Days 4-6, Sore Legs, Lake Superior, and Rest

If mosquitoes knew how much danger they were in around humans, would they still be the nuisance they are? I probably murdered 50 this evening right in front of their friends and family, and still they kept relentlessly landing themselves on my body to die like their fallen brethren.

It’s Saturday July 12^th, 2014 and I felt the waters of Lake Superior on my feet today for the first time this trip! A good feeling after some long days where my legs were less than comfortable, to say the least.

I woke up early Wednesday to a very chilly morning with a light fog, which slowly disintegrated as the sun rose. It was a perfect morning for biking as I got on the road shortly after 7. Unfortunately it didn’t last long, as I had planned to stop a few miles up the road in Merrill at a coffee shop for a few hours to get some work done. By the time I got back on the road it was hot and windy again, but this time the wind was at my back! Oh what a difference a tailwind makes – I was cruising uphill at 20 MPH, with a fully loaded bike!

My destination for that night was Boyd’s Mason Lake Resort near Park Falls. I was going to stay at Tyler’s, but it ended up being easier for him to have me just stay out there. I always enjoy an excuse to visit the resort so it was fine by me, but it did make for another long day. Numerous stops helped make the day manageable, including one at a very aptly placed ice cream shop! I met a couple there who were bikers with a cabin in the area and were admiring my setup. It’s always a nice little boost to your energy level when random people wish you well and tell you how impressed they are. I’m sure the ice cream helped too.

I made it to Boyd’s slightly before dusk after a beautiful evening for biking with some surprisingly nice country roads. They set me up with a room which was a nice break from the tent, and Tyler pointed me to the walk in cooler and told me “eat anything you want”! After another 100+ mile day, that was music to my ears! The food there is always fantastic, and after a few camp meals it was especially delicious!

Welcome to Boyd’s!

They don’t hunt the property, and the deer are fairly tame.

There was a steady rain falling the next morning, and I was especially grateful to not be in my tent. I stuck around till about noon then hit the road again. My legs were pretty shot at day number 5 with no real rest, so I set my sights on Copper Falls State Park about 50 miles away. I wanted to make it to Ashland before taking a rest day, but thought better of it after a few miles on the bike again. The day was pretty easy, with most of the mileage on Hwy 13. It’s a pretty heavily traveled road, but has wide shoulders and fewer hills than the smaller county roads. When I got to the town near Copper Falls, there was virtually nothing there. I needed a coffee shop with internet or something similar for my rest day, and I realized I’d have to go to Ashland for that. I debated biting the bullet and going the extra 23 miles up there, but decided that I’d better listen to my legs and stop for the night.

I’d heard good things about Copper Falls, and the office attendant made sure I knew not to miss the 1.7 mile trail that goes around the three falls in the park. Hiking was about the last thing I wanted to do, but I figured 1.7 miles couldn’t be that bad and I didn’t want to be there and miss doing it. I set up camp and headed out on the bike for the trailhead. Much to my disappointment, as soon as I left the campground the road dropped down a long steep hill. Now I’m normally all for downhills, but not when I know I have to come back up them later. After a few more descents I reached the deserted trailhead and set out with my camera. It was grey and cool, and as I reached the part of the trail with stairs I was not very happy. The falls looked neat, but the views were very obstructed by trees. I continued on and snapped a few pictures, getting more frustrated every time I reached a new set of stairs and my legs reminded me that this was not what they wanted to be doing. After crossing over the Bad River and heading back up the other side of the gorge, I was ready to be done. Right then, as if on cue, the clouds started to break. Within a few minutes the sky was blue and everything was illuminated by that wonderful late afternoon sun, highlighting the incredible topography of the gorge with the roaring waterfalls cutting through. What a completely different experience it was after that. It turned into a perfect evening and I sat at one of the lookouts perched above the falls and took it all in (the views were much better from that part of the trail too).

So many stairs.

The falls at Tyler Forks

Once back to the trailhead, I was in good spirits and very glad that I’d decided to do the hike instead of letting laziness get the better of me. I then got back on my bike for the slow, mile-long uphill ride back to the campground. The beautiful, tranquil evening did not make that part any better.

Though today is technically my rest day, I packed up and rode the easy 23 miles to Ashland, mostly downhill. Hopefully my legs forgive me. Seeing Lake Superior as I rode into town made the trip seem a little more real. Ashland is on the Chequamegon Bay, and the opposite shore wraps around and heads up to Bayfield and the Apostle Islands. You really get a sense of how big Lake Superior is when you look at this area on a map of the entire lake and see how tiny it is!

I’m camped at Prentice Park for the night – not the nicest campground but a good location right on the edge of town and close to the lake. I ran errands in town today and ate dinner at South Shore Brewery. It was nice to not have to spend the evening cooking and cleaning up, and their sweet potato fries were delicious! The beer only gets 3 stars though. I came back and got a late start doing laundry. Hopefully it doesn’t rain tonight since my clothes are still drying. The mosquitoes here are the worst here that I’ve seen. The bug spray I’m using (Repel Lemon Eucalyptus) doesn’t seem super effective, so I might have to switch to the stuff with Deet if they continue to be this bad. I finished laundry with a little daylight left, and headed down to the shore to catch the sunset. It turned out to be a good one, with the sun’s rays filtering through the breaks in the clouds and reflecting off the calm bay. I sat for a while and watched the day slowly fade, remembering that tomorrow I’ll start the actual lake loop and the next portion of what’s shaping up to be a great trip!

Doing laundry in panniers.

Disclaimer – enhanced color setting.

A perfect sunset over Lake Superior