2020: Planning a Bucket List Tour Route

My tour this summer from Carmel, Indiana to Lansing Michigan was unique in many ways. A bucket list tour that included stops at my high school and parent’s farm, I was not riding to a typical bicycle tour destination, so there were not many routes available. Touring in the middle of COVID, this was not the time to try Warm Showers, or approaching someone for freestyle camping in a backyard. While I knew from experience there would be no shortage of great back road miles, I still had to find my way to campgrounds, or at least a Plan B motel. On my 2014 tour, along the Katy Trail and across Illinois,  the first time I had tried internet route planning, I had learned a few of the tricks, and a few of the pitfalls. So here is I how I pulled all this together for navigating my tour this summer.

My itinerary on Google Maps

To start planning, I have a couple of rules of thumb that I use as guides. First, every hour by car to reach a destination is the equivalent of a day of bicycle touring. This is especially true if you are camp touring. My other planning guide is “10 miles per hour on the road”: this is not about your speed, this is how fast you are moving toward you destination, after you figure in everything that makes up touring; map checks, finding a grocery or restaurant, topping off water bottles, and a dozen other bits of minutia through out each day on the road. I have had faster days and stretches riding but I have also had 2 flats in 10 miles on the Katy Trail, or a day of 25 mph headwinds in Michigan’s UP. Both of these guides, gained by experience have served me well over many years.

With the above in mind, I had to look at the days available to get to my destination, with one last consideration before I could build my itinerary. My time available only allowed a one-way tour, and I planned to rent a mid-size car for the drive home. This meant I had to have my end point reasonable close to an available car rental pickup. In my case, that meant a mid-sized airport with weekend rental hours. But this also meant I had include an extra day of travel from my rural “bucket” list destination.

Matching this up with my available vacation time, I had 5 riding days, and a drive home day. My rental car pickup would be near the home of friends (and my final overnight), was about 5 hour driving time from home. With all my tour parameters complete, I opened up Google maps, selected the Bicycle option, and started mapping out my overnight destinations. Google maps allows you to create multiple destination routes, and you can take two approaches. You can put in your start and end points, and then insert the waypoints, of just keep adding destinations to the end for each leg. I use the additive approach, and I linked in the first campgrounds I was sure of, and then starting scanning the map between there and my fourth night campground. I then settled on my second night, and I had 150 miles complete with 120 to cover to night four.

Adding destinations builds your route.

To find night three, I starting looking in the overlap of two 70 mile arcs from my day 2 overnight and my day 4 overnight. This covered south central Michigan and the northwest corner of Ohio. Then I began checking the towns for any nearby campgrounds. While I would have liked crossing a third state line, none of the available Ohio campgrounds offered showers or a laundry option, so I settled on a private Michigan campground, with both, on the north west end of my search area. With all my overnights set, I was ready to enter the destinations for days 4 and 5 into Google maps. Next I saved saved a link of the entire route, and copied it into an Apple Notes document.  Apple Notes automatically synched this to my iPhone and iPad. At the same time, I also created another Notes document with a list of my overnights and all their contact information, my reservation numbers, and my car rental reservation as well.

One thing I opted not to do was load the route into my Wahoo Bolt GPS. I reserved my Bolt for simply recording my route and stats, and relied on my iPhone for navigating. I knew my route as researched was intended be a general guide, and I would adjusting on the fly for road conditions, or finding an open cafe with WiFi. While the Bolt’s navigation is very good, I wanted the flexibility for changes without my Bolt lecturing me, and I this would also optimize its battery life.

At the start of each day on the road, I would open my Notes app to the saved Google maps link, and then find my location on the map. I would continue to reference the map as needed as the day progressed. I soon realized I could also utilize Apple Map’s Siri Navigation. By choosing towns 10 to 15 miles ahead ahead on my intended route, I could let Siri call out my next turn. Since I ride with a handlebar bag, the iPhone was within ear shot and and easy reach, and my Watch was giving turn prompts as well. And with a battery pack dedicated to keeping my iPhone charged (a lesson I learned on an earlier tour), that was not a worry either.

For the most part my plan worked very well for this trip. I only encountered a few navigation issues. Both were with my State Parks. In one case, the address I entered entered was for the recreation area office, and not the actual campground, and that added 5 miles at the end of the day. And in another case, while I had the correct address for the park, the campground was actually 3 1/2 miles from the gatehouse. Not a big deal when you are driving, but a little bit more of a surprise for a touring cyclist. That day was typical, with Google showing a 67 mile route, but the miles in and out of campgrounds, and grocery and lunch side trips, my final for the day was 75 miles. All told, my various adjustments added about 5-7 miles a day to the trip, but well within my expectations; I was fortunate this trip to not have any 20 mile mis-adventures to end the day!

Google predicted 67, your mileage may vary!

As for bike route choices, Google seems to have tendency to use state and US highways when there is a paved shoulder, rather than using a parallel secondary road. This worked fine for a quiet state route in northern Indiana, where a combination of rivers and lakes did not leave a good back roads route to my next overnight. Later in Michigan, Google picked a US highway with a paved shoulder that I knew to have heavy truck traffic. In this case the Google bicycle route algorithm apparently did this to avoid 8 miles of gravel; however, I now tour on a bike at home on gravel, and I enjoyed the more direct backroad riding.

My tour planning has come a long way from winging it with state highway maps, and sending letters to bike clubs and highway departments months in advance. Less than 10 miles from our current home is stretch of State Highway that Linda were attempting to ride in the afternoon rush hour, many years ago, and we had no idea were any of the side roads we encountered might lead as we waited for the traffic to quiet. Today, you can pull over, pull up a satellite image, and check out all the options. You still want to research, and be ready for Plan B, but don’t have to ride in the dark.

