Superior Tour Days 1-3, Starting Out

Before I knew it the time had come. It was Sunday night after a busy weekend and, although far from ready, I was leaving the next day. Among the things I hadn’t yet done were packing, doing a test ride with the bike loaded up and some new parts installed, finishing my work to-do list, laundry, grocery shopping, and learning how to use the cameras I was taking. It was time to switch into must-do mode.

By about 11:30 PM I had accomplished enough to reach the point where bed looked more appealing than further preparation. I would have an easy 35 mile ride up to West Bend the next day where I was planning to stay with my friends Mike and Jen, so that left me enough time to go into work for half the day and finish the critical things on my pre-trip checklist before heading out in the afternoon.

It’s always difficult to get out the door when you know you’re going to be gone for an extended period of time. This time was especially difficult, as I hadn’t packed the bike before so sorting out where to put everything and how to best utilize the available space was an interesting game. This being the longest bike trip I’ve done by a long shot, it was also a challenge to take the things I’ll need while not overpacking!

Monday afternoon came and I was finally ready to leave about 4:30 PM. I decided to weigh the bike in fully loaded condition, including food and water, before heading out. Wes and I took guesses, estimating 85 and 75 lbs respectively. I had spent a significant amount of time deciding what to take with weight in mind, and had made a few strategic purchases in hopes of maintaining a reasonable load, so I was optimistic about the load I would be pushing up Superior’s notorious hills. I stepped on the scale with the bike, did the math, and breathed a sigh of defeat – 104 lbs. So much for packing light.

Ready to leave Waukesha and start 5 weeks on the road!

I finally headed out, starting the trip with a large descent down the hill by my house while hoping that everything stayed put and my brakes were up to the task. Luckily my Surly Long Haul Trucker is built for exactly this type of thing, and the bike easily handled the load. A few miles in and I started feeling pretty comfortable. It took a while to get out of the urban area, and the evening traffic didn’t make for a very pleasant start. Once I got out into the country on back roads though, it started to sink in that I had actually left and was really doing this trip that I had dreamed up a few months back. The late afternoon sun was shining, the wind was light, and life felt pretty good at the start of 5 weeks on the road!

The ride up to West Bend was pretty easy with only a few significant hills and only one equipment issue. At my first stop, I noticed that the bolt holding one of my panniers to its mounting rail had come off! I expected more from my highly acclaimed Ortlieb bags, but it probably had a lot to do with how much stuff I had jammed into that particular one. Regardless, I didn’t think the plastic nut that they used seemed up to the task, so I swung by the West Bend Ace Hardware and picked up some replacement bolts for both rear bags.

First casualty – a broken pannier bolt

Some sturdy metal hardware to replace it

Staying at Mike and Jen’s was a good call, as I was able to make that repair as well as some other adjustments in a clean garage with nice tools! It did set me up for long mileages over the next few days heading up to Fifield where I plan to see my stepbrother Tyler and his wife Laura though. That night Jen fed me Pizza, and Mike even got up early to make some delicious pancakes the next day! It was definitely a good start to what I was hoping would be a 100 mile day.

I headed out Tuesday morning and quickly remembered what it’s like to be on a bike multiple days in a row. It didn’t take long before the wind picked up and I realized I was in for a long day. I made it up North of Fond du Lac before the first rain hit. I could see it coming and stopped to gear up, but that didn’t prevent me from still getting pretty wet. I pulled off at a park I passed after a few minutes in the rain. Good thing too, as it started to hail a couple minutes after I stopped! Five minutes later and it was sunny again. That was the story throughout most of the afternoon – short cool bursts of rain followed by sun and very strong winds! The wind finally subsided in the early evening after a particularly cold rain. It turned into a beautiful evening as I reached the 80 mile mark and committed myself to reaching Hartman State Park near Waupaca. The last couple hours was definitely the best riding so far, with pleasant temps, flat roads, and mild wind.

Storm clouds that had just passed over Lake Winnebago

Drying out after the first rain

I reached the park, picked out what seemed like a decent site, then dropped my panniers on the picnic table and headed back to the office to register. Fifteen minutes later I rolled back into my site and found a raccoon tearing into one of my panniers! I yelled at him and scared him off, but he had already ripped a hole in the pannier and the food bag that was inside. My food was inside of a bag that’s supposed to be odor proof for keeping critters like that away, but I had left a few Clif bars in the pannier but outside of the odor proof bag. I guess the verdict is still out on whether the odor proof bag works, but lesson learned not to leave food unattended – even in broad daylight. I hung my food that night, and was woken up numerous times by the little shit coming back and trying to climb the tree my food was hanging from. Either my system worked or I scared him away each time, as my food was undisturbed in the morning.

Ripped open pannier from a raccoon trying to steal my food!

Field repaired food pannier

Coffee – a must have!

I got a late start the next morning and headed up toward Merrill. I remembered that my stepdad Gib’s brother has a place on the river near Merrill, so I figured I’d see if I could camp there for the night. Thirty minutes later I had the ok and an address! It was even almost exactly the right distance for the day. Wednesday was windy again, but not quite as bad as the day before. At least there wasn’t any rain! It was chilly though, and I ended up riding with cool weather gear most of the day. I did have my first fall of the trip though. I was stopped next to a guard rail taking a picture, and as I stepped on the bike to ride away my pannier brushed against the guard rail and knocked me off balance unexpectedly. It was a slow and ungraceful, but painless tip. I guess I’m not completely used to the size of the fully loaded bike yet. By the time I made it to their place I was pretty exhausted and ready to make a quick dinner and head to bed. There was a nice partially covered porch that looked perfect for my tent, so I set up there and didn’t even need the rain fly! After a much needed pasta dinner and a few minutes of taking pictures, I hit the sack to try for an early start the next day.

Beautiful evening for a ride.

View of the Wisconsin River from the porch

Convenient and dry camping!

Although I’m only a few days in – and already fairly sore – I’d say the trip is going well and I’m enjoying it. I haven’t really stopped to explore much, but definitely anticipate doing that more once I’m up to Superior and have a more relaxed pace. I have a rest day scheduled for sometime in the next few days, and I’m looking forward to recovering a bit. I didn’t train nearly as much as I probably should have for a trip like this, and I’d say my legs are holding up better than expected. They say either you train for the tour or the tour trains you, and I’m definitely expecting the latter.

As I struggled up a few hills at about 4 MPH, I’ve thought pretty hard about what I could eliminate to save weight. I’ve come up with a few things – mainly clothing, but for the most part I think I’ll be using pretty much everything I have. One significant spot I could cut down though is food – I probably had food for a week when I started, which really isn’t necessary when I’m going through towns every couple of days. I am getting used to the load, and I’m sure in a week or so it will seem perfectly normal. Right now I’m missing my 18 lb road bike though!

I should get my first views of Lake Superior in Ashland in a couple days, and I think the trip will feel a little more real then. I’m definitely looking forward to having the time and freedom to poke around and explore more, although I’m not exactly chomping at the bit to tackle the hills that I’m likely to encounter up there. Although I will have more free time, schedule is still somewhat fixed over the next week as I’m trying to meet up with my Dad and girlfriend Melissa on the U.S. side of Sault St. Marie next weekend. Weather permitting, they’ll be flying up and then biking to a campground to hang out with me for a night. It will be nice to get to see them, and will be a good opportunity to exchange any gear I’ve forgotten or don’t need.

All things considered, the trip is going quite well so far and I’m in good spirits. I’m crossing my fingers that my bike and legs keep holding up, and trying to figure out what kind of wind dance I can do to get a break!