If she can do it, we can do it!
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DAY
5 — Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Munising to Newberry
LUNCH STOP: Seney
ROUTE: H58 east to H15 — H15 south to Hwy 28 — Hwy 28 east to Hwy 123 — Hwy 123 north to Newberry
TOTAL MILES: 67
We arose at the usual time — 7:15 a.m. As we were making preparations I happened to glance out our motel window and see a most interesting-looking woman. Her hair was braided into two pigtails. She had full hiking garb, a monstrous-looking backpack, and two walking sticks. Strapped to her belt and pack were various things, including a GPS. I couldn't resist stepping outside to chat with her. Bill followed, camera in hand.
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If she can do it, we can do it!
In about a minute we gleaned the following amazing info. This summer she's hiking the western portion of the North Country Trail and, specifically, is going from Lake Sacagawea, North Dakota (the starting point) to the Mackinac Bridge. (For those not from Michigan, the Mackinac Bridge — a.k.a. Big Mac Bridge and also Mighty Mac Bridge — is a 5-mile long suspension bridge connecting Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas.) Upon further questioning, she told us that she's 62 years old. Her backpack weighs 22 pounds — which is less than it looked. She started hiking in 1988. Has hiked over 27,000 miles since. Goes about 10 hours per day. Covers 20 miles per day on a road; 17 per day on a trail. She hikes alone "because no one's foolish enough to go with her."
NOTE: The North Country Trail is a hiking trail extending from Lake Sacagawea, North Dakota to Albany, New York. It runs from North Dakota across Minnesota and then Wisconsin, across Michigan's Upper Peninsula to the Straits of Mackinac, down Michigan's Lower Peninsula and into Ohio, then across Pennsylvania and into New York State to Albany.
For breakfast, Bill and I walked to the Dogpatch Restaurant. There, too, was the hiker woman. This eatery is a nifty place with a creative, friendly theme cleverly executed. Service was fast, food was good. Next time I'm in Munising I'm going there for dinner, as well.
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Yeh, I know what you're thinking,
but the food and service is GOOD.
Something Bill noticed is that all the motels we had stayed at used the "old-fashioned" room key rather than the modern "door-lock card." This was the case for the entire week except the last day, when we stayed at the Paradise Inn.
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Sign of yesteryear
Our original plan for this day was to take Hwy 28 to Newberry. This would have involved backtracking on 12 miles of the highway that we had covered at the end of the prior day. Earlier, a middle-age couple saw our bikes at the motel and came up to talk with us. Interestingly, they were doing a bike tour of the U.P. similar to ours, except in the opposite direction (counterclockwise as opposed to clockwise). After they learned of our route, they suggested an alternate one. It involved taking highway H58 out of Munising, and then connecting with H15 and taking it to Hwy 28. This would enable us to eliminate the backtracking stretch on 28 and, thereby, see some new terrain. So we took their suggestion.
We departed at 9:30 on highway H58 heading eastward. The first few miles presented a number of challenging hills.
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John racing a scooter to the top.
John won.
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Bill victoriously mounts another
crest. (Lake Superior is in the background.)
Along this stretch Bill got a notion to take some photos "on the move," or while we were both peddling. Here they are.
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Yeh, I'm doin' it … and I'm
lovin' it.
After about 12 miles on H58 we came to H15 and turned southward toward the tiny town of Shingleton on Hwy 28. Then we took 28 eastward for about 45 miles, or until we reached Newberry — our day's destination.
Hwy 28 has a moderate amount of traffic — running about 65 mph. The shoulder is 3-feet wide and in good condition. Except when there was oncoming traffic, virtually every vehicle pulled far wide of us when passing from behind. This highway has rumble grooves down the center of the road. Every time a vehicle wheel runs onto the grooves there's a distinct rumble sound. Thus, we could always tell when an upcoming vehicle was pulling wide of us by the rumble sound of its wheels as it moved to the center of the highway to pass us. Needless to say, we liked hearing this sound.
There's a stretch of Hwy 28 that runs from the tiny town of Shingleton on the west end to the town of Seney on the east end. This stretch is known as the "Seney Stretch" (and sometimes the "Shingleton Stretch"). It's the north boundary of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge — an interesting place to visit, by the way, if you're ever in the area. Some years ago, the Detroit Free Press newspaper did a poll to find out what stretch of Michigan highway merited the title "most boring stretch of highway in Michigan." The Seney Stretch got the most votes. However, Bill and I've concluded that perhaps these voters weren't traveling in a way that enabled them to appreciate its uniqueness. From a bicycle, it's not boring at all. It contains beautiful marshes, woods, and a variety of many types of trees. Along this stretch Bill took these photos.
