thevcblog: July 2026

It's time to say goodbye to beautiful Lake Michigamme.

And my brother-in-law Steve's family lake house compound

And get on my bike and ride home.

It's about 1100 miles. It should take about three weeks.

I got going early this morning, and since it was easy riding and perfect weather, I did 74 miles, and was done by 3:00 pm. I was planning on doing 68 miles and camping, but I got to the campground at 2:00, there is no restaurant nearby, and it's $84 dollars for a tent site with no electricity.

So I decided to ride on for another hour or so to get here to Christmas, Michigan, which is highly beloved by Steve's family, and my sister Amy says the Foggy's steak house in town is a winner.

And, what do you know, there is a motel with rooms available across the street from Foggy's. The downside is the motel is $200, which turns out is the cheapest room available anywhere nearby. There is primitive camping across the street, but my phone was dead, and I want a shower.

This is the second year I've come up here. I've learned there are time honored rituals. One of them is that one evening will will eat take-out pasties from this place:

A "pasty" is a lump of fried dough with meat and rutabagas inside it. This is the traditional lunch of iron ore miners. You can also get them hot and ready to eat at the grocery, next to the rotisserie chickens. "Pasty" sounds like "past". It does not rhyme with "tasty". They are better than you think.

Another ritual is to go visit "Da Yoopers Tourist Trap and Rock Shop". This is like a small-scale, stupider and crappier Wall Drug or South of the Border. I got a sweatshirt because the nights are in the 50s now, and I didn't bring a warm shirt.

They also have a rock shop with many cool rocks because the Upper Peninsula is the home of cool rocks. There were some big chunks of multi-colored diorite that would look absolutely amazing in the aquarium I am setting up. Debra flat out refused to carry any big heavy rocks on her flight home. I am sad. I will return with my pickup truck someday.

These fine establishments are in the town of Ishpeming, which has no known pronunciation.

I rode Route 41 for 20 miles to Ishpeming, which is a 4 lane road, but it has huge wide shoulders, not much traffic, and it's scenic. At least until Ishpeming, that is. I went on city streets in Ishpeming, and discovered that there is a fantastic bike trail that goes another 20 miles to Marquette, the Iron Ore Heritage Trail. It's a rail trail, it's fabulous.

Sometimes it's paved, sometimes it's not, but even when it isn't paved, it's fast, smooth, comfortable crushed stone.

Mining iron ore is part of the heritage here, but it's also still ongoing. I got to share the road with some pretty huge ore trucks (24 wheels!) before I found the rail trail. I also came upon what looks like an operating mine.

I took the trail all the way to the ore dock on the shore of Lake Superior in Marquette.

The trail continues about 5 more miles to the town of Harvey, where I had some disappointing and greasy pan-fried perch at this barbeque place.

It was 34 more miles to Christmas, where my present was a huge fancy room at this expensive hotel, which also has a really awesome hot tub, by the way.