Day 88 - 29th August, Broadview-Wolseley-White City, 88.24 miles

Tesne predtým než sa preženie menšia búrka, prichádzame na poštu, posielame listy pre SaraJane. Krátky dážď prečkáme v miestnej pekárni. Chvíľu si vychutnávame chládok mrakov, ale čoskoro je opäť horúco, dnes nám fúka dobrý vietor tak cesta odsýpa jedna radosť. Okolie je niečo ako préria premenená na polia, ale s mnohými malými jazierkami a mokraďami. Vo Wolseley obedujeme pri lanovom moste. Nakoniec ťaháme nedobrovoľne dlho do noci, lebo kemp čo bol v mape, nebol v tejto realite. Spíme až v kempe vo White City, dostali sme sa až takmer do Reginy.

In the morning we sent letters for SJ. Come and passed small storm, we were hidden in the bakery shop, having a sweet breakfast. Again it is very hot day, but with good wind, so we are quite fast. Had lunch in Wolseley near swing bridge. Today we biked late till night, because campground which was in map doesn't exist. Well, at least we are nearly in Regina, sleeping in campground in the White City.

Pictures:
Swing bridge in Wolseley

Day 87 - 28th August, Kirkella-Moosomin-Whitewood-Broadview, 65.63 miles

Ráno prechádzame do Saskatchewanu, v turistinfe dostávame zadarmo peknú mapu tejto provincie a získavame jednu hodinu. V Saskatchewane nemajú letný čas.
Potom v Moosomin meníme zopár amerických dolárov za kanadské, je to skoro 1:1, kanadské sú trocha slabšie. Zvyšok dňa šliapeme po diaľnici, okolo len polia a polia, občas rozďobané malými mokraďami či jazierkami. Večer píšeme list pre SJ.

Today we crossed border to Saskatchewan. In visitor centre they gave us another nice map for free and also we got one extra hour. In Saskatchewan don't have summer time (or winter? I don't know, they just don't switch time). In Moosomin we changed American money to Canadian (basically we switch cotton black & white for colourful plastic). Rest of day we spent biking between farm fields with occasionally wetland or small lake. The evening was filled with writing the letters for SJ.

Update From SaraJane

 Greetings from SJ

I made it to Detroit on Thursday 8/22/13 after 28 hours of traveling (which seemed really fast as I passed through all the towns and parks we had camped in). Spent the past few days on the Island getting ready for a garage sale of all my extra stuff. Carrying my own weight for the past few months has given me a new perspective on possessions. I'm not down to the "100 thing challenge"...yet, but this is a really good start

My muscles miss riding everyday--not being a very athletic person, I was not prepared for this. Pete and I are on our way to the bike shop now to double check that he was put back together correctly. My dad and I had an extra piece when we were done --never a good sign. Hopefully I'll be back on the saddle tonight, but in the meantime I've been enjoying my other helmet and switched from pedaling to paddling

In the next few weeks I'll be on my way to visit Cleveland to celebrate a friend being sworn in as a United States citizen, then an Imagine Dragons concert with my sisters (WOOT!), before I head north to Song of the Morning Yoga Ranch to do another stint as work exchange

Peace love and bikes

Day 86 - 27th August, Oak Lake - Virden - Elkhorn - Kirkella, 43.27 miles

Ráno, po fantastických raňajkách (plných proteínov), sme vyrazili na Garnetovu bizóniu farmu. Takže sme videli aj nejaké naozajstné bizóny. Sú trochu menšie ako naše zubre. Farmičku mali peknú (o rozlohe menšieho mesta, tu sa s tým nepárajú, nikto tu asi nemá farmu menšiu než pár tisíc akrov), zo stodoly spravili niečo ako salón z divokého západu (s výhľadom na bizóny).
Po tejto exkurzií sme opäť vyrazili na cesty. Horúco bolo, že až. Baška hneď po pár míľach dostala defekt, ale s menšiu zastávkou na zmrzlinu a obed sme na večer dorazili k hranici so Saskatchewanom. Prespali sme pri miestnom Visitor Centre, kde bolo aj odpočívadlo pre kamióny. Bolo to v pohode, akurát tu celú noc hučali kamióny.

After super-nutritional breakfast we went to visit Garnet & Nora's buffalo farm. It was pretty big farm and buffalos really huge, but a little bit smaller that ours bisons in Slovakia :-) It was nice visit, we met another of theirs sons, saw barn changed to something like saloon with view on buffaloes. Then it was time to say good bye to this wonderful people and go back on the road. It was very hot day again, Baška very soon got flat tire, but in the evening we were on border with Saskatchewan, tent nest visitor centre on trucks rest stop. It was ok, but trucks, were very noisy. We met two another touring cyclist heading east, but the highway was too wide, to stop and speak.

Pictures:
Visit on buffalo farm.

