Satisfying And Delicious

June 14, 2024

Porcupine Mountains Union Lake/Big Bear Campground

This information board is full of interesting facts about Lake Superior, not the least of which is the fact on top--it's the greatest of the greats.

The next most interesting fact was the one about the lake containing approximately three quadrillion gallons of water. That's such a mind-boggling number that I had to look up how to write it numerically. Here it is: 3,000,000,000,000,000. That's more gallons than all the gallons of beer my friends and I drank in college.

"Man does not exist for cycling alone. Verily, I say unto you, 'experience the great outdoors in a multitude of ways.'" Thus spoke Greggarceau.

Accordingly, I started my day--after coffee of course--by hiking to the scenic highlight of the eastern side of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness. I was pretty pumped up about seeing the Falls of the Presque Isle River.

It's kind of gauche to begin one's journal page with two information boards, but I guess gaucheness is my nature. I was hoping this picture would describe the danger I would be subjecting myself to better than my own words.

This set of falls is just the beginning.

It's a violent flow of water. I'm glad I didn't go wading in it.

Then it calms down just before entering my favorite lake in the world.

This is the hiking trail leading back to civilization.

Part Two: The Cycling Part

Back at the civilized, yet rustic campground, I packed up all my camping gear, changed into my biking costume, pumped some fresh water from the well, and started the bike tripping portion of my day. It was another pleasant one, that's for sure.

It was also another festival of view-blockers. I'm talking about 29 straight miles of nothing but trees on both sides of the road. The Ottawa National Forest's view-blockers were on the right, and The Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park's view-blockers were on the left.

To be honest, there were a lot of ferns and wildflowers too, but they don't block the view.

"Is it my imagination, or are the trees closing in on us?" observed G-2.

"Onward Church of the Great Outdoors Soldiers," I sang quite enthusiastically, "marching as to war . . . "

I was tempted to pick the petals of this "she-love's-me, she-loves-me-not flower" to see if The Feeshko still loves me. I used that contrived theme in a previous journal, so I'm not going to do it again.

I had stopped for a snack & water break when I took the above picture. That's where I suffered my first attack from a horde of mosquitoes. At first, I took it like a man and continued to chug water and eat spoonfuls of peanut butter. When I could take it no longer, I started pedaling again, thinking I could outrace them.

It was on a four-mile ascent, so I was wrong. Those savages were as fast as me. I didn't count the number of mosquito bites I got before I finally dug out the 100% DEET, but I'd say it was at least 40. I'll also say I didn't get another bite after that.

Why is the road descending when I have to get over those green mountains ahead?

View-blockers line the gravel roads too.

It's a bit of a shock to the senses when you ride out of a 29-mile gauntlet of view-blockers and suddenly you come to T-intersection and there is nothing in front of you but the freedom of a gigantic expanse of blue water. Where nothing obstructs your view except a road sign.

. . . ahh, that's better. 3,000,000,000,000,000 gallons of perfect beauty.

I know Hawaii has some famous beaches. So do a lot of states along the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean. I've even heard the Mediterranean Riviera and Coastal Australia have some popular ones. So do a lot of other countries.

As for me, you can have them! I'll take these beautiful Lake Superior beaches any time. Sure, the water is only 40-degrees (F), but that only makes the U.P. beaches more adventurous. Feeling hot? A jump into Lake Superior will cool you off faster than a jump into any of the above-named waters.

I talked to these gals for a few minutes. They were rock-hunting. "Agates?" I asked. "No, just anything pretty," they replied.

I got a campsite and took my picture. The campground was way more developed than last night's, but I kind of enjoyed some of the amenities.

Part Three: Where Things Advanced From Pleasant to Fantastic

The beach was right in front of the campground, so I walked down there frequently to check on the advancement of the sun toward the lake. I wanted to see the sun set into the greatest and most beautiful lake in the world.

I was pretty tired, but I had to be patient. Somewhere along today's ride I had crossed into the Eastern Time Zone. Here on the very western edge of the Eastern Time Zone, the sun doesn't set until almost 10:00 p.m.

Part Four: What Beer Does

Have you ever had the pleasure of consuming two (update: three) cans of Two Hearted Ale while writing in a notebook at a campsite picnic table? If not, I'm here to tell you it's “satisfying and delicious.” It was as if Michigan's own Bell's Brewery “mixes it with love and makes the world taste good.”

Not only am I good at ripping off lyrics from a silly song made famous by Sammy Davis, Jr., but I'm also good at sharing Ernest Hemingway trivia—like this gem: Michigan's own Bell's Brewing Company got the name for its signature IPA from a famous Hemingway short story called “The Big Two Hearted River.” The story is about a dude who just returned from the trenches of World War I and went to Michigan's Upper Peninsula to unwind. I can relate to that. His way to unwind was to hike, camp, and hook trout with grasshoppers. MY way to unwind is to bike, camp, and search for bears and mooses.

I'm sure you've noticed how his story and my journal share the same theme concerning the redemptive powers of nature. I don't claim to be the Hemingway of bicycle touring journals but, well, the proof is in the pasty. The only difference between us is that he won a Pulitzer Prize and, so far, I haven't.

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Today's ride: 32 miles (51 km)
Total: 115 miles (185 km)

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Emily SharpOh dear, my guys are sooooo wishing they were with you right now as all those floating opportunities are making them really envious of you. They don't mind the cold water if they are floating on top.

And I shall keep my fingers crossed for you that you come away from the tour without tick-borne or mozzie-borne illness!
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5 months ago

Gregory GarceauTo Emily SharpI've crossed many other streams and rivers over the last couple days too. You'd never get anywhere because Verne & Kermit would be constantly nagging at you to stop for some rafting.

I do kind of worry about the mosquitoes. I know they carry diseases and I've heard they kill more people than any other animal on earth.
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5 months ago

marilyn swettI had to laugh about the view-blockers you encountered! We recently traveled through North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia where we also encountered mile after mile of green tunnels. Pretty, but very claustrophobic. I'm missing our wide open views and spaces in Arizona!
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5 months ago

Gregory GarceauTo marilyn swettHi Marilyn,
I agree, those wide open spaces of Arizona make it one of my favorite states.
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5 months ago