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2020: My Touring Gear Updates

New gear, and shopping for it, is always a fun part of preparing for a trip. My latest tour, riding from Carmel to Lansing, Michigan, was no exception. Most of the gear I picked was upgrades to some of my more venerable gear, which also meant a chance to try some new innovations and improved designs. Here are some highlights of my new stuff for this trip.

My Trek 920 loaded to roll.

This was my first extended trip on my Trek 920, but with two weekend overnights and 2 years of commuting, it was not quite new gear. That being said, the 920 provided comfortable for day after day of riding, and I didn’t feel limited by the heavier 29er style wheels.   The 920’s rough and gravel surface capabilities were really appreciated on fresh chip-n-seal and 10 miles of Michigan gravel roads. The 2x10 SRAM drive train handled grades of 13%, with a gear left over, and on the top end, I even enjoyed some 20 MPH+ stretches with tailwinds. I am already a fan of disc brakes, and they were an asset with the extra 30 pounds of gear. This is not a 25mph club ride bike, but I didn’t expect it to be. I am really looking forward to more miles and extended trips on the 920.

Pre-packing my Arkel panniers

After the bike, my next biggest upgrade were new rear panniers to replace my Eclipse Transcontinentals that we have been using since the early ’80’s.  For new rear panniers,  I went with Arkel's T-42s. With a capacity of 2650 cubic inches, these are are not Arkel’s largest pannier, and they do not have the feature set of their top of the line T-54. They are just a very rugged, basic design with a main compartment complimented by 2 external zipper pockets, and 1 open topped, mesh pocket on the side. I really like Arkel’s Camlock mounting systems, which were 100% compatible with the 920’s standard Bontrager racks.  The main compartment is a 3-sided zipper opening, and there is a hold open bar to shape the bag. These are now matched with a pair Arkel T-28 (1700 Cubic inch) panniers I picked up two years ago, which are used for front panniers and day trips.

Used as a set, the 4 available mesh pockets work great for stuff needed quickly on the road, like sunscreen, a hat, lock and cable, or for stashing stuff that comes off, like arm warmers or a wind vest. I use the zippered external pockets to organize small stuff I want secured but with easy access to during the day. I rarely open the main compartments during the day, except to add groceries. My Eclipse bags had served me well for over 30 years and thousand of miles, and expect nothing less from the Arkel bags.

All the next changes were small items, some for convenience, and some for something new.

The Aeros Pillow was a nice bit of comfort.

Over the years, I have tried a handful of different camping pillows, along with sleeping on a stuff sack of clothing. So when my REI dividend came around last spring, I treated myself to a Sea to Summit Aeros Pillow. Aeros is the first of these option I would actually consider using as pillow at home.  It inflates quickly with a clever check valve that self closes while inflating and opens fully for packing.  The integrated soft, microfibre top cover is the nicest bit of comfort.  In the morning it packs down into a small fist-sized stuff sack.  The Aeros costs more than most inflatable pillows, but hey, that is what an REI dividend is for, and it was worth it. (Sea to Summit has updated the Aeros line since I picked mine up.)

Also from Sea to Summit, I purchased their X-Bowl and X-Cup collapsible dinner ware for this trip. These replaced some generic plastic dinner plates I had used for years. The X-Bowl served as a plate, bowl and even a light duty cutting board for preparing apple slices. The X-Cup was available for use as a drinking cup, and was the right size for my breakfast oatmeal. They are easy to clean, and both packed flat.

Sea to Summit X-Bowl and X-Cup

I use stuff sacks to organize the items in my panniers, and this includes clothing packed in ziplock bags, or pre-packaged meals. To make it easier see what was in each bag, and since the contents were all water proof packaged, I replaced many of my older coated stuff sacks with mesh stuff sacks. Aside from a couple I already owned, I picked a couple of REI Co-op Mesh Stuff Sack, a 5 Liter and an 8 Liter. They feature a convenient one handed closure, and are great value. Being able to pick the item I wanted without emptying the entire bag made camp life a little easier.


And while I use household Ziploc freezer bags for clothing, I added an assortment of 4 LokSak waterproof bags. I already a pair each of their phone and 8x5 gear bag from ride swag (Thanks DALMAC!). The are much tougher than even household freezer bags, and feature a heavy duty double water proof closure. I used them for my shower kit, a mix of small electronics, including an iPad, and one for my iPhone. They last a least a couple of years of daily use, and will pick a few more before my next tour.

Another upgrade this year was Black Diamond Cosmo Headlamp, replacing my much older first generation LED headlamp. While I am carrying 2 bicycle headlamps, they are overkill when looking for stuff in the tent, and you can’t beat a headlamp for hands free in camp chores.

I also switched to a new microfiber camp towel from REI. It’s a much softer feel than my old cellulose based camp towel, and it drys fast and packs smaller. I also added a Matador Mini Pocket blanket, which came in handy as a table cloth for damp picnic tables.

The last thing I will mention here is a pair of NiteIze CamJam Snap Hooks, paired with 25 feet of 1/8 nylon cord. I used this for a clothes line each night, and they quickly adjust to almost any combination of trees and structures you are likely to find. It was much easier than trying my skill with knots. I also used a bright orange cord, which is less likely to be forgotten when packing up.

So that is quick review. i was really pleased with how everything worked. I need to write updated gear list this winter, and I might even write about the 4-5 things I will leave at home the next time.

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2020- Indiana to Michigan Tour Summary

Here are the links to all the blogs about my tour this summer from Carmel, Indiana to Lansing, Michigan. This trip “connected the dots” between my riding in Indiana and the Michigan roads where I began my riding as teenager. With this trip complete, I have a contiguous personal heat map of rides in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska.
 

Wrapping up breakfast.