Day 85 - 26th August, Carberry - Brandon - Oak Lake, 66.63 miles

Náš prvý deň na Diaľnici č. 1. Po tom hrboľatom zázraku medzi Spruce Woods a Carberry sme zrazu akoby dostali krídla. Nevadila ani hustá premávka a kopec kamiónov, krajnica bola široká ako jeden celý jazdný pruh a bola len pre nás.
Do Brandonu sme dorazili nezvykle rýchlo, na jednom úseku sme opäť prechádzali cez niečo ako boli Spruce Woods včera. Brandon leží pri rieke Assiniboine, z jednotky to bol celkom slušný zjazd. Dokúpili sme tu potraviny a využili miestne free wifi. Bol už obed a neuveriteľne teplo a to, keď sme sa vrátili na jednotku, nás čakal kilometer dlhý kopec von z riečneho údolia. Ďalej už bola cesta viac menej rovná, všade naokolo len polia, trochu to vyzeralo ako nekonečná Podunajská nížina. Po ceste vedľa nás húkali vlaky, každý, aspoň míľu dlhý, občas nás pozdravili šoféri alebo motorkári. Pred nami bola celkom slušná búrka, išli sme priamo do nej, ale stihla pred nami ujsť, takže sme dostali len zopár kvapiek. Na váhe pre kamióny sme zvážili bicykle, oba majú po 60 kg. Dnes sme chceli prespať v Oak Lake. Pri odbočke na nás zavolal akýsi chlapík, hovoril, že nás videl ísť do tej búrky a opýtal sa nás kde budeme späť. Skôr než sme niečo stihli povedať, pozval nás k sebe domov. Predstavil sa ako Garnet. Jeho žena (Nora) akurát zavárala uhorky a bola mierne prekvapená, pretože celý dom smrdel octom a kôprom (aspoň nebolo cítiť nás), ale hneď nás privítala, mohli sme sa osprchovať, vyprať si veci a na noc nás uložili do hosťovskej izby. Pred spaním nás čakala kráľovská večera (pizza a hamburgery z bizónieho mäsa). Ukázalo sa, že Garnet je bývalý farmár a má bizóniu farmu (teraz ju riadi jeho syn). Rozprávali sme sa s nimi dlho do noci, ukázala sa aj jedna ich vnučka, neskôr prišiel aj jeden to synov s deťmi (celkom zaujímavá debata o poľovaní na losy s lukom). Garnet nám ukázal obrovskú kožu zo svojho obľúbeného bizóna (ľahko by pokryla celú stenu a kus stropu) a ešte sme mohli aj skontrolovať emaily.

Our first day on Trans-Canadian Highway # 1. After bad road between Spruce Woods and Carberry, it was like to fly. Traffic was very high, many truck, but we had nice, wide shoulder, only for us. Very soon we got to Brandon, passing something similar like Spruce Woods. In Brandon we did some shopping, had lunch, used free wifi from Safeway and nearly died because of the high heat. And to get out from Assiniboine river valley, where is Brandon, was also challenge, 1 km long steep hill... Luckily after that, road was quite even. On the road was weigh station for trucks. We found out that our bikes have about 130 pounds (60 kg), well maybe we shouldn't bought so much oatmeal :-)
Later in the day was a storm ahead, but it just passed around us, we got maybe three drops of rain. Our final destination for this day was Oak Lake, but before we got there we were invited for dinner by local buffalo farmer Garnet, he saw us pedalling toward that storm and wanted to help us. We were really glad, because otherwise we had to tent somewhere in the farm fields. So we followed him to his home, in was in the Oak Lake anyway. His wife Nora was a little bit surprise when we suddenly appeared in her kitchen, but mostly not because us but because she was doing pickles and hole kitchen was smelly from vinegar and spices (good for us, it was less obvious how smelly we are :-). Garnet & Nora were amazing, very soon we were clean, also our clothes and we could enjoyed fantastic dinner (pizza & buffalo burgers) and conversation with them. We met also their granddaughter, one of their sons with his kids, talked with him a little about hunting with bow and arrows. Garnet showed us huge skin from one of their biggest buffalo. It was very nice evening.

Pictures:
Garnet's favorite buffalo skin

Day 84 - 25th August, Spruce Woods - Carberry, 19.62 miles

Po včerajšku oddychový deň, do obeda sme v kempe, spíme, dopĺňame kalórie, kúpeme sa v rieke. Po obede vyrážame znovu na cesty, po veľmi rozbitej a hrboľatej ceste prejdeme cez zvyšok Spruce Woods. Vyzerá to tu trochu ako v našich horách, všade lúky a smrekové lesíky. Akurát toto je ploche a všade je korec piesku. Dnešný deň ukončujeme v Carberry. Mali tam výbornú zmrzlinu. Baška je už úplne v poriadku, akurát na nohe má stále nepeknú červenú vyrážku, už od Grand Forks, asi z nejakého chemického postreku z trávniku v kempe.

Day good to take the rest, we deserve it after yesterday. In the morning we mainly slept, ate, than we swam in the river...
From Spruce Woods our next destination was Hwy #1, but first we had to get to Carberry. Road was bad, full of cracks, bumps and uphill :-) but the views were spectacular. Meadows, small sand dunes and hills, spruce forests, it was very nice.
In Carberry we decided to tent, they have small campground there, next to the football field. And they had very good ice cream in Carberry too.

Day 83 - 24th August, Manitou - Swan Lake - Holland - Spruce Woods Provincial Park, 79.16 miles

Baška má od rána trochu horúčku. Nemáme vodu takže musíme pokračovať. Po ceste do Manitou stretávame kolegu - dievčina sama ťahá s napakovaným bicyklom. Chvíľu sa rozprávame, cestuje len na krátko, asi 500 km okruh z Winnipegu do Mordenu. V Manitou si dávame sprchu, dnes riadne fúka od juhu, takže väčšinu cesty ťaháme na sever. Za Manitou sa polia náhle zvlnili, prechádzame cez malé kopčeky, na západ od nás sa točia vrtule. Obloha sa mračí, zdá sa že bude búrka, je dusno a Baška sa stále necíti veľmi dobre. Krátka pauza na obed trochu pomôže, potom opäť zdolávame zvlnenú prériu, vlastne pšeničné polia, prechádzame cez indiánsku rezerváciu Swan Lake, ale nevidíme nikoho. Trochu prší, ale je to len taká spŕška na ochladenie a za chvíľu je už modrá obloha. Vyšlapali sme na vrchol nejakého hrebeňu, všade naokolo sú malé kopce, polia, pasienky, dokonca nejaké stromy, vyzerá to tu veľmi malebne. Po oblohe krúžia pelikány, neskôr narážame na jazero, plné vodných fóglov. Nasleduje parádny zjazd do “nížin “ a ukrutný boj s vetrom pri mestečku Holland. Už máme v nohách cez sto kilometrov tak to ide ztuha. Posledných 10 km už šliapeme po tme a Baška ma zrejme dosť preklína za to čo som vymyslel. Ale horúčka jej už prešla :-) a záver sa v podstate len vezieme dole kopcom k rieke Assiniboine. Ešte prefičať cez mračná podeniek a už sme Spruce woods Provincial park a jeho podivnom kempe.

