If at first you don't succeed, try, try again right? Well for me it was if at first you don't succeed, get a bunch of rad gear to review, a good friend to go with you, and try again. If you're a regular follower of the site you might remember last September when I attempted my first mini-tour from Chicago to West Michigan to see my parents- if not, I'll sum it up quick- Under prepared, over confident, leaky tent with a torrential downpour...the list goes on and on. Anyway, I learned a lot and needed to give it another chance.
This time, one of my best friends and our web guy, Brandon, decided he'd give it a go with me. I have never toured with a partner, and was kinda concerned it would be harder. This would be Brandon's first tour and his first time riding large miles. I figured we would take it slow, and as an older tourer said to me anyone can ride 60 miles in a day. The plan was this: Brandon would come down on Amtrak from Michigan with his gear, spend the night, and we'd leave early Sunday morning.
I once read a story from the the Metal Cowboy about how just getting to the starting line can be a challenge, and this was the case for Brandon- I'll let him tell you that story. Anyway, Sunday morning at 7:45 A.M. (we were shooting for 7, but it was a late night) my roommate and other best friend Derek decided he would ride with us for awhile in the morning, so we all took off together. Down to the Lake Shore Trail and headed south. It was fun being fully loaded on the bike trail on Sunday A.M.- all three guys looking at us as they flew past.... ”On your left!” It's always nice to be on the lake as the sun rises. It was also fun to watch Derek jump up with the tri-guys and draft them! Derek was riding a fixed gear with a backpack and carrying a floor pump and pushing these guys hard- I can only image what went through their heads when they turned around and saw him riding like it was no big thing!
Fifteen miles in and it was time for a McDonald's breakfast. I never eat at McDonald's except on tour. To me its perfect- high calories, cheap, fast, and you're never very far from one...ever. Derek turned around and it was just me and Brandon from there on.
The funny thing about this trip is people are always worried about Gary, IN and it being not so safe, but I have never had any problems. I found a great route on Bikley. If you search Chicago you will find it. I've gone this way twice now with no problems. The route is cool- you get to see some steel mills and gas plants. We took a break at the Salute to Steel Workers statue in Gary and continued on.
We rode most of the day and decided to stay in Michigan City. We did some shopping because we didn't have time before we left. This was fun because it's not like we could just leave our stuff on our bikes while we went in, so we unhooked all of our gear, threw it in a cart (more like filled the cart! -b.), and asked customer service to watch it while we shopped. Stepping outside after shopping was brutal. The AC in the store made us realize how hot it was outside. Three miles down a busy street to our campground and Brandon looked fried. Luckily the campground had a pool! That made the $31 for a tent site for a night almost worth it. I couldn't get in the pool fast enough. I'm not sure what the hell was going on, but it was like Deliverance at that campground! I'm talking hillbilly central except for the girl bitching at her boyfriend the whole time. After swimming it was time to try out the new Primus stove that I got.
I know you're supposed to figure this kind of stuff out before you go, but that takes all the adventure out of it! The stove is bad ass- look for the review soon! It was good to have. After a few mishaps with the leftover bottle of stove fuel (no one hurt, but a few tense moments) it was time for some sleep. The next morning we were delayed a few hours by rain and when we left to find a McDonald's it was already blazing hot and humid, coupled with a ride down a busy road with no shoulder proved to be a rough morning. I believe there is a "day two hangover" or something- waking up on day two and eating always seems hard. I've been through it before so I knew to just eat and swallow, but Brandon was hurting and I could see it. We took our time eating and he started to feel better, so off we went.
It was a boring day- flat road and heat. We stopped for lunch at a state park, took off our shoes, and sat in the shade for awhile. It was hard to get back out in the sun- not to mention that our dumb asses didn't use sun screen the day before because we thought it was cloudy enough we didn't need it. Needless to say, sunburns in the blazing sun- even with SPF 50 still hurts...a lot. We rode past a nuclear power plant and the temp said 96 degrees!
The day turned long and hilly, but we made it 64 miles and stayed at another state campground. $21 was a little better, but damn! Can't we get deal or something!? I know its not tough to stay at campgrounds, but I like it. A cool shower feels amazing after hot day riding. These showers- not so great, but still worked. Brandon was now hungry, eating everything in sight, and that made me feel better. I knew he was feeling better. Food, fire, and sleep with 6 A.M. alarms to get out before the heat, but neither of us was moving 'til 6:30. We packed up with 3 miles to the nearest McDonald's and we were good. Leaving, Brandon's front fender decided to get caught in the wheel- luckily we were barely moving. We took it off and kept it for repair and moved on.
Hottest day yet and lots of hills. We did get an awesome stretch in the shade along the lake for five or so miles, but after that it was hot sun. We stopped once and and headed straight for the shade. Having Brandon with taught me to stop and take breaks. I'm the type of guy who just rides and never stops. Stopping was great! Sitting in the shade without shoes, drinking water, and laughing can do a lot for you. Back out in the sun, up hills, on the edge of busy roads for few more hours, and through a tunnel that said "no bikes"- that was fun...not a whole lot of room there.
The funny thing is no one yelled at us until Michigan. Some dude threw water at us in Indiana, but he was on the wrong side of the road. Some lady drove past us and yelled “sidewalk!!!”. I mean come on, do we look like 10 year olds riding to our friends house? Lunch in a beautiful park in the shade and off again. We found a bike trail next to the road and it was total shade as opposed to the road in total sun. We ran into a few other tourers heading to Chicago- nice guys, had been doing the "around the lake" tour. They asked about Gary and I reassured them they would be fine. One was riding a carbon fiber frame with racing wheels loaded. He seemed to be fine, but it scared the crap out of me! More sun and heat...the bike trail slowed us down. It started to get bumpy because of driveways and side streets, but once again it was in the shade and the road was full sun. We took a nice break in a cemetery and realized its a great place to take a break because there are a lot of flowers there, and flowers need water, so there is always a faucet around- so if you ever need water, a cemetery is a great stop.
Twenty more miles to go seemed like a long way. At some point I saw Brandon hunched over his bars and knew he was hurting. I handed him a gel shot and it gave him enough energy to make it to the ice cream shop where we cooled off and ate ice cream before our final 8 or so miles. Riding the bike trail that I rode a 100 times before felt weird and nice. Almost to my parents less then a half mile away and we have to make one last McDonald's stop for a quick pee spot, one last climb and we are there. Rolled up to my parents house and gave each other a high five and went inside.
My parents were excited to see us- my mom was worried as always. It was a great trip, a ton of fun, and once again I learned a lot. Brandon was truly inspiring. He never gave up, or got pissed off- just made me laugh the whole way with his bell ringing. A “ding” always made me laugh. We took a lot of gear to review and you will see the reviews over the next couple of weeks. I stayed in Michigan for a few more days camping with my girlfriend, and after a few days of rest and swimming in the lake I was ready to pedal some more.
The bug bit me hard. I can't wait to load up my bike and head any direction. It doesn't matter as long as I'm seeing something new.
Cole
