After lunch in Cross Village, we were on our way. Had some nice views of Lake Michigan.
Rode past an interesting "Duck Crossing " sign and stop light. The stop light wasn't on, the sign was behind a fence, no ducks in sight, but it made a cute picture.
Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis know by now, that a barn picture will likely appear. Your wait is over, here is the barn we saw. On the side of it the words " Plain Old Farm" appeared.
The road looked level, but we found ourselves using a lower gear and going slower, so it must have been a very slight uphill grade. Our friends later told us that they had a long stretch of riding in lower gears in this area as well. In spite of using our lower gears, we kept going slower and slower. I stopped to check and see if there was a problem, and found we had a flat tire.
It was the same tube that I had changed before we left home. Got the trike flipped over and realized that when we had our rims drilled for Schrader valves, I had forgotten to switch the portable air pump on the trike to one that had a Schrader head. Somehow I had lost my course map and didn't have the SAG phone number, (support and aid group) number. Fortunately, 2 riders came by who had it, so I called Sag for help.
On the whole course we had only seen a SAG twice. They seemed to be as scarce as the route markings on the road. We called and after about 15 minutes, Greg appeared. I had my tire part way off, he finished taking it off. I had the new tube out and ready to go. As he worked, I explained my dilemma about having the wrong pump.
He got the tube out an started to put the new tube in. In my bike maintenance class I learned that when changing a tire, to always check the inside of the tire and the rim for any sharp objects or protrusions that may have caused the flat. I could see that Greg wasn't going to do that, so I casually mentioned that I usually do a quick check to see what might have caused the flat, so I don't get another, a few miles down the road. By this time Greg was putting air in the tire with his portable compressor. His reply was, "Well, it must be OK, I don't hear any air hissing out." I was quite concerned by his response and said, "Hope we don't have another flat, a few miles down the road. Greg must have taken my remark seriously, he followed us for about 5 miles. We were riding at around 18 MPH most of that time. Finally, Greg pulled around us and went on his way. A few minutes after that, we began to slow down. I knew without checking what the problem was...another flat.
We were 2 and 1/4 miles from the finish, I had no more spares, so once again, I called SAG. I also called our friends, jeff and Kiersten, to let them know what was going on. After a 25 minute wait, Dawn, driving the SAG truck came. On the ride back, I told her I wasn't surprised by the second flat, because Greg hadn't checked the tire and rim for sharp objects. I mentioned that I didn't think he did too much cycling. She told me that he was a farmer, used to changing tractor tires, and that in fact, none of the people who put the tour together were cyclist.
Tony stayed with the trike and she gave me a ride back to the complex to get the car and trailer, taking a different route then the bikes were on.
Jeff helped me get the trailer hooked up and followed me back to the trike. I don't have great sense of direction and I was kind of turned around because Dawn had taken a different route back. I missed a turn. I realized Jeff and Kiersten were no longer behind me, but had to keep going until I could find a place to turn around with the trailer. I called Jeff and he told me what turn I had missed. On the way back, I met Dawn, who assured me I was going the right way. I finally made it back to Tony and the trike. Jeff and Kiersten were already there. We got the trike loaded up and headed back to the motel.
After a shower and a little bit of rest, we headed out for supper. None of us had any problem putting away plenty of Pizza.
The next day, Kiersten and Jeff , along with other riders, were signed up to ride across the Mackinaw bridge.
The Mighty Mac, or Big Mac, as we Michiganders like to refer to it, is the third longest suspension bridge in the world. It was surpassed by the Akashi Kalkyo Bridge in Japan in 1998, however at 5 miles long, it is still the largest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere, surpassing even the famous Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge was completed in 1957, making it possible for for the people of Michigan and those visiting our state to go across the straits of Mackinaw, that divide the upper and lower peninsulas, without taking a ferry. It is a sight to behold and something that has greatly contributed to the tourism of the area.
The day we arrived in Mackinaw City, the antique tractor show had taken place. It ended with a crossing of the bridge by the antique tractors. The evening the Big Mac Shoreline tour ended, the bridge was crossed by a huge number of semi trucks that had come from the Big Truck show in St Ignace, in the Upper Peninsula. Many people were lined up in Mackinaw city to see the trucks come through.
I don't even like to drive the bridge. The open grates in the center of the bridge kind of freak me out when I am driving across it. I can't imagine riding over them and seeing the water below. Needless to say we didn't sign up to ride the bridge.
Jeff and Kiersten had to be at the meeting point for the ride across as 6:30 AM the next day, so we made an early night of it, and headed to our rooms. Tony and I were going to go in the hot tub, but once we got in the room and relaxed on the bed, we found ourselves lacking the motivation to walk to the other building to do it.
Talked to our friends after they crossed the bridge, and they said there was nothing to it. The grates were covered up with mats from DelMac Bike tour. which also includes a ride across the bridge Most likely because the grating causes problems for bicycles going across, so they couldn't even see the water. The trikes were down low enough, that all they really saw was the railing. If I had known that was the situation, I may have been brave enough to ride the bridge.
In summing the weekend up, I would say that over all, it was a great ride. We had good riding weather, an interesting course, some challenging terrain, and good time spent with friends.
In looking back, I can see that the event was not put together by any cycling group. The registration folks weren't too excited about the ride, the course markings were only at the turns, with miles of isolation in between that had us and other cyclist asking of we were on the right route. Sag presence was very low and not done by folks who were very knowledgeable about cycling. The course was beautiful, with many picturesque views. I would say that the main purpose of this tour is to bring tourist dollars into the community and it does do that. Not sure if we would do this tour again. There was a total of 300 riders for the tour. I think most of them did the 25 mile loop. The tour is done in the spring as well.
Several lessons learned by Tony and I in this experience as well. First and foremost I will be checking the rim and the tries for any protrusions or rough spots. 3 flats in 2 days on the same side tells us that something is going on, and I need to get to the bottom of it. I am tired of flat tires. Secondly, I am changing the air pump on the trike out to one that does Scrhader valves. I have also decided to carry a can of CO2, which will make it easier to pump up a flat tire. Although we use Schwalbe Marathon tires, we aren't happy with the way they have been wearing. We have under 2000 miles on the set we have, and they need replacing. I have already ordered a new set of Marathon Plus tires for the trike. Cyclist say they get far less flats with them and they last longer. They should be here by Thursday, so I can get them on and we can ride this weekend.
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