Baška has fever, luckily only a little and she is able to bike. Well, we don't have any other choice, because we need water. So our first stop was in Manitou campground to get a water (and to have a shover, today was very hot day again). On the way there we met one biker like we are, but she was only on "short" trip (about 500 km), between Winnipeg andMorden. Way from Manitou was fast and we really enjoy it, wind was in our back (today was south wind, so we biked mostly to the north, there is Hwy #1, which we would like to follow our way through Canada). Flat landscape changed here to the small hills, on the west are some wind turbines. Sky there is very cloudy it looks that storm is coming. Baška didn't feel very good, but small pause for lunch helped. When we passed through Swan Lake (aboriginal people reservation) it started to rain, but only a little bit, small refreshing. From Swan Lake we went to the north again, passed through small hill range. Many nice views. Farm fields were mixed with meadows and small woods, hills everywhere and gorgeous ride downhill. We found a lake with many water birds, what really surprised us were pelicans, we didn't know that they are also here. Last part of today trip was against nasty wind. It was in Holland, but then when we got to the Spruce woods we enjoyed (well maybe not Baška, she was really tired) downhill ride to the Assiniboine river and when we biked through a few swarms of fish flies there was Spruce Woods campground and Baška finally could go to sleep (I was cooking dinner).

Day 81 - 22th August, Drayton - Pembina - Emerson - Altona, 55.29 miles

Znova šliapeme proti vetru. Chvíľu sa nám darí vyhýbať sa diaľnici na paralelnej ceste, ale tá sa čoskoro mení na štrkovú takže sa vraciame na diaľnicu. Najprv však musíme prejsť okolo továrne na asfalt... A v protismere asfaltujú takže cesta je voňavá. Okolo tretej po obede prechádzame hranicu, opäť musíme zodpovedať kopec hlúpych otázok, ale už v tom začíname mať prax, takže za chvíľu už ideme Kanadou. Sme v provincii Manitoba, vo Visitor centre dostávame zadarmo mapu. Večer ukončujeme v meste Altona. Všade naokolo sú mestečká s nemeckými menami. V Altone stretávame miestnych členov cykloklubu. Zrejme tu takých exotov často nemajú, hneď nás zasypali otázkami a odprevadili nás do miestneho kempu. Jeden z nich, Bruce, vlastní cykloobchod a tak sme sa dohodli, že ho zajtra navštívime. Večer varíme na smrekových šiškách a pečieme lievance.

Again biking against wind. For a while we enjoyed road next to the highway, but very soon it changed do dirt road so we had to go back on highway, at least shoulder was better here. Crossing the border wasn't problem, but we had to undergo typical border questionary with many questions, like where are we going, when we go back, how much money do we have, etc.... We already went through this process so it was easy for us :-)
When we got to the Canada first we thought that we are in Germany, all Towns here have german names. We got to Altona where we stayed in the camp. While Baška was shopping I met local members of Altona Cycling Club. One of them (Bruce) has a bike shop so tomorrow we are going to visit it. Also they help us to get to the campground. It was funny and very nice to bike in such a big group of cyclists.

Day 80 - 21th August, Grand Forks - Drayton, 50.75 miles

Po včerajšej večernej búrke sme sa zobudili do krásneho dňa, ale veľmi sme sa z toho neradovali. Dnes nás opúšťa SJ a vracia sa domov, takže ráno sa nieslo v znamení smútku z toho, že sa musíme rozlúčiť. Po troch mesiacoch čo sme boli stále spolu, bolo veľmi divné opustiť Grand Forks iba vo dvojici.
Náš plán teraz bol dostať sa do Kanady a prejsť Veľké Planiny po kanadskej diaľnici #1, vraj by to malo byť krajšie a lepšie ako olejová Severná Dakota s rozbitou cestou od ropných nákladiakov a s mizernou krajnicou.
Išli sme po medzištátnej 29tke, premávka bola dosť hustá, hlavne kamióny, ale krajnica bola široká. Väčší problém ako premávka nám robil protivietor. Krajina okolo nás bola superplochá, všade iba polia s kukuricou či obilím, najvyššie miesto boli nadjazdy ponad diaľnicu. Na obed sme sa zastavili v malom mestečku menom Manvel. Obedovali sme pri tanku-pomník to padlým hrdinom. Tu majú takých pomníkov všade kopec. Celkom socík...
Na blízkej pošte nás pani poštárka vyspovedala, že kam ideme a dala nám vodu. Večer nás zastihol v mestečku Drayton, variac si večeru a čítajúc druhú knihu Harryho Pottera - Tajomná komnata.

