Rain Stories

June 16, 2024

Twin Lakes State Park

It rained last night, but the sky looked pretty good this morning. I was happy for that because I had been seeing so many dismal weather reports for today and for the next three days. I've ranted about the accuracy of those weather forecasters and their Doppler Radars in the past, so there really is no need to get into that again. Besides, everybody who spends a lot of time outdoors--like bike tourists--already knows what I know.

On the way back to Ontonagon, I saw an opportunity to get a last look at my favorite lake in the world before heading east and then north into the Keweenaw Peninsula. As peninsulas go, the Keweenaw Peninsula is a better example of a peninsula than the Upper Peninsula itself. It's the long arm that reaches further up into Lake Superior than the rest of the U.P. It's true. Look it up on a map.

"Goodbye, Lake Superior. But don't worry, I'll be back to see you in a few days," I said.

Then it started raining. It was a light rain, but I still thought it prudent to put the raincoats on my panniers. Just in case, I put a raincoat on me too. I also put my tent in a trash bag. I hate setting up a wet tent.

In the next picture, you will see Son of Bing overlooking the Ontonagon River in full rain gear. The river empties into Lake Superior about a half-mile from here.

It stopped raining at the top of the hill that rose out of the Ontonagon River valley. Call me cocky, but I believed I could outsmart the Rain Division of the Church of the Great Outdoors by leaving our rain gear on. I had a strong feeling the rain would be back.

It wasn't raining five miles up the road yet, so I felt a little foolish--and sweaty--riding in a rain jacket. It was at that point where I stopped to grab a handful of beef jerky and noticed how the road was drying, yet all of the depressions in the rumble strips were full of water.

I think these were the deepest rumble strips I've ever accidentally swerved into. I almost lost control. When I recovered, I had to look back to see if my panniers were still attached.

Most of the U.P. is politically conservative, especially when it comes to guns. Even the Democrats vote to preserve gun rights. Either the owner of this property is a hard core gun lover, or I was right about Martians wanting to take over our world.

Except for Lake Superior, this was the largest expanse of view-blockerless land I have seen since day one.

Rain can be fun. I laugh at rain. Or at least I smile at rain.

There were so many nice spots where I could have taken a picture, but I didn't because of the rain. I dug out my phone for this one because I couldn't resist.

I have never seen such a small snake. I thought it was just a toy snake, but upon further inspection, it's real. Real, but dead.

I made it to my destination for the night. Twin Lakes State Park wasn't as great as the Porcupine Mountains State Park, but it was pretty nice. Despite the off and on rain, it felt like home.

Let's just say, Lake Roland is no Lake of the Clouds.

Heart

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Today's ride: 33 miles (53 km)
Total: 185 miles (298 km)

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Emily SharpGlad to see you riding in the rain to maintain your Tough Guy status. But I would think that any day with a pastie is a good day, even if it rains, though. And hey, it looks like you had the campground mostly to yourself!

And... if the inside of the tent is dry, your sleeping bag is dry and you've got a dry set of clothes... it's actually pretty nice to cuddle up in the bag all warm and cozy and listen to rain on the fly. Hope that's the experience you had!
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6 months ago

Gregory GarceauTo Emily SharpYes, it was the experience I had.
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6 months ago