The 5-day, 360 mile, self-contained camping tour was on Indiana and southern Michigan back roads. I planned the route through 3 State Parks and a private campground, using Google Maps bicycle option for the basic trip plan, and then used a combination of Apple Maps and Google for in route adjustments each day. (I will do a future blog on trip planning tips and techniques.) Each day’s breakfast and dinner was cooked in camp, and lunch (or lunches!) were found on the road; I always followed my 3 meals on the bike rule.

Many aspects of this trip were bucket list items, which I expected to complete over the next few years; connecting to my Michigan miles, a ride from my home to my parent’s home, and riding to a high school reunion. Then COVID 19 canceled all the vacation and bike events my wife Linda and I had hoped to attend. I began planning the trip in early June, when the combination of 7 months without a vacation, the need to burn some accumulated vacation time, along with other factors, made this this a good time to make this trip.

Close to home!

When I asked about the route by non-biking friends, the most common question was “Did you ride up Instate 69?”; it is a revelation how many people have no concept of the available country backroads and byways most bicyclists take for granted. Many also assumed that Linda was driving along for the overnights, and were surprised not only by the daily distance, but that I was riding alone and camping.

Almost 2 months later, each dinner in camp, morning in my tent, and day on the road is still fresh in mind. A picture of one of my campsites, with tent, bike and breakfast on the picnic table, is now my screen saver and meeting back drop. With everything that has happened in 2020, it is good to have that to fall back on.

In to the mitten!

2020: CTD-Pt2 - Day 1 - Old routes a new way
July 21, 2020: Carmel, Indiana to Miami State Recreation Area, Wabash, IN - 76 Miles

2020: CTD-Pt2 - Day 2 - Riding Off My Map
July 23, 2020: Miami State Recreation Area to Chain of Lakes State Park, Albion, IN 75.2 Miles

2020: CTD-Pt2 - Day 3 Into the Mitten
July 23, 2020: Chain of Lakes State Park, Albion, IN to Union, Mi, 75.8 Miles

2020: CTD-Pt2 - Day 4 - Reunions and Reflections
July 24, 2020: Union, Mi to WJ Hayes State Park, Onsted, MI, 58.5 Miles

2020: CTD-Pt2 - Day 5 - All Good Things
July 25, 2020: WJ Hayes State Park, Onsted, MI to Lansing, MI, 65.7 Miles

And by the way, CTD Pt2 (Connect the Dots, Part 2) refers to my first Connect the Dots Tour, Columbia, MO, to Covington, IN in 2014.

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2020: CTD-Pt2 - Day 5 - All Good Things

Day 5 - Connect the Dots Part II

After leaving the Farm, it was another 3 1/2 mile to Hayes State Park. Along the way I passed our former home at the lake, and the spot where my grandparent’s hotel had once stood on Lakeshore Drive. It’s a mile long, and the narrow road lies between many of the cottages and their docks and a narrow strip of beach on Wampler's Lake.  There was a lot of activity at most of the cottages as their owner prepared to open for the weekend. I then went back to the main road and continued on into the state park.

Could you resist?

Even though Hayes State Park was just a couple miles from my childhood home, this was my first night to camp there. Growing up, the state park was something summer people did, and since we had access the lake and dock at the Hotel, I hadn’t been in the park until my late teens. I visited a few more times since, taking Linda and our boys there for swimming and hiking during family visits.

I had an online reservation through the Michigan DNR, which was good, since this was my first weekend night on the road, and a “Campground Full” sign was at the gate. At the gatehouse, the staff was really thrown off by my lack of a “vehicle”. They asked my name, and then just told me my campsite number. I had to ask for a map, and then I started pedaling back to my site

A quiet morning on another lake.

In the full campground, I was the only touring bicycle, and all my “neighbors”, and many of the people walking by, had questions for the guy with just a bicycle and a tent. A couple at the site next to mine offered me a frozen bottled water, (which I used to chill my bottles overnight). Another guy from the site across the drive came over to chat and was fascinated by my Trek 920. Even though he was a “car” guy, he wanted to know about the wide tires, disc brakes and the non-traditional frame on an apparent road bike. Everybody that walked past was social distanced, though you could tell there was a natural tendency to want to move closer. And in chatting, it turned out many of the people I talked to were camping and RV’ing to avoid crowding family homes or traditional hotels for family gatherings.

Charging up for the last day.

Once I had my tent set, I rode out a few miles to a quick shop for a few dinner items. I picked up a Jiffy Pop, a large cup of ice and a bottle of Diet Coke, and a Gatorade to start the morning with. I then headed back to my campsite, cooked my dinner and ate. The Jiffy Pop over the JetBoil turned out to be a disappointing fail, and I will have to research that a little more for next time. With all the conversations and the trip to the store, it was well past sunset before I finally went for my shower, and then crawled into my tent for the night.

I slept well in the campsite, and woke at sunrise without an alarm for my last morning in camp. Breakfast was another home mixed oatmeal, and I finally finished the last of my fruit from my Wednesday shopping. Dropping off my trash on the way out of the campsite, I realized a young raccoon was trapped in the nearly empty dumpster, and I let the gatehouse staff know on the way to the main road.

5 miles of new pavement!

It was a beautiful early morning to be riding, and I even had light tailwind out of the south. On the way past the Farm, I was able to say hi to my sister and niece, who were busy working on updates to the house they would soon take over. After a brief visit, I continued on my way. Every road would be familiar for most of the route to Lansing, and it was rural Michigan riding at its best. It was mix of farms, woods, lakes and marshes for the first 20 miles, as I rode north through Norvel and Grass Lake.