After evening storm is sunny day but the morning is sad. We packed SJ's bike and had to say goodbye when her bus arrived. After nearly tree months what she was with us it was very hard and very strange when we left Grand Forks only in two. Now our plan is to cross The Great Planes thought Canada, so we followed interstate highway 29 straight to the north. Traffic was quite heavy, many trucks but shoulder was wide so we were safe. On this highway was very stupid rumble stripe, actually not a stripe it was only couple of waves in the middle of shoulder every 10 meters. Wind blowed nearly all the time against us, and brought tons of dust from fields where farmers harvested wheat. Land around us is super flat, highest points are bridges above highway, and there are only farm field from horizon to horizon.
For lunch we stopped in small village Manvel. Very talkative woman from post office gave us water. The evening caught us in Drayton, cooking dinner and reading second book of Harry Potter & Secret Chamber.

Day 79 - 20th August, Grand Forks, 9.54 miles

Celý deň trávime v miestnej knižnici na internete. SJ zisťuje autobusy späť do Detroitu. Ja s Baškou sme sa rozhodli, že budeme pokračovať ďalej na bikoch a prejdeme prériu cez kanadskú diaľnicu č. 1, čo by malo byť trochu krajšie a lepšie než olejová Severná Dakota s mizernou krajnicou a nekonečnými poliami kukurice a pšenice. Navečer keď už sme mali všetko zistené a vybavené, nám ostávala posledná vec, krabica na SaraJanenin bike. V miestnom cykloobchode sme ju dostali zadarmo. Sranda bola ju prepraviť do kempu. Môj bicykel bol najvhodnejší na prepravu, tak som sa trocha cítil ako tie kamióny čo pripravujú domy. Večer sme si ešte prerozdeľovali veci a chystali sa na zajtra. V noci prišla celkom pekná búrka.

Whole day in Public library on the internet. SJ is looking for the option how to get home from here. Me & Baška we decided to bike through Plains through Canada, so I was checking maps, we had good references about Trans-Canada Highway #1. When everything was set (SJ found Greyhound buses), we need to get some bike box for SJ's bus. It wasn't so easy, after we visited tree huge stores we finally got one from nice bike shop (for free). It was adventure to bike through whole city with this huge box bungee corded on my bike. We camp in the city trailer park. After super hot day, there was small storm in the evening. We were sorting our stuff and deciding what will go with us and what with SJ...

Day 78 - 19th August, Bagley - Grand Forks, 94.42 miles

Dnes sme spravili náš rekord. Motivácia bola chytiť vlak v Grand Forks, prepraviť sa do Rookies. Vyrazili sme naozaj skoro ráno. Nie je nič lepšie ako jazdiť skoro ráno, všetko je také svieže, je príjemne chladno, vietor zväčša nefúka. Dnes nás čakalo zopár kopčekov, ale potom sme sa viezli takmer neustále z kopca, síce to skôr pripomínalo rovinu, ale aspoň to nebolo do kopca... Našli sme salamandra, tiež si to šliapal po okraji cesty na západ.
Postupne, ako privítal deň, zvyšovala sa aj teplota a už o desiatej bolo hnusne horúco. Trochu nám pomohla Dairy Queen, kde sme po prvý krát mali zmrzlinu, či je taká hutná, že ju servírujú dole hlavou. Potom nás čakali dlhé úmorné míle po nekonečnej rovnej ceste, okolo len pšenica a kopec prachu zo žatvy (zaujímavé, že tu je žatva až teraz, možno je to už druhá...). Dobré bolo, že na záverečné míle sme mali vietor v chrbte, inak celý deň fúkal z boku. Do Grand Forks sme dorazili okolo desiatej večer. Trochu sme mali problém nájsť vlajkovú stanicu, ďalší problém bol, že Baška dostala defekt a posledné tri míle sme museli každých päť minút stáť a dofukovať koleso. Na stanici nás čakalo nemilé prekvapenie. Bicykle do vlaku môžu ísť iba zabalené v krabici, ktoré na stanici mali predávať (toľko info z netu), ale nepredávali. A po polnoci sa inde strašne blbo zháňajú... Takže dnes vlak odpadá a tým aj možnosť na lacnejšie lístky. Zlatým klincom večera bolo, keď nám SJ oznámila, že už toho má dosť a chce sa vrátiť domov...

Today we did record number of miles. Motivation was to catch a train in Grand Forks and get to the Rookies. So we started biking really early today and it was amazing be on the road before eight'o clock. The road tried to help as too, because after couple of small hills we rode mainly downhill. The land become totally flat, finally we entered to the Great Plains. On the way we did small stops for ice cream (first time we visited Dairy Queen), today was very hot. Wind was from the south, which help as a lot in last 15 miles. We got to the Grand Forks about 10 pm. Baška got flat tire, so last 3 miles we had to stop every 5 minutes to inflate it. Also we had some struggles with finding Amtrak train station. When we found it and I fix Baška's tire, than we realized that train will be not option for us. If you want to transport your bike you have to put it in the bike box (we knew this), problem was that they didn't have any, and it was too late to get some somewhere else. So our genial plan just broke apart. Another shock was when SJ decided to go back home, Plains, Rookies it was too much...

Day 77 - 18th August 2013, Bena - Bemidji - Bagley, 64.64 miles

Doobeda prechádzame pomedzi obrovské jazerá vytvorené na Mississippi. Na starej borovici je ukážkové orlie hniezdo. Kúpeme sa v jazere Cass, perieme si svoje špinavé háby, obedujeme a pozorujeme párik orlov loviacich ryby a posedávajúcich na brehu jazera. Rozhodli sme sa chytiť vlak z Grand Forks cez Severnú Dakotu a Montanu, ak sa doň dostaneme v utorok ráno, bude výrazne lacnejší. Takže dnes šliapeme tak ďaleko ako sa len dá a tak dlho ako sa len dá. Dostávame sa do Bagley, kde prespávame v mestskom parku, čo slúži ako kemp, ale je zadarmo. Do Grand Forks nám ostáva ešte okolo 90 míľ, celkom výzva...