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… and miles to go before we
sleep
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(Pssst! The little white dot on
the left is John)
At one point we stopped to see if we could assist a couple with a 5th-wheel trailer with a flat tire, by the side of the road. The man had already called AAA for help. But was most appreciative that we had been thoughtful enough to offer assistance.
About midway on the Seney Stretch we stopped at a rest area for water and restroom. There was a unique biker couple there that attracted attention. They were in their 70s, and were riding a Honda Goldwing trike. Each was immaculately attired in black leathers, including polished black boots and all.
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At least 70 … and still lookin'
sharp and movin' snappy
She couldn't have weighed an ounce over 99 pounds. He explained to a small admiring audience that they had started biking in 1968 and had gone through nine Harley's and a Kawasaki before running this trike. It truly was one cool, impressive-looking machine.
Finally we came to the tiny town of Seney, at the intersection of Hwy 28 and Hwy 77. This was our planned lunch stop. Two weeks prior, while at a bike shop, I had struck up a conversation with a 70-year old gent who said he had biked around Lake Superior about 40 years ago, and in so doing biked across the U.P. He mentioned several "must-see" places. One of them was "the Seney Bar." So, Bill and I planned to do our lunch there … if it still existed. And, apparently, it still did. Of the several commercial establishments in Seney, one of them was an old bar named Andy's Seney Bar.
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The legendary "Seney Bar"
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So, of course, we went in for lunch.
It was somewhat dimly lit and looked like it had seen a hundred generations of smoke-filled raucous Friday and Saturday nights. We perched ourselves at a table and a friendly woman bartender came over and handed us some simple menus. Bill and I both ordered the top item on the list — Andy's Half-pound Burger (or maybe it was the "Half-pound Andy Burger" — anyhow, it was a monstrous burger that contained a half-pound of meat). In short time the bartender returned with two plates, each containing a monstrous burger and chips. Bill and I dug in.
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Yum, yum — eat 'em up
Now let me tell you, there are bar-burgers and then there's this one. If you like bar-burgers, you'll think you're in bar-burger heaven at Andy's Seney Bar. This monster was just plain GREAT … and memorable, too.
Then, Bill and I went across the parking lot to a little store-bakery-café and got an ice cream sandwich. While in the parking lot who should come driving in but Andy himself in his pick-up truck loaded with cases of beer. Naturally, Bill snatched his camera and took a photo of "the main man."
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Andy, proud owner of the Seney
Bar
He told us he had owned the bar for the past 35 years. Then he popped open the tailgate to the truck to ready the beer for transport into the establishment. Right then, a kid and the young woman bartender (or maybe she was the manager) came out and started carrying in the cases of beer.
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Unloading the beer truck (Andy's
pick-up)
Andy — with feigned chivalry that only a 60+ year old gent could get away with — says to the young woman, "Can I help you with this?" She instantly (and astutely) replied, "Oh, no, we got it. You take it easy." Which was a great response, because it appeared that that's exactly what Andy planned to do, anyhow. At this point, Bill just had to get a photo of Andy's very friendly, very energetic, very politic woman bartender and her helper.
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Everyone pitches in
As we continued eastward down Hwy 28 for another 25 miles, Bill took the opportunity to snap numerous photos that struck our fancy. Here are some of them.
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Not today!!!
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Some U.P. lowlands
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Bill conquering yet another hill
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It's a long, tough climb, but someone's
gotta do it
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Clear the road, here I come
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John almost there
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Inside, outside … oh, who
knows the difference, anyhow?
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Yup, my kind of place
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Sadly, no longer in business
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Okay, we get the idea … you
like music and entertainment
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Yup, says it all
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Where exactly is this darn creek,
anyhow?
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How many miles? The shadow knows.
Finally, we reached Hwy 123, turned north, and rode the three miles into Newberry. Midway into this small town we came to our overnight lodging — the Manor Motel.
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Let's see … what exactly are
you offering?
Like the Munising Motel, the Manor appears to be an addition to a house. The proprietor is a super-friendly, immaculately dressed senior lady by the name of Midge. She was delightful. When she discovered that Bill was a dentist from the Soo, she asked if he was interested in buying a good motel. One thing about Midge, though, is that she appeared to be slightly forgetful — like perhaps having minor memory lapses. Bill and I concluded that it might prove beneficial in the near future for some member of her family to step forward and assist her with the hefty responsibility of motel management.
For dinner we walked about a mile to the northern edge of town to a long-time Newberry eatery known as Timber Charlie's. Bill ordered the two-burrito platter and I, at last, enjoyed a U.P. tradition — the PASTY (pronounced like nasty).
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On the walk back to the motel we stopped by an ice cream stand and got our traditional ice cream cone for dessert.
Also, we ran into this street sign. I just had to have Bill photograph me with it. My old friend Pete will appreciate its significance.
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