UP Bike Tour Day 4 - Green Bay to Menominee

I'm at the Econolodge in Menominee, Michigan, which is just across the Menominee River from Wisconsin. 

The Econolodge, while not so cheap, is the cheapest option. I was horrified to discover there are no Indians running this place. When the cheap motel is *not* run by Indians, it's usually a complete disaster. 

It does have a nice view of the bay behind it.

So far, there is nothing at all bad about this Econolodge. It's probably the nicest Econolodge I've ever stayed in.

There was a lot of great Wisconsin scenery this morning. I got on the road at 7:30. It was pleasantly cool, and the route was completely flat. There was a light headwind.

First up was this very cool egret rookery just north of Green Bay.

Most of the day my route hugged the shoreline. There are many little rural neighborhoods clustered around inlets where people tie up their boats.

This interesting decaying farm was just before Peshtigo. At this point, I'm heading inland from the bay, and there are farms. Near the water, it's very marshy, with huge expanses of reeds. Note the asparagus growing wild in the ditching the left foreground.

Peshtigo is the first town with food, and it's 45 miles into the ride. I got here at 11:30 and I was pretty starved. And the Diner Gods smiled upon me. Check it out!

Look at this mess of perch! The sign in front of the Peshtigo Cafe did not lie. It's my last meal in Wisconsin, and perch appears!

The Peshtigo cafe was great. First of all, all the customers know each other. And they have conversations across booths and tables. While speaking in the thickest upper Midwestern accent you can imagine. Wisconsin is great. 

I rode ten more miles into Marinette, Wisconsin which is just across the river from Menominee. Check-in time wasn't for another hour and a half, so I did some bike maintenance. First I went to a bike shop to borrow a floor pump to put air in my tires. It's a good idea to do this every week or so. To my surprise, both tires had 80 psi in them. I filled them to 65 psi before I left. I think my gauge at home is not accurate.

Then I rode into Michigan. There is no "Welcome to Michigan" sign. But the river is the boundary.

i stopped in this park to lube the chain and the derailleurs. All morning the drivetrain was a bit noisy, and it seemed like I was working too hard for how fast I was going. Maybe it was headwinds, maybe it was because the chain needed lube after two days of rain. I think the lube helped.

The bike is now all tuned up, and it's still over an hour until check-in.

I decided to check out "Gino's Pine Knot".

What we have here is a classic dive bar. On tap, there is Bud, Bud Light, and Miller Lite. Cash only.

I asked the bartender, a nice old lady about my age, if she could make me a Margarita. The look on her face said the answer was "no", but she looked behind her at the shelf and said "Oh f*** they bought some Triple Sec, so now I don't have an excuse." With lots of advice from the other customers, she put together a reasonable approximation of a Margarita. She and I concurred that my next one would be a Bud draft. I explained that I rode my bike 50 miles so far today, and I need electrolytes.

While I was savoring my Margarita, some guy with a uniform comes in and has a chat with the bartender, who appears to know him well, and she signs a form he has with him. My guess is the guy in uniform is her parole officer.

Then another lady comes in and orders a Bloody Mary, which the bartender makes expertly with pickles and pickled green beans and serves right up in a red Solo cup. The lady with the Bloody Mary and I agreed there are lots of electrolytes in Bloody Marys so I got one too. 

The lady says if I like tequila, I should get a tequila Bloody Mary, which is what she is drinking. So I ask for tequila in mine. The bartender then absentmindedly starts making it with vodka. 

"Isn't that supposed to be tequila?" I ask. 

She says "Oh no, I f***ed this one up too." 

"That's OK, vodka is fine. I don't want the vodka to go to waste." 

"No I'll make you one with tequila. The vodka won't go to waste."

So she makes me a Bloody Mary with tequila. And she drinks the vodka over ice false start herself.

The bartender said she's been tending bar for over 20 years, and she's never had the need to learn how to make a margarita. Most of her customers at the Pine Knot were drinking shots with beer chasers...

I had a great time. This is not some fancy place that some guy with a business plan opened and named "Dive Bar". It's an actual dive bar. It made me miss Fells Point from back in the day.

Later, for dinner, I went out for a pizza at the Ellie's Pizzaria and Pub down the block from Gino's Pine Knot. I didn't push my luck and try to get a Margarita.

Ellie's puts the toppings on the bottom under a thick layer of super gooey cheese. This pizza has a lot of miles in it for tomorrow I bet.

Wisconsin is really nice. Every place except Green Bay is neat and tidy. Every kid on a bike is carrying a a fishing pole. As soon as you cross the river into Michigan, it looks like Green Bay.

Here's the Strava track: https://www.strava.com/activities/15234966460