We past around "textbook" example of Bald eagles nest. Swam and wash ourselves in Cass lake, watching bald eagles hunting fish and sitting on the shore. We decided to get tomorrow to the Grand Forks to catch a train thought North Dakota & Montana, so we biked today as far as possible and late to the night. Slept in Bagley in the City park, which is like camp but for free.

Day 76 - 17th August 2013, Grand Rapids - Deer River - Bena, 39.7 miles

V Grand Rapids sme navštívili Farmársky trh (kúpili sme med, tí hlupáci predávali parádny neupravený med ako zlacnený, pretože nebol tekutý, zistili sme, že všetky tekuté medy tu sú tepelné upravené, čiže bezcenné). SJ si v miestnom obchode kúpila nové sandále, ale keď si ich potom na obed skúšala zistila, že sú príliš malé a musela sa asi 5 km vracať aby ich vymenila. My sme zatiaľ obedovali pri Mississippi a pozorovali sysle, čo tu všade pobehovali a dobre, že nám nevliezli do tašiek. Navečer sme prechádzali cez Mississippi a baby sa rozhodli, že ju preplávu. Ja som dostal svoj prvý defekt, akurát v oblasti kde bolo milión komárov, ale akosi sme sa dostali do kempu v osade Bena, kde som ho pri svetle táboráku úspešne opravil.

We visited Farmer Market in Grand Rapids, bought fine honey and vegetable. In local shop SJ bought nice sandals but when we speed for lunch and she tried them, they were to small.So she did some extra miles to returned them and change for the good one. Today we crossed the Mississippi river and girls swam through it :-) I got my first flat tire, even Armadillo tires are not resistant to wires.

Pictures:
Swimming across Mississippi

Day 75 - 16th August 2013, Saginaw - Floodwood - Grand Rapids, 71.04 miles

Celý deň prechádzame mokraďami, často krát jediné suché miesto je cesta pod našimi kolesami. Mokrade sú obrovské, zdajú sa byť nekonečne niečo také som ešte nevidel. Cesta je značne rozpukaná, hlavne krajnica je plná puklín takže dnes je to ako jazdiť po železničných pražcoch.

Day in the wetlands, for most of the day the only dry ground is the road under ours bikes. I never saw so huge and never ending wetlands. Shoulder on route 2 is full of cracks our bike sing "tam-dam" song whole day...

Day 74 -15th August 2013, Superior - Duluth - Saginaw, 17.55 miles

Ráno trávime na internete, rozmýšľame, že sa presunieme cez veľké pláne vlakom, tak zisťujeme či sa to dá. Cestou do mesta Duluth, čo je hneď za mostom (a už v Minnesote) stretávame Steva, výborného chlapíka na bike tripe na východ do Bostonu (začínal v Seattle). V Duluth sa šplháme na Skyline scenic drive odkiaľ je nádherný výhľad sa celý Superior/Duluth. SJ ten vstup ale totálne zničil, takže sa dnes už ďaleko nedostaneme.

Morning on the internet. When we rode thought Superior we met Steve who was amazing biker on his cross country ride from Seattle to Boston, fundraising money for organization Bikes not Bombs. You can read his online Journal. He gave us map of Duluth and recommended Skyline scenic drive above Duluth. We climbed it and enjoyed beautiful views on Duluth with Lake Superior but that steep hill was nearly too much for SaraJane.

Pictures:
Steve and we in Superior

Day 73 - 14th August 2013, Brule to Superior, 34.10 miles

Dnes sme sa dostali do mesta Superior, navštívili Amnicon Falls State Park s vodopádmi a bazaltovými/pieskovcovými skalami, stretli sme ďalšieho bikera Nata, čo mu bolo vyše 60 rokov a trochu sa sťažoval, že dnes mu to veľmi nešlape, ale že včera dal 114 míľ... Bol na ceste do Bostonu. V Superiori sme prespali u ďalších známych SJ-iných známych Mike and Kelsey. - in the morning in Brule we met Ron & Kathy-bikers (both motorcycles and bicycles) on vacation with their motorcycles, now on their way to Michigan
- on the way to Amnicon Falls State Park we met older guy Nate on his continued solo bike trip across USA-he restarted his trip in the same spot he had stopped a few years back. Yesterday he did 114 miles, so today was quite hard for him, uphill (our way from Ironwood is still basically downhill) and against the wind. We chatted gear and accommodations, he hops from hotel to hotel carrying not much more than a change of clothes and 2 handkerchiefs.
- Amnicon Falls were beautiful, water ran between basalt and sandstone rocks and under a lovely covered bridge
- ride to Superior was very fast, good wind and still downhill. Route 2 turned into a real highway for a mile or two, but the shoulder was a good 4 feet or so.
- in Superior we stayed with Mike and Kelsey, SJ`s Aunt Cheryl`s roommate Lori's friends (did you get that? : ). Even with such distant connections, Mike and Kelsey have been so so so generous with warm showers, couches and an air mattress, and introducing us to the Duluth Grill for an awesome dinner. They've also let us use their computer for hours while we stay with them. Doing train route research, checking emails, updating the blog and starting to look for sponsorship has kept us busy rotating through the computer seat.
-Just submitted our first application for sponsorship (to Big Agnes), so cross your fingers for us! They’re an awesome, small(ish) company with a whole list of sustainability and fair labor practices behind their products and we’d love to advertise for them. I mean seriously, check this page out: https://www.bigagnes.com/Home/CorporateSocialResponsibility. We're already using their gear (3 sleeping bags and a pad) so we'll see how that turns out!

