our route, and the weather. Chicago is not that far away, so we made plans to detour northeast up to Sturgeon Bay via route 57. The weather is looking crappy…cold temps in the 50s, rain off and on. Checked out of the hotel, and headed out.

Gassed up not far from the hotel and went to “ultra-cold” mode, complete with facemasks and extra layers. Just too darn cold!!

Found the Days Inn downtown without too much trouble. Got in pretty early all things considered…the run from St. Ignace is not very long at all. Got our rooms, and got unpacked. It was still late afternoon/early evening and we wanted to check out Lambeau Field. You can’t go to Green Bay and not go to Lambeau. We chatted with the desk concierge in the lobby and found out where to go, and where the “cool” section of Green Bay was. Turns out the cool section was only a couple blocks from the hotel and Lambeau was a couple miles.

Hopped on the bikes and headed out. BONUS: no helmet law in Wisconsin!!! Awww yeah!! Motored through Green Bay, it was strange because we were going through your typical residential area. I’m thinking “where the heck is the stadium, we’re nowhere near a commercial area”. And then all of a sudden BAM there it is, right in the middle of all these residential streets. Almost like Michigan Stadium is in Ann Arbor, but without the golf course. LOL

There’s something magical about Lambeau Field. Knowing the history, and how much the city and the fans love their team, it just really hits home. We parked the bikes and snapped a couple pics, then went inside. Turns out they have a bar in there (which should be no surprise) that is open whether there’s a game or not. So we went in…you can’t go to Lambeau and turn down the chance to have a beer! The place was called Curly’s. We had a beer and some munchies, then checked out the souvenir shop before snapping some pics and heading out. We decided to take advantage of the no helmet law and ride around GB a bit before going back to the hotel. We parked the bikes, then decided to walk down to the “cool” district and find someplace to eat dinner.

Peter and I both agreed we were tired of pub food and decided to try a Chinese place instead. It was funny…there was a whole row of your typical pub/bar-type restaurants, and smack dab in the middle was this Chinese place. Typical menu, it was good, nothing special but it was really nice to have something different than meat and potatoes. While we were eating it started raining like a mother. Instead of walking back, we decided to duck into one of the bars and have a quick drink. Peter treated us to a couple shots of whiskey and it went down smooth. We walked a couple blocks back to the hotel in the rain and called it a night. Total miles today: 260.

Rolled into Menominee via Route 35 right around 2 PM. I may actually be psychic or have a knack for sniffing out downtowns. We decided we would find someplace on the water to eat lunch but had no clue where to go. We get to an intersection and I just had a sense that we needed to turn left. We turned left and not half a mile down was the main drag through downtown Menominee right along the waterfront. And not far from that intersection was a restaurant looking out over the water. Perfect!

The place was called Murray’s, and it was a weird combo of Irish pub and white tablecloth fine dining. One side was the pub, the other side was the fine dining but it looked like the fine dining part was only for dinner. Anyway, we had a good lunch served by a sincere but very rookie waitress. I busted out the netbook and MiFi and we scoped out our route to Green Bay and hotels. We decided to stay at Days Inn right downtown so Peter called ahead and reserved some rooms.

Before we left, I took a couple of pictures. Then we headed out the way we came, and crossed the border into Wisconsin at Marinette. Then through Peshtigo (weird name for a town) and into Green Bay.

More gorgeous scenery between Manistique and Escanaba. Route 2 veers away from the water for a good while but it didn’t really matter. Still lots of trees and hills and curves to make the ride enjoyable. We made great time, really getting on it and taking no prisoners whenever a passing lane showed up. We rolled into Escanaba and I was laughing the whole time. Peter and I stopped at a light, and we decided that we wanted to get to downtown Escanaba and take a break near the water. He asked me if I knew how to get to downtown, and I said “I can find any downtown anywhere”. So he challenged me to “find that downtown” but I had no idea where it was. But as we kept getting closer, I started seeing all these billboards for some Swedish restaurant. The billboards all said “best food downtown” and after awhile one of them said “best food downtown, 4 more lights and turn left”. So at the next light, Peter and I stopped and I told him “3 more lights to downtown!” He didn’t believe me. At the next light, I said “two more”. And at the next one “one more”. He was just shaking his head, “whatever”. Then we get to the next light, and I just started laughing. Because right at the intersection on the left hand side is a huge sign spanning the whole road that says “Welcome to downtown Escanaba”. Peter is yelling “how did you know? how could you know? I want to know how you knew, there’s no way you could know” etc etc. LOL

So we turn left and motor through the main downtown drag for a couple of miles and right on the left is a nice big park right on the water. Sweet. We stopped and stretched, then walked down and took a break on one of the benches right on the water. Man, was it nice. The sun had come out (finally), the temp was up around 60-62, there was a little breeze, and it was quiet…there were only a couple people in the park. We took some pictures and I confessed to Peter how I knew where downtown Escanaba was and how I wasn’t psychic. LOL

We snapped a couple pics and got back on the road. We stopped just before leaving town at a big gas station and gassed up. We both bought tickets for the Mega Millions…it was up over $200 million and we were on our way out of MI so we figured “why not”. On to Menominee and lunch.

The ride west on Route 2 in the UP from St. Ignace was just gorgeous. A little cold and cloudy, but the scenery was just great. The lake on one side, the forest on the other. Nice road, not all bumpy and choppy like it would be in Detroit. This is my first real trip in the UP…I was there once about ten years ago but just did a quick run up to Sault Ste. Marie to the locks and then right back to catch the Mackinac Island ferry. On the up side the scenery is fantastic, the air is fresh, the traffic is light. On the down side, you can easily tell that times are bad in Michigan and even more so here in the UP. This is the week before Labor Day, the roads and parking lots should be packed and it is like a ghost town. Lots of boarded up motels and souvenir shops, lots of For Sale and For Lease signs, lots of weeds growing where they shouldn’t be growing. It is hard to reconcile how few people are up here with what you would see back home in Detroit…and this isn’t even a very remote part of the UP.

We rode into Manistique a little after 10 AM. Made great time. I needed a pee break so we stopped at Burger King. Note to self…go easy on the OJ at breakfast from now on! We noticed another rider parked across the lot, Peter went over to talk to him and I followed when I got back outside. He was riding a tricked out Triumph Tiger…nice bike! He said his name was Jim and told us he was from Nebraska. He’s riding a big circle route from Nebraska north and into the UP from the west, then down through Michigan south to Arkansas and then back home…about 4,000 miles. Awesome! I wish we could go with him. That is one thing I love about riding…anytime you stop you run into other riders and there just seems to be an instant camaraderie and friendship. Everyone is friendly and easy to talk to, and you get to exchange stories and warnings about weather, traffic, etc. Probably a lot like truck drivers, but it is something you never really see happen between cagers who are travelling.

We said goodbye and safe riding to Jim and headed out on Route 2, bound for Escanaba.