Deep woods, deep lake.
We spent much of today in the woods. Towns on Michigan rt 28 are spaced about every 10 - 15 miles. Apart from a couple of hay fields, we were almost always in the woods, often in the Ottawa National Forest.
There is active logging in the UP, but we never felt troubled by logging trucks. The shoulders are generally good and keep us out of the traffic lanes, and the truck drivers are courteous.
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There are lots of deer up here, but we didn't meet any moose. We did meet 3 predators worthy of mention. Mosquitoes and blackflies are lurking in the woods. As long as you maintain a bike speed of at least 6 mph, you are reasonably safe from these pests. It's important to stay hydrated, but if excess hydration encourages you to make the mistake of stopping in the woods, you will be instantly swarmed and devoured.
The 3rd pest is the most dangerous. Horseflies have no trouble cruising along at 15 mph. They can and do attack moving cyclists. Unless we are on a downhill section, we can't outrun them. I came close to wrecking a couple of times trying to swat away these beasts.
Lake Superior is a deep lake. The surface is at about 600 feet above sea level, but it is over 1300 feet deep. That means the bottom is more than 700 feet below sea level, more than twice as far below sea level as Death Valley (and much wetter). The big lake moderates the temperatures on the UP. Today was another delightful day, cool in the morning and warm, but not hot, in the afternoon.
We traveled over 50 miles before our lunch break. By then we had worked up a good appetite. The restaurant we stopped at had no air-conditioning. They just opened the windows and let the breeze do the cooling. The motel we are staying at tonight also doesn't require AC to be comfortable.
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