Day 72 - 13th August 2013, Ashland - Iron River - Brule, 41.86 miles

Stephanin dom  opúšťame až okolo obeda. Opäť raz neúspešne skúšame miestne cyklocesty, ale stále sú vhodné iba pre motorkárov. Obedujeme na starom železničnom moste a slávnostne ukončujeme prvú knihu Harryho Pottera. Vrháme sa ihneď na druhú knihu, čo sme si požičali od Stephanie, volá sa Dedičstvo Luny (Legacy of Luna) od Julia Butterfly Hill, je to snahe zachrániť Redwoods, trochu vážnejší žáner. Na cestu Č. 2 sme sa vrátili trochu okľukou, ale aspoň sme mali trochu výhľady a prechádzali sme celkom malebnou krajinou. V Iron River oslavujeme moje a Baškine výročie. Potom nasleduje večerný až v nočný prejazd do Brule, kde spíme na opustenom parkovisku pre rybárov.

Left Stephanie's house by noon, tried to bike on another bike trail, but again, sand traps everywhere, good road if you have 4 Wheeler. Lunch on old former railroad bridge and we finished first book of HarryPotter. Than we returned to route 2 thought nice hilly country, with views and scenery and hills. In Iron River we celebrate my and Baška's second anniversary (sundaes) and find out what is drive in. Cold evening/night ride to Brule where we camped on abandoned fishermen parking lot.

Day 71 - 12th August 2013, Ironwood to Ashland (Wisconsin), 41.68 miles

Na raňajkách stretávame chlapíka menom Chris. Práve dokončil výšľap cez celý Michigan (viac ako 900 míľ), pozval nás na slávnostné otvorenie turistickej cesty, ktorú práve prešiel, vraj tam bude aj guvernér. Tak sme tam šli, videli guvernéra, obzreli si miestnu banícku expozíciu a napokon vyrazili do Wisconsinu. V podstate celá cesta až do Ashlandu bola z kopca, okolo 40 míľ. Čakalo nás mnoho fantastických zjazdov, jeden asi 2 míle dlhý a takmer v 50 km/h. Stretli sme troch cyklistov smerujúcich na výhod. S dvoma sme hodili reč a poskytli nám mnoho povzbudivých informácií. Hlavne SJ si potom zvyšok cesty náramne užívala. V Ashlande sme prespali u priateľky Cherylinej priateľky, Stephanie. Bola veľmi milá a mohli sme si u nej vyprať svoje háby a uvarili sme fantastickú večeru.

Breakfast in the Inn. We met here hiker Chris who just finish his hike thought wholeMichigan (more than 900 miles). He did it become he would like to be first who hike that trail which was just opened and he invite us on opening ceremony where will be also governor of Michigan. So we saw governor of Michigan (and his cool security guards, exactly like from American action movies:-). Rode to the Ashland (we are in Wisconsin now!) was amazing never ending downhill ride. We met a few long distance bikers add we are, but in opposite direction, one couple gave us many good informations about roads and how it was. SJ was really excited (Rockies are not so bad and wind is not only from the west!). After this she really enjoyed the rode to Ashland and we did it in record speed (it was downhill and wind changed and was in our back). In Ashland we stayed at Stephanie's house (she is the Lori's friend, who is SJ's aunt Cheryl friend), with her amazing dogs and had fabulous dinner and girls chatted a lot.

Day 70 - 11th August 2013, Ewen - Bergland - Wakefield - Ironwood, 45.42 miles

Náš posledný deň na 28čke. Prechádzame popri mnohých mokradiach, smrekových lesoch, chvíľami to tu vyzerá ako na Sibíri. V Berglande na brehu jazera Gogebic si dávame obed a Baška sa čvachtá vo vode aj napriek studenému vetru čo fúka. SJ nám číta knihu “Legacy of Luna", prichádza rodinka na piatich karavanoch, sledujeme menšie rodinné olympijské hry a dojedáme chutné “odpadkové “ koblihy. Na ceste do Ironwoodu krúžia dva orliaky, jeden mladý a jeden starý. Cesta do Wakefieldu bola riadna mosquito “.
Prespali sme v motely, ktorý spozoruje Stormy Kromer, firma kde pracuje SJ-inin strýko.

Our last day on route 28, with many wetlands, woods, sometimes it was like on some scenic drive. In Bergland we stopped to have lunch, Baška swam in the Lake Gogebic. We watch huge family reimpugn Olympic games and ate delicious garbage chocolate donuts. We saw two bald eagles (old and young).
Road to Wakefield was mosquito trap (especially if you need go to the bathroom). We slept in Ironwood in Classic Motors Inn. Our room was sponsored by SJ's uncle &  Stormy Kromer, Thanks you.

Pictures:
Rainbow over out motel when we arrived to Ironwood.

Day 69 - 10th August 2013, Convington - Sidnaw - Ewen Roadside Park, 55 miles

Dnes bol nádherný, svieži deň, ako stvorený na cyklistiku. SJ sa už cítila dobre, vietor nám bol tiež priaznivo naklonený. Prechádzali sme cez kopce, vychutnávali si parádne zjazdy a okolitú mokraďnú scenériu. Skúsili sme chvíľu ísť aj po niečom či mal byť bike trail, ale rýchlo sme zistili, že to je len pre motorkárov. Mokrade sa postupne zmenili na kopce, lesy na pasienky s kravami a koňmi. Baška na záver dňa chytila druhý dych a nechala náš s SJ ďaleko vzadu. Opäť sme spali na odpočívadle (tu to volajú Road side park), vypekali si lievance a kŕmili milióny komárov.

