I was up by 7 am on Sunday. It was such a gorgeous morning! 
As is fitting for cottage living there was no wifi available to use, which meant no blog posting or mapping out the days ride,
Jeanne cooked me up sausage and eggs, an I finally had a chance to talk to my hosts one on one until some of their family (all over 60) joined.
I didn't have to rush out of there, but at the same time I knew the day would only be growing warmer and I had a decent amount of distance to cover.
Jeannie gave me a ziplock bag of trail mix (the kind with chocolate m&m's!), a couple bananas, and a couple chunks of the Reese peanut Butter Cake they had served for dessert the night before (which was so good it appeared in my dream... What can I say, I have my weaknesses).
The roads were peaceful and it truly felt like cottage country. It was so peaceful as I road in the lush green. So it had been worth changing my route. I was able to ride quiet Wisconsin roads for over 4 hours. It was so lovely. A welcome break from the highway.
I was able to catch up on the Sunday sermons I had missed from my church back home. It was strange hearing the familiar voices preaching in the U.S. Countryside as I pedalled, but good.
Eventually I had to go into the upper peninsula of Michigan, which apparently goes by the nickname of U.P.
The roads grew noticeably worse when I crossed the State line. Pity that.
Had a bit more quiet road before rejoining good old highway 2 (again).
I have been using a bigger range of gears than a week ago, now that there are actual hills to go up and speed down.
When I reached Iron River I saw the Golden Arches in the distance promising Internet and a break from the hours of riding. (I was at 124 Km's by then).
The heat seems to affect my appetite some, so all I wanted was a sweet cold drink. Didn't realize I was that thirsty! And as bad as drinking soft drinks is, it really hit the spot (all those empty calories...)
I caught up on everything in the online world as I cooled down and figured out where to go from there.
Bewabic State Park was up the road another 16 Km's and looked like a good option as they had swimming, showers and drinking water available.
I was ready to call it a day when I rolled in at 4:30 pm.
I got a "walk-in" site, which I could bike in, off away from all the campers and kids running around (camping city). It was in the middle of the forest, where, unfortunately, the bugs were many.
I quickly got my tent set up and my bike lightened a bit before fleeing to the beach at the day use area where I could hang out until bedtime.
So nice being able to sit and have time by myself and relax.
Unfortunately I caught the eye of a young paddle boarder dude who had dreams of travelling by bike and wanted to strike up conversation. Talkative guy, he had all sorts of advice, where to go, what to eat that was classic UP. The only way to get him to stop was to go for a swim, which I had been meaning to get around to doing at some point. I felt so gross with bug spray, sunscreen and sweat and dirt coating my body. Just swam in my cycling clothes. Why not after all?
Felt refreshed by that! Paddle boarder dude did his good deed for the day letting me use his towel (I only carry a 12x12" microfibre one and I still had to shower...) I only realized as I was leaving I never even got his name. Oh well, whatever.
A shower was next on the agenda, and then brushing teeth, and washing my bike shorts in the sink. I made sure to put bug spray on so I could get to my tent unbutton.
It was still early 8:30 pm when I laid me down to rest, out there in the solitary quiet of the woods.
- Eritia
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