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Old 05-15-07, 07:13 AM
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Tom Stormcrowe
Out fishing with Annie on his lap, a cigar in one hand and a ginger ale in the other, watching the sunset.
 
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: South Florida
Posts: 16,056

Bikes: Techna Wheelchair and a Sun EZ 3 Recumbent Trike

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It's "Colder than Hell in Paradise", Mi!

Well, the UP of Mi tour with the wife was not a resounding success......she got sick, complained about the cold and generally had a terrible time. She also made sure I had one as well. Granted, the only time we were warm enough was when we were in the sleeping bags, but it started out fun! I'm going back up in 2 weeks, solo, to complete the ride. We did make Whitefish Point though.

I have some of the pics up here
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=298383

Some critiques of my trailer and load
Load:
It was HEAVY, but once I got it moving, it was like it wasn't there, at least til the terrain turned uphill. Soloing, I'll be riding a lot lighter, as I won't have to pull the wifes gear as well (Mental note: She needs her own trailer!). The load weighed out at 79 pounds, trailer and all.

The Trailer

A Schwinn Kid Trailer was what I pulled. It actually worked out fairly well. It was a tad wider, but was very stable. No wobble, even downhill, but man it pushed! On the uphills, I felt like a 230 Cummins without a turbo, just gearing down and down and down!

Camping:

The UP is a great place for camping, by the way! Either tent or hammock/tarp. Lots of campgrounds, or lots of public land with trees conveniently spaced!Most of the State Campgrounds were $10 or less, except for the big ones with electricity, they were $26 or so. Stealth camping is definitely an option!

The Roads

Wide shoulders were common, except for M28 out of Newberry, it was a narrow shoulder with a lot of high speed truck traffic. I have to give the drivers credit though, a lot of courtesy, and wide clearance when there was no shoulder.

I'm going back up in 2 weeks to finish the tour solo. I had to get the wife home though. She'lll do some riding with me later this Summer down here in Indiana instead. The UP was a bit ambitious for a first try though. I have to give her credit though, in spite of getting sick and having a terrible, cold ride, she's still game and wants to do the UP again, but next year!
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. “He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”- Fredrick Nietzsche

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." - Immanuel Kant
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