Along the way I started exchanging texts with my friend Steve, who was going meet me enroute between Jackson and Lansing. We tweaked our converging routes via text, and finally connected a few miles outside of Leslie. Despite the miles between our homes, Steve and I have managed a ride together every summer since 2006, including multiple DALMACs, TOSRVs, a RAIN, and handful of Hilly Hundreds. With everything canceled, the tour was our connection for 2020. And just by coincidence, Steve showed up in the same DALMAC jersey I was wearing.

The courthouse in Mason, MI

We were quite a contrast, Steve on his bare road bike, and me loaded for the week on the road. We looked like the King and the Squire from Monty Python’s Holy Grail. I joked with Steve that if anybody asked, I would just say I lost the coin toss. We stopped for lunch in Leslie, and there we coordinated our next connection with Steve’s wife Maria, who would meet us in the next town up the road. We met her in Mason, and stopped for MSU Ice Cream on the town square. Along with my ice cream, and this being Michigan, I also had a bottle of Faygo Root Beer, and collected the last cap* for the trip!

And that's why we love Faygo!

From Mason, it was a dozen or so miles to Steve and Maria’s house, riding many familiar roads from my 2 years in Lansing. This was the last day of the trip, and for first time since Monday night, I would be sleeping indoors. My box of clothes for the drive home was waiting for me, but before I showered, I unpacked and laid out my tent to dry. I was also able to start a load of wash, and all before Steve pulled the pork steaks off the grill. We relaxed over dinner with stories and family catch up. It was a perfect evening finale to a trip planned under the strangest of circumstances.

Sunday’s plans were up in the air, until Enterprise car rental called and asked if a full size SUV, available in 2 hours, instead of Monday, and at the compact car rate, would be okay! I said yes, and we drove out the airport to pick it up. It was HUGE, but that meant no bike disassembly! With my transportation home settled a day early, the 3 of us did an easy lunch ride to the MSU campus, on the very nice trail network south of Lansing. After a week, it was fun to ride a nearly empty bike, especially with friends.

Back at Steve and Maria’s, my personal baggage truck was easily loaded with my bike and all my gear. My unexpected journey was coming to an end. Everything had worked better than I could have hoped; my bike, my gear, my body and the “from scratch” route planning. It is a great feeling to be able to drop into an ‘On the Road” routine in just one night, and to ride day after day, and still look forward to the next. And best of all had been the people along the way, with their friendliness, interest and support. I can’t wait for the next journey, when ever, and where ever, that might be.

Myself, Steve and Maria Lieby - jouney's end.

Day 5 - Hayes State Park, Wampler’s Lake, MI to Lansing, MI

• 65.7 Miles
• 357 Total Miles
• Total Time 07:52:39
• Riding Time 05:21:05
• Avg Speed 12.3 mph

* 14 Gatorades and 1 Faygo!

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2020: CTD-Pt2 - Day 4 - Reunions and Reflections

Good Morning!

Day 4 - Connect the Dots Part II

My fourth day on the road was the first to start under clear and sunny skies as I moved the contents of my tent to my porch tarp and exited my tent. While I boiled water for my oatmeal breakfast, I pulled up my Google Maps bike routing for the day ahead. Google was pretty insistent that I ride US12 part of the way today. From my experience driving US-12, I knew there was a paved shoulder, but I knew I would be sharing that road with lots of car and truck traffic. I was going to stick to county secondary roads where ever it was practical, and in this part of Michigan, I was pretty confident the road would be there.

As I finished my breakfast, I cut up another bag of apple slices. This was Friday morning, and was just finishing up the fruit from my last grocery store on Wednesday night. I took advantage of the sunny morning for a picture of me in camp, and was soon packed and on my way. My route backtracked about 3 miles to the main road, and added two more Gatorade caps to my collection from a small country market. My collection was now up to almost a dozen. I then continued due east, on a smooth, freshly paved road through rolling hills and farmland.

Wrapping up breakfast

For the last 3 days I had been averaging a 10 miles segment every 45-50 minutes, between 13 and 14 mph. My tour planning rule of thumb is 10 mile forward for every hour of riding, and this trip was true to the rule. My first town was Litchfield, at 17 miles. While I had never biked to Litchfield in the past, with each mile east, the closer I was to home, and to familiar names of small towns and lakes. It was just about 10:30 in the morning, and I picked up a sandwich, banana and cold soda for a light first lunch, eating while sitting on park bench in the town square. A guy on a road bike passed through town, the second I had seen since leaving Carmel, but he didn’t notice me or my bike. I finished eating and packed up half the sandwich, and continued east for a few miles.

Rolling backroads

After a short dogleg north, the road continued east, but after a mile, I came to a cross road and for the first time on the trip, my intended road turned to gravel. I was only slightly disappointed, and this was the reason I was using the 920 as my touring bike. On my purpose built, Assenmacher 700c wheeled touring bike, a gravel road was a last resort. The road ahead was the most direct route, so I just down shifted a couple of gears and continued east. The 42mm x 700 (aka 29er) Continental Tour Rides took the gravel in stride, and the 920 was steady as a rock. I just kept my cadence up, and worked may way around the loose sand, gravel and washboarding. My average speed barley dropped. All told, I rode about 6-7 miles of gravel before the pavement resumed.

Sandhill cranes looking for a snack.

At 30 miles for the day, I crossed Moscow Rd, and I was back on my first double century, in 1974, riding into Moscow, Michigan at 2 am, under a star filled sky, with 125 miles complete, and 8 hours to finish the last 75 miles. Before long more road names were familiar, and even a few familiar landmarks. By the time I crossed US 127, I was on regular roads from my first years of riding from home. I passed a farm where I had stacked hay for a summer, and roads to the homes of high school friends. In Cement City, I found another quick shop (1 more cap), and I was surprised again, this time by a high school aged teen who asked about my touring bike, where I was headed, and wished me luck.