Today was fresh, cool day with clear sky and bright colors. Hills had gentle slopes and downhills rides were long. This was a good day to bike. For a while we tried to bike on "bike trail" but very soon we realized that we are not on dirt bikes or 4wheelers. Wetlands slowly changed to hills with meadows, horses or cows. In the beautiful sunset Baška got a second breath and left us far behind. We camped behind Ewen in road site park, eating pancakes and feeding millions of mosquitos.

Pictures:
Nice day to ride

Day 68 - 9th August 2013, Van Riper State Park - Michigamme - Convington, 20.02 miles

Ráno sa bavíme nad predvádzaním sa vydávania sa chtivých nezadaných jedincov. Cítim sa tu celkom nemiestne :-).
Dnes nám fúka riadny protivietor a je značne chladno, ale aj tak sa ideme kúpať... Cesta napokon nebola až tak zlá, ako sme sa obávali, takmer žiadna premávka a prechádzali sme okolo mnohých pekných miest (lesy, kopčeky, mokrade....). SJ sa dnes necítila dobre, takže sme dnes cyklistiku rýchlo ukončili v krásnom “road side" parku. SJ hneď zaľahla, ani večeru nechcela. Ja som si s Baškou vychutnal krásny západ slnka pri malom vodopáde obkolesenom mohutnými borovicami...

- As we are packing up our stuff we had a lot of fun observing the "spouse" hunters in the camp, it was kind of "I'm the best match for you" show, girls were playing volleyball in tight shirts and super short shorts (even it was quite cold and windy), boys were trying to be the most funny, some of them played golf, some rode on fancy or crazy motorbikes, some rode around on cars (yesterday somebody came on limo), one guy was sitting alone, playing guitar and trying to look very cool, some of them just sat around campfire, drank beers and tried to look rough. Well it is hard to find the right spouse. I felt totally inappropriate here.
- before we left this place we swam in Lake Michigamme, even though it was pretty chilly and windy (huge waves), west wind was extra strong in our faces today.
- biking on route 28 wasn't as bad as we were fearing, there was nearly no traffic and the surrounding scenery was very nice (mixed coniferous and deciduous forests (pine trees, maples, birch, etc.), wetlands, small hills, nice rides down, many curves).
- SJ didn't feel good today so we stopped sooner in one of Roadside Parks near Convington, amazing place with an old forest, small waterfall and beautiful sunset. She actually went to bed without dinner, so that's a gauge of how tired she was.
-Met a nice family at the roadside park that was on vacation (hope you're reading the blog! : ) We talked about trips and the outdoors, the kids were the ages we've had so much experience with teaching at CVEEC. Safe travels!

Day 67 - 8th August 2013, Marquette to Champion (Van Riper State park), 34.9 miles

Dnes opúšťame Marquette po peknej cykloceste, ale najprv ešte Baška rieši problémy s jej batohom čo poslala na Slovensko. Kus cesty sledujeme železnicu čo preváža železnú rudu, celá táto oblasť je povestná svojimi ložiskami a baňami na železnú rudu, skrátka je to tu dosť rozkopané, cestou míňame mnoho starých lomov. Napájame sa na cestu Č. 28, celkom v pohode, široká krajnica, ale s hustou premávkou. Za Negaunee sa to ale lepší. Učíme SJ ako použivať prehadzovačku :-).
Kempujeme v Van Riper state park, akurát tu má zraz nejaká nezadaná kresťanská mládež, všetci sa úporne snažia uloviť si budúceho dokonalého ženícha či nevestu... No, asi je to lepšie ako zoznamka na internete.

- yesterday we spent hole day with packing, so we left Marquette today
- Baška had to solved another problems with backpack which she sent to Slovakia, so we had to go to the County clerk to confirm some document for Baška's father so maybe he will be able to get that cursed backpack
- we left Marquette on nice, quiet bike trail, met one girl from Marquette's bike shop, try to teach SJ how to use derailleur on her new bike
- this region is well known for it's iron ore, mines, heaps and iron pellets, this stuff is everywhere around Negaunee
- after bike trail we spent rest of the day on route 28, quite nice with wide shoulder and rumble strip but a little bit too loudly because high traffic, after Negaunee it got better but for couple days this will be our daily bread
- or camp is in Van Riper state park, cost 12$, camp is full of young man and girls because some church here organize event "find your future spouse"

Pictures:
Bike trail from Marquette

Day 65 - 6th August 2013, still in Marquette

Dnes baby celý deň nakupujú potraviny, radia sa s jednou zdravotnou poradkyňou o zdravotných problémoch a ako ich eliminovať správnou stravou a ja robím na bikoch. Včera sa SJ rozhodla, že si kúpi nový bike (konečne), takže sme pochodili všetky cykloobchody v Marquette, až sme našli rovnakého Giant-a ako má Baška. Takže teraz prehadzujem veci zo starej Thelmy na novú Markétu, mením ojazdené pneumatiky, brzdy a reťaze a pod.

Day 64 - 5th August 2013, Marquette

Dnes beháme po všetkých (troch) bike šopoch v Marquette. SJ s rozhodla, že si kúpi nový bike a my sme potrebovali nové plášte a reťaze. Bolo to celkom úmorné ale napokon sme všetko dostali.

Shopping day. SJ decided to buy new bike so we spent whole day in different bike shops and gear swap shop. SJ finally got new bike, we got new tires, chains and a little but of another equipment for biking & camping.

