Day 4. Highway 2 all day

8/28/2025. Thursday

Gladstone MI to Manistique MI

Stats: 46 miles AIS: 4:14. 10.9 mph Elev 583 ft

It rained for several hours last night but we slept like babies and our tent stayed dry. We expected it to but it’s always a relief when you haven’t camped for a year and it does in fact stay dry…still a great tent. Big Agnes… same tent 5 years!

The usual rise and shine about 7:15. On the trail by 9:15.

Our go-to breakfast is oatmeal and apples. Today’s apple was Granny Smith. I wish I could recall my last apples we had because they were delicious… crisp and sweet. But I do recall they were NOT Honey Crsisp! Anyway in the Quaker instant oatmeal world I spotted this Raisin, Date and Walnut variety. Walnuts for the win! I could add my own nuts of course. Maybe next batch I will.

The forecast today was a high of 61 F and wind out of the north. It’s started early… windy at 7am. Uh oh!! We had extra layers on at the start and I wore my headband. It’s more comfortable without cold wind blowing in my ears. We had headwind for the first 5 miles or so then we turned east as the wind was more tolerable. It had a few good gusts but not bad. The highway itself was two lane with double passing lanes occasionally. The shoulder was big and wide with good asphalt. We had a 15 mile stretch with “butter” smooth surface. We enjoyed every mile of it!

Most of the day we were in a corridor of Hiawatha National Forest. We could no longer see the water until a few miles away from Manistique.

Seems like it’s time for Montana to join the party and get on board for this cross country bicycle route! Highway 2 has been part of the ACA (American Cycle Association) Northern Tier transcontinental route for decades.

Today’s lunch stop brought to you by Wacky Jackz Cannabis Shop. It was the only establishment along the way to pull off the highway… sit out of the wind in the warm sunshine and enjoy a peanut butter and trail mix wrap. Busy little place this morning.

Because today’s ride was all Highway 2.. not along the lake… no towns, no nothing for 46 miles… I tuned into my earbuds and listened to “The Moth” radio hour. It’s all storytelling… short stories with a theme. Very entertaining and helped the miles go by quickly. Because the shoulder was so wide you could actually forget about the traffic, cars and semis. But there was one big truck passing from the other side of the road that caught my attention the last second. It was coming directly toward me (in the lane) but the speed and direction he was travelling toward me was terrifying for a split second! Jim said I didn’t even flinch. I was not super close to the rumble strip but he wasn’t super far from the rumble strip! Fortunately scenes like that are rare.

The highway turned directly north the last 5 miles into Manistique. We were prepared for the direct headwind but it turned out to be not as bad as we feared. Powered by a Coca Cola qwik stop we headed into town. Shortly after we started my brother Paul and his friend Bill went past us waving. They pulled off to say hello then headed into the campground to check in. They had driven about 4 hours and Bill was dropping Paul off and driving back to his home in Sheboygan WI.

We are camped tonight at another campground located in the town. It’s just across the bridge from the downtown near a major boat ramp to the Lake. It’s getting busier at the campgrounds now because Labor Day weekend starts tomorrow… Friday. Looks like tomorrow will be in a Forest Service campground with water and pit toilets. No showers, no electricity! It will be alright because we have a motel the following two nights. Also looks like temperatures will be getting warmer for the weekend. It’s going to be cold tonight…again!

Tomorrow we have about 40 miles… maybe further. Getting used to the mileage now.