I continued on until on couple more miles around Lake Columbia, and turned a corner on another once familiar road, and then into the parking lot of my former high school. This was to have been a reunion summer for my high school class, but then came COVID. I parked my bike in front of the school, set up my tripod and snapped a picture and a few selfies. It was fun to share those on Facebook the 20 or so classmates I have reconnected with over the years.

Keep Calm and Gravel On!

As I was packing my tripod, a women walked up to from the parking lot, and asked why I was taking the pictures. When I explained my class and starting from Indianapolis, she introduced herself as the School District Superintendent and was very pleased I had made the effort. We chatted almost 10 minutes about local history, the 3 generations of my family through the connected schools, and how even a classmate of mine was now on the school board. It was a nice and unexpected connection.

I then headed on into Brooklyn, my last stop before the ride out to my parent’s former home. It was time for second lunch, and the first time on the trip I found a McDonald’s with an open dining room. I took advantage of the WIFI, topped off the charges on my lights, phone and GPS for the day. While my reserved site had electric service (all the Michigan State park offered), I had learned that many RV electric boxes now require a special plug, and don’t offer a basic 110 outlet. I also checked a couple details for a special picture.

The miles out to the Farm were like meeting an old friend, as I rolled past the former homes of classmates and family friends, some dating back to my Dad’s time in high school. The two lane road I had ridden hundred’s of times before now has a paved bike lane, and my years of experience had now reduced some of the hills I had first challenged on a 3-speed. I finally turned on to Hardcastle Road, and soon pulled in to my parent’s driveway, and rolled my bike on the lawn. I found firm a spots for the kick stand and then sat down on the front step.

Really missed our reunion, but this made up for it!

The late afternoon sun cast a long shadow across the front yard, which contrasted with the brightly lit yard and surrounding fields of soy beans. The only sounds were the gentle breeze through the pines along the road, the crickets, a few birds, and the occasional passing car. It was a timeless moment, just one more summer afternoon added to the thousand’s prior in the almost 100 years the house had been a home. It was easy to imagine Mom and Dad, and even Grandma and Grandpa, looking over my shoulder as I setup my camera and tripod, and placed my bike the same way I had so many thousands of miles ago. I tripped the shutter, and I quickly moved behind my bike and picked up my helmet just so, and the moment was finished. I packed up my tripod, said my silent farewells, mounted my bike, and rolled out of the driveway of my parent’s house for the last time.

A lot of miles, and memories, between these two photos.

(Shortly after I completed my tour, my sister took possession of the Farm on Hardcastle Road, the third generation of our family to take ownership.)


Union, Michigan to Hayes State Park, Wampler's Lake, Michigan

61.4 Miles Total

291.4 Total Trip Miles
Total Time 09:09:03
Moving Time 05:17:16

Average Speed 11.1 mph

Continue to Day 5

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2020: CTD-Pt2 - Day 3 Into the Mitten

Day 3, Connect the Dots Part II

It was another quiet and restful night in my tent, and I slept well. The only surprise was that many of the campground noises I was expecting had been replaced by the sound of air conditioning units running on the RVs, trailers and pop-up campers that dominated the campground.

I went through my routine of packing, cooking and packing some more, and while there was sunshine through the trees, my tent was still damp as I rolled it up. By the time I left the campgrounds, I was under a featureless hazy overcast, riding without a shadow. It was 3 miles out to the the park entrance, and I then headed north towards Albion on SR9’s wide paved shoulder. Just like the day before, the majority of passing cars and trucks were moving over, even though I was on the shoulder.

Another hazy start on rolling hills.

I was riding with 2 Bontrager Flare Daylight Running lights clipped to my rear panniers. I had one set at the daylight mode (4-6 hour duration) and the other night (15-20 hours). I had a third in my pannier ready swap out if needed. I certainly believe that the 2/3 of mile visibility changes a drivers reactions to a bicycle on the road ahead of them. I was also riding with a Bontrager Flare 800 headlight in daylight mode (20+ hours). While I didn’t need to do any after-dark riding on this trip, it was nice to have capable lights if I needed it.

In Albion, I found a quick shop, and added two more GatorAde caps, but I could not find a coffee shop or diner, so I just rolled on, relying on another round of apple slices I had prepped at breakfast, along with a banana and a Clif bar. After a few more miles on SR9, I turned east and was back on county roads, moving steadily north and east. I passed through Rome City and Wolcotville, but I felt it was too early for a food stop, so I continued to pedal and snack for the next 20 miles. 

Small town art always tells a story

Crossing US20, I knew I was getting closer to the Michigan state line. Just north of 20, in Mongo, Indiana, I found a small bar and grill that was open for lunch, and enjoyed a delicious home style cheeseburger and refills of ice cold Diet Coke. It was also another opportunity to charge everything along with my iPhone. After lunch I hit the quick shop across the street, picking up another Gatorade, and collecting another cap.

The overcast had finally cleared while I was eating lunch, and the next 10 miles were under sunny blue skies and cotton ball clouds. I started to hear the drone of semi trucks in the distance, and then the next small hill turned out to be an Indiana Toll Road overpass. From the top of the overpass, it was just 1/4 mile, and I was at the state line and in Michigan. One more milestone for the trip.

In to Michigan

Crossing a state line is always a trip highlight for me. One of my first overnight rides as teenager was from home in Michigan to my Grandparent’s in Toledo, Ohio, a 1-day ride, but crossing that first state felt like a special accomplishment, even though we made the 50 mile drive many times a year. Crossing into Michigan meant I was one stop closer to connecting the dots.

The good news was today was going to be 10-12 miles shorter than my prior two days.  After working my way east, my route finally bumped up against I-69, and I continued north, under road signs letting me know this was the Emergency detour for the interstate. I was soon riding in the outskirts of Coldwater, and then came up to US-12, the main east west route through town. US-12 was a familiar landmark, since 60 miles east of here, it ran just 3 miles from my childhood home.