Day 63 - 4th August 2013, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Dnes sme navštívili Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (prvé v USA) na jazere Superior, fantastické pieskovcové útesy, miestami až 50 m vysoké sme si obzreli z lode (vďaka štedrosti SJninej tety), najprv sme si však boku pozrieť jeden vodopád - Miners Falls, zaplávať si v jazere a trochu si zaskákať z útesov.

Today we visited Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. First we did small hike to Miners Falls, than we went to Miners Beach to swim and jump to the lake Superior from cliff. In the evening SJ's aunt Cheryl took us on the boat ride around Pictured Rocks shore, more in the pictures.

Pictures:
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore - Miners falls
Pictured Rocks
Pictured rocks
arch
the edge/face of native american
watchpost?
Spray Falls
shipyard
Lakeshore of Pictured Rocks
Bridalveil Falls

Day 62 - 3rd August 2013, Blaney Loge - Seney and about 20 miles on route 28, 35.32 miles

Ráno začalo pekne, ale potom sa prihnali mraky, začalo fúkať (zo západu ako obvykle) a citeľne sa ochladilo. Skoro celý deň sme ťahali proti vetru po ceste číslo 28 do mesta Munising. 28 je v tomto úseku super rovná, plochá, 35 míľ dlhá čiara. Vraj najdlhšia rovná cesta na stredozápade. A vraj aj najnudnejšia, naokolo síce pekne mokrade ale na bicykel nič moc.
Našťastie sme na nej urazili asi iba 20 míľ, keď nás zobrala SJ-ina teta Cheryl, ktorá sa tadiaľto vracala z Kanady. Takže sme sa do Marquette dostali veľmi rýchlo. Celkom sa to hodilo, jedna špaila na mojom kolese bola zlomená a pneumatiky na SJ-inom bicykli sa pomaly ale isto trhajú... Potrebujeme servis.

Day on never ending super flat and straight part of route 28 (longest in Midwest), cold, strong west wind. SJ's Aunt Cheryl was on her way home from Canada and picked us up, so we ended in the Marquette a little bit sooner than we expected. Quite in time, one of my spokes in rear wheel was broken and SJ's Thelma's tires were tearing and bumpy.

Pictures:
endless route 28 between Seney and Munising
"accidentally" saved by SJ's aunt

Day 61 - 2nd August 2013, Hog Island to Blaney Lodge, 32.91 miles, total 1263 miles

Stále šliapeme proti vetru vetrisku a Route 2 je tu nechutne rovná, už nie sme na pobreží. Máme za sebou už 2000 km a tak to oslavujeme poriadnou porciou zmrzliny (tu je jeden kopček ako päť našich). Po pár míľach na ceste začína SaraJanenino zadné koleso akosi nadskakovať, niečo sa deje aj s mojím. Zisťujem, že mám zlomenú jednu špailu a SJ sa trhá plášť, prečo to mi je záhada...(asi zlý ráfik). Večer spíme na trávniku za bývalým slávnym letoviskom Blaney Lodge, ešte stále tu majú zopár hostí, boli tu na nás veľmi milí, dali nám vodu a pozvali na golf (kartová hra), čo SJ hneď prijala (my sne radšej išli robiť večeru).

Nice day but even more windy than yesterday. We just past 2000 km mark today and had small celebration with ice cream. Route 2 is super straight and rear tire on SJ's bike Thelma, started to be bumpy. Same my, I found out that one of my spokes broke (so that was that mystery sound from yesterday). Why Telma's tire is bumpy, stayed mystery (it was cut by wheel rim but I didn't figure out why). After super straight route 2 we turned on route 77, pretty straight too. We camped at Blaney Lodge, invited by very nice people from Lodge, they let us to stay in their backyard and play golf (card game). SJ played well but not the best :-)

Pictures:
Lake Michigan shore
Monarch
Blaney Lodge

Day 60 - 1st August 2013, St. Ignace to Hog Island State Forest Campground, 34.13 miles

Nádherný deň, ale opäť riadny západný protivietor, celý deň sme na ceste (oni to tu volajú Highway, aj keď to do diaľnice má ďaleko) číslo 2, ktorá spája výhodné a západné pobrežie. Cesta kopíruje pobrežie jazera Michigan, je výborná na bicyklovanie aj keď s porne hustou premávkou. Kupujeme Pasties, miestnu banícku špecialitu (niečo ako veľký piroh plnený mäsom, zemiakmi a kapustou). Obedujeme na akejsi bočnej ceste v “štátnom“ lese a tesne než stihneme odísť, stretávame sa so Selenou, biologičkou, ktorá tu sleduje miestnu populáciu kulíkov (Piping Plovers, Charadrius melodus). Slovo dalo slovo a o chvíľu sme už boli pri hniezde a pozorovali mladé, takže dnes sme mali tak trochu ontologický deň.
Zvyšok dňa sme ťahali popri pobreží, mali sme nádherné výhľady na jazero. Večer sme to zalomili v kempe na Hog Island-e (aj keď to nebol ostrov). Bol tu úžasný západ slnka, jazero ako more a kopec veľkých balvanov, skoro ako v Estónsku :-)

Day on route 2, nice weather but windy (as usually). During our lunch stop (we had Pasties, local speciality) we met Selena, she works for state forest service and she came here to check the nest of Piping Plovers. She invited us to go with her, so we did and had a little of ornithology today. Rest of the day we followed Lake Michigan shore with beautiful views on the lake. We slept in Hog Island State Park Campground (13$ per night/site). Nice sunset.

Pictures:
Pasties - local UP speciality
"accidentally" we spent some time with local ornithologist, watching Piping Plovers youngs
Piping Plovers
Piping Plovers nesting area
Lake Michigan from route 2
evening at Hog Island