My plan was to stop at McDonalds for a second lunch and some WiFi, but the dining room was closed. I continued my way east, and finally found a Jimmy Johns with picnic tables. It was already almost 5pm, and I was less than 10 miles from the campground. My original plan had been to pickup a couple more freeze dried meals at the Coldwater Walmart (a good resource for rural touring) to finish the trip. But instead, I just went for an early dinner of a sub and some chips, and saved the 30-40 minutes of parking, locking and shopping, and 30 minutes of camp cooking.

Dinner time

The early arrival in camp was nice, since this was laundry night. I was wearing my 3rd (and final) set of riding clothes, and had two days of riding left. The onsite laundry was another reason I had picked this campground. Once I had my tent up, I biked across the campground to the laundry and shower room. I was also able to have everything charging while there. It took about an hour to have me and gear clean and repacked, and then I biked back to my camp site just before sundown.

My tent site was on small rise above the campground’s private fishing lake, and was very open compared the woods enclosing my two previous campsites. My first three days were complete, and as settled in for the night, I looked forward to tomorrow’s ride on the roads I knew so well from my youth.

Day 3 - Chain of Lakes State Park, Indiana - Union, Michigan

• 58.5 Miles Total
• 230 Miles Trip Total
• Total Time  09:09:03
• Riding Time  05:17:16
• Average Speed  11.7

Continue to Day 4

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2020: CTD-Pt2 - Day 2 - Riding Off My Map

Day 2 - July 22, 2020 - Connect the Dots - Part II

It was lightly raining as I dozed off, and while there were random flashes of lightning, the thunder was very muffled and distant. I woke up around 1 am, and by then the rain had stopped. While I was awake, I shifted my recharging devices; my GPS and 1 tail light were fully charged, so I swapped them out with a second taillight and a headlight. This would be my pattern for the rest of the trip, charging stuff overnight from power packs charged during the day. 

Morning view of the Mississinewa Valley, from the the dam.

I woke without an alarm a little before 6:45, and checked the weather. There would be a chance of thunderstorms and partly cloudy skies, and temps in the 80s, about what you expect for July in Indiana. Next I pulled out the days kit, and the shorts and shirt I had slept in went into the ziplock bag I had just emptied. That bag then went into the large mesh stuff sack of clothing (an assortment of ziplock bags) and that in turn went into the rear pannier I had designated as my closet. The packed pannier then went out on to the “porch” just outside the door of my tent. 

 

For my last couple of trips I have carried a 4’ square piece of polypropylene tarp. I call it my porch, because I put it right outside the side door of my tent. As I transition things from bike to tent and tent to bike, this porch keeps them clean, and it can be easily dragged around while setting and breaking camp. The first pannier was soon followed by the my front panniers, one with my packed sleeping bag, the other my rolled up sleeping pad. Last out was my kitchen pannier and handlebar/camera bag, followed by me and a few remaining odds and ends.

I soon had my Jetboil up and running on the picnic table, and poured the boiling water into my breakfast meal. While the breakfast was cooking, I pulled out my iPad, and uploaded then last 24 hours of photos, typed some notes and a post has I ate my scrambled eggs and fresh fruit. I also sliced one of the large apple from yesterday’s shopping and bagged it for snacking during the day. With breakfast complete and my kitchen packed, It was then time to collapse the tent and begin the final packing and loading. It was a just before 9 when I was ready top off water bottles, brush my teeth, and drop off my trash on my way out of the campground.

A break from beans and corn.

Under overcast skies, I resumed my northeast course, with a light west wind on my back.  I soon switched from my rain jacket to my wind vest as I warmed up pedaling. The first few miles crossed over the Mississinewa Reservoir Dam, along roads I had ridden on rides out of Peru, Kokomo and Wabash. From atop the dam, there were a few distant flashes of sunlight on on the lake, and the crops and forests downstream were a lush green stretching out for miles. Riding out of the recreation area, there were a few more miles of road side wild flowers before I was again riding along acres of crop land.

My first town of the day was Wabash at 16 miles, where I also crossed the Wabash River, another little milestone. All told, I (along with Linda) have ridden almost the full length of the Wabash from Huntington, Indiana, to where it joins the Ohio River in Illinois. That is over 400 of miles on dozen different rides and tours. I next found a quick shop, and two more Gatorade caps went into the mesh pocket on my front pannier, joining the 2 from the day before.

At the Wabash River.

On the main street through town, I found a little coffee shop, Modoc’s Market, that had been recommended by some locals I chatted with during my photo stop at the river. It had already been 3 hours since breakfast, and it was going to be another 25 miles to the next town, so I settled in for an early lunch of a turkey and avocado wrap with a delicious coffee & hot chocolate mix drink.  

While I was eating, I charged my 3 power packs, my GPS and my phone, and uploaded more photos through my iPad. I had a nice conversation with the owner of Modoc’s, and it seemed like almost everybody I met in Wabash was involved with the DamToDam ride in September, which I had ridden in 2018. And again, everyone was interested in my trip and offered encouragement, which was nice.  

Powering up at lunch at Modoc's in Wabash

It goes without saying, COVID-19 was always in the background during the entire ride. I had a special Purdue (`86) Boilermaker face mask, made by a good friend, and it came out for every trip indoors during the tour.  In almost every small town store and quick shop I visited, in both Indiana and Michigan, face mask were being used by the majority of people.

With body and batteries recharged, I left town and climbed out of the Wabash valley on the steepest grades of the trip. There was another photo op of the city court house overlooking the town and the valley below. As passed the city limits, I once again found myself tweaking my saved Google maps route, moving off of the suggested state routes to county roads when available. The Google Maps “bike” choices are not too bad, but tend to ignore county grid roads if a small town is not specified. This method would work out quite well in the days ahead.

Easy rolling north of Wabash

It was at 35 miles for day (and over 100 miles from my start) that I finally rode off the edge of my personal map, so to speak. I crossed a Dan Henry for the Dam2Dam ride, and for the next couple of days would be riding on roads new to me. It was a very good feeling, made all the better as the lingering haze finally burned off. I was riding under bright blue skies and puffy clouds over a combination of fields, forests and barns, occasionally stopping for pictures. I made steady progress on the easy rolling hills, with occasional turns for creeks and streams.

As I expected, there were no meal opportunities along the way, but I was able to add to more Gatorade caps and some snacks at a Dollar General in South Whitley. I then started a long stretch heading east by north east to Columbia City, my last town out for day 2 with 50+ miles in. On the north side of town I found a Kroger, and picked another couple day’s worth of fresh fruit to supplement my backpacking meals.

From Columbia City I went north on State Road 9. There didn’t seem to be many side rode options, but thankfully I had a paved 6 foot shoulder for the 18 miles to the park entrance. I was most surprised by the terrain, a series of long rolling hills forested hills, which seemed more like northern Michigan, rather than Indiana. For a while, it looked like I was going to be rained on again, but my steady 13-14 mph pace allowed to me edge around a front that passed to my west, just catching the edge of a light rain while under blue sky’s. When I finally reached the park entrance, I had another 3 miles added to my day, as it was that far in to the actual campground. I checked in and rode on to my next camp site.


It had been a great day of riding, never too hot, too windy or too wet. I had already ridden over 150 miles and was overnighting somewhere new. I began my post-ride routine, looking forward to a night’s rest and the new roads in days ahead.

Day 2: Miami State Recreation Area to Chain of Lakes State Park, Albion, IN (July 22)

• 75.2 Miles 
• 153.5 Trip Total 
• Total Time 09:40:01

• Moving Time 06:09:31

• Avg. Speed 12.2 mph

Continue to Day 3

   

A beautiful afternoon to ride

SR 9, north of Columbia City

The Wabash Court House

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2020: CTD-Pt2 - Day 1 - Old routes a new way

Day 1 - July 21, 2020 - Connect the Dots - Part II

I woke up ready for my “final” packing, along with taking care of odds and ends around the house before starting out.  My first day's route, starting from my driveway, will be along roads I have ridden hundreds of times over the 18 years we have lived in Carmel.  I probably won't be on new roads until the afternoon of my second day, after I cross the Wabash River.  Yet, even knowing today is along familiar roads, there is still a sense of anticipation and excitement in being this close to setting out to complete something that has been on my mind for so long.

Ready to roll! 

The afternoon before I had run all my errands, and that included shipping shoes and a change of clothes to my final destination in Michigan.  This is a 1-way trip, and I am renting a small SUV in Lansing for the drive home. Along with my final "take or leave" decisions, I also put together some breakfast oatmeal packets (quick Oats, raisins, dried cranberries and brown sugar), since I had only purchased two freeze dried breakfasts.  I also sliced and bagged a couple of apples for snacks.  I had planned to leave by 10, but then I made the mistake of starting an Apple Watch upgrade, and that basically disabled my iPhone and Watch for almost 45 minutes.  I used the extra time to tune my load and finish some chores around the house.

After four seasons, this will be my first multi-day trip on my Trek 920.  Along with thousands of miles of commuting carrying office wear and a laptop, I have ridden two different weekend trips with this bike, with a similar load.  For this trip I am carrying extra food and extra clothing. However, I am not expecting any handling surprises as I finish loading and roll my bike out of the garage.  

After the “launch” picture in front of our house, I headed toward Linda’s office, just a few miles from home, for a final good bye. That ended up adding 8 miles to my day, but it was worth it.  Riding in the plus 90-degree late morning heat, I realized my Giro Vanquish MIPS helmet was a LOT cooler than my older Bontrager Velocie (pre-MIPS) helmet I had started in.  On my way north out of Carmel I stopped at the house for a quick swap of helmets.

My next 7 miles were on the Monon Trail headed north.  Soon after crossing SR32, I overtook a mom and kids riding the trail, and her two boys were were fascinated by my gear, first asking if I was a mail man. I explained where I was headed and that I was carrying camping gear. They continued to ask questions as I slowly pulled away.  A short way down the trail, they caught me again as stopped to adjust a few items, and I let them ride along asking more questions, how far, what roads, and where do I eat, until the entire finally pulled off into their neighborhood.  They were just the first of many people of all ages that would ask me questions about my gear and destination during the week ahead.

First Lunch!

My late start and helmet change side trip resulted in perfect timing for a lunch stop at Wilson’s Farm market at 23 miles.  I enjoyed a couple of pieces of their famous fried chicken, some German cole slaw and a cold root beer, an almost perfect replica of a Sunday lunch from Grandma Hardcastle’s hotel of my childhood.  Back on the road, I continued to work my way north and west, stopping next at the Arcadia Casey’s to top off with two bottles Gatorade.  With lunch out of the way, I opted to bypass to the east of Tipton, and make Greentown my last town out.  While the sky was clear when I left Arcadia, I soon received a text from my wife saying storms were coming, something I confirmed on my own iPhone.

Just after I crossed SR28 east of Tipton, I came out of a grove of trees, and looking out across the corn fields from a raised railroad crossing, the front was close and coming fast out of the northwest.  I had just passed a large farm with a vegetable stand, so I pedaled back a 1/4 mile and asked about shelter.  They let me ride out the storm in one of their barns, and for 30 minutes I watched as heavy rain and high winds lashed the corn fields across the road from their barn.  While chatting with the owners, it turned out they were NASCAR fans, and regularly went north to Michigan Speedway.  So they knew my destination was a 4 hour drive, and were impressed.

The calm before the storm.

After the heaviest rain ended I was rolling again under a very light rain, watching lightning flashes far to the east.  I was now 40 miles in, and just over halfway through my planned miles.  After another 5 miles, the sky gradually began to clear, with overcast to my east, and hazy sunlight through broken clouds to the west. The small town of Windfall seemed to be in the middle of a power failure, with no lights or sounds as I passed through.  I was soon riding under blue sky’s, and banks of puffy white thunderheads rose to the south as rolled into Greentown.  

At the small market on main street, I picked up some fresh fruit and snacks for the next day, and then relaxed on a bench outside the store.  I finished my last bag of apple slices and a Clif bar, and checked Google Maps. It was here that I realized that I had mapped to the Recreation Area headquarters, and not my planned campground, adding 5 miles and another half hour to my day.  It was a little after 5 when I left Greentown with 20 more miles left to ride.

It had been over 10 years since I had ridden to the Miami State Recreation Area Campground, but with each mile behind me, more things looked familiar from the 3 prior overnight camping trips I had led here on slightly different routes. I turned over 75 miles as pulled up register, and I paid $17.50 for a tent site without electric.  I had another pleasant memory when I reached my camp site and realized it was same site I had used almost 10 years before with the last group of CIBA riders I had brought up here.

My tent went up quickly, and I set out a clothes line to try dry my rain jacket, and the day's riding kit before I packed. I wasn’t famished yet, so I grabbed a shower, and made quick trip to the camp store before I cooked dinner. They had no Gatorade for sale, but a large fountain Diet Coke with ice was a nice treat for the end of the day.  It was then time for a late dinner of freeze dried Lasagna ala Jetboil.  

With dinner finished and my stove and dishes put away, it was almost sundown and that is when the overcast became a light rain.  I pulled down my clothes line, secured my bike, and tucked myself away in my tent for the night. Laying down under the the gentle tapping of rain drops on my tent fly, day one was done.

Lots of miles of this in the days ahead.

This does not look good - from the seat of a bike!

Clearing skies behind me for the final miles.

Another forgotten small town.

Dinner is "cooking", and the rain is already threatening.

Day 1:  Carmel IN - Miami State Recreation Area Campground (Peru, IN)

• 78.3 Miles Total Miles
• 76.1 Miles - point to point + 2.2 miles to Camp Store
• Total Time 08:11:07

• Riding Time  05:46:59
• 
Stopped Time  02:24:08

• Avg Speed  13.2 mph

Continue to Day 2

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2020: Connect the Dots, Part II

It’s funny how something meaningful to you can feel like it was yesterday, even when a handful of years have past.  In 2014, I rode my first Connect the Dots tour, riding from Columbia, Missouri to Covington, Indiana.  Those 6 days of riding, starting from my mother-in-law’s home, connected my west of the Mississippi riding miles (Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota) with my Indiana miles.  

Finishing that tour, I thought it would be just “next” year when I would connect the next set, on roads between my “adult” home of Indiana and Michigan, where I started riding has a teen. But a bunch of life happened in the 12 months that followed, and that plan was put on hold.   So now in the middle of all the crazy that is 2020, I am finally about to start that next, un-ridden tour.

There are lot of conflicting feelings on this.  It was a bucket list item, something I thought would be on the way to another ride, part of longer tour, or a high school reunion. And this only opened up this year because every event I had planned to do in 2020 had been postponed or canceled.  And most of all, because the home I am riding too will be missing those I hoped to close the loop with, as I pulled into the familiar driveway of the Farm.

In our family, it has always been the Farm, with a capital F. It was was where my dad was born (really!) and were my grandparent’s lived during the school year, from Labor Day to Memorial Day.  And between Memorial Day and Labor Day, they ran the Willow Grove Hotel, a then century-old farm house converted to a 3-story 20-room hotel.  Both were magical places in my childhood;  the Farm with it’s barns, my Dad’s shop, the acres of crops, and the upstairs bedrooms, with single pane windows that barely muffled the winter winds.  The Hotel was Sunday chicken dinner, the front desk with the ice cream freezer and pop cooler, and my brothers and I entertaining the guests as we scampered under foot.  

Ready to Roll

The Hotel is gone now, closed in the early 70’s, only a memory of old post cards and family pictures.  Grampa Hardcastle is only a most distance montage of images in my childhood, he passed when I was 7.  Grandma Hardcastle was a big part of my childhood and early teens, as I spent hours working for her washing dishes, mowing lawns, raking leaves, and bailing water out of the hotel boats after a summer rain.  It was those chores that earned the amazing sum of $50 dollars that paid for my first “real” bike, a 26” Sears 3-Speed, that started by cycling adventures.

I can still remember a cold winter afternoon at the Farm, soon after Grandma’s death, walking through the empty house, and realizing, in my introduction to mortality, what things would never be the same again; treats in the the cookie jar, TV dinners watching Lawerence Welk, the fragrance of her talcum powered, and her stern reprimands if a chore was not done right.  And it was just a few months later, just after I moved out, that the Farm began the transition to my parent’s and younger siblings home for the next 30 years.  

Dad passed in 2012; he collapsed leaving his shop, just a few feet from where he’d been born 80 years before.  Mom and my brother Matt continued living there, and over the next few years, Mom finished all the remodeling and updates Dad and her planned, but that chance and opportunity had delayed too long.   Completing all those dreams was one of the things that kept her going in years after she lost Dad. After Mom passed in 2015, we made new living arrangements for Matt, and the Farm has remained empty since.  

Now 2020 is another year of change as we prepare to close out another chapter of our family story.   All these thoughts are on my mind, as I finish the final packing before my ride starts tomorrow.

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