Training Log Archive: Ricka

3 short 'courses' on morraine terrain - challenging! But 10 minutes stuck in blackberry patch was very (ful)filling.

Map hike, sort of, as I conclusively proved to myself that relocation based on contour features only is impossible.

Total time for three short dips: Avery Lake in AM; Monocle Lake next to Mission Hill at midday; Lake Michigan at dusk. All were fantastic and quite warm even though last one was in heavy surf/wind.

I tried the back stroke again Tuesday and Wednesday - right shoulder was much better!

Driving east of Paradise (not Eden) to Mission Hill tower (site of A-meet about 30 years ago). Great terrain on high double bluff above Lake Superior. Steep ridge/re-entrant terrain but much more 'jumbled' than midwest ridge/re-entrant systems - as steep as Babler - my guess is that these were dunes last time Superior was several hundred feet high than it is now. Must of been very technical and physically challenging courses! Vegetaion now is mature maple forest with thousands of maple saplings of course. I'd say vegetation was mostly light or medium green - definitely light green once leaves are down. No ticks, chiggers, briars, deer flies, or poison ivy. Few spider webs and even mosquitoes were okay - even after I'd washed off repellent at lunch.

I hiked north to edge of bluff - good view of Superior. Then east 'forever' before dropping to Monocle Lake (swim of course & lunch). Then used Scenic Overlook trail to get back up and hiked south a mile or so. Never got to Overlook (later got there by auto) but good views between trees of lakes and Canada. Hiked west, but everything now is very flat "Why???". I later found that there are two mesas - a lower flat one and a rugged smaller higher one. Finally found correct bluff and walked into a native American hogan - apparently currently in use - probably religious. Used its trail to get back to Misson Tower & car. WOW!

Weird and Wow! Stopped at Raco ex-airfield. The runways from 1940's form a kite-shape, including the two diagonals. The major runways form an equilateral triangle, one mile on a side. A stubby isosceles triangle completes the kite. I stopped, no one there but the gate is open! No "No trespassing" signs. The only restriction was "No Vehicle Testing and No Drag Racing" - I qualified!

So I cycled round (stiff west wind) for 25 minutes - how strange. Runways had weeds and showed some wear but no problem for my road bike with 'city' tires. Plus on each runway, I had a choice of 30 'lanes' of concrete each 9' wide. Surreal. Eric - you'd love it! I guess I could have driven it as well - I had no motivation for that.

I Googled the site before I came. It was used for anti-aircraft battery during Cold War in 50's. Perhaps never actually used as an airport though it was listed as one for 10-20 years. Currently Smithers Corp does use it in winter to test autos on snow and ice conditions. I saw a crude height pole able to measure up to 6' or so of snow.

Conspiracy lore claims that despite appearances of disuse, 'locals' comfirm that buildings and underground areas are in use. As German Sgt. on F Troop used to say, "I know nothing!"

On road, 10 miles later, saw people picking wild blueberries. I stopped at next off-road place. Pick a cup (and ate a lot) in 10 minutes within 30' of my car. Bunches of 3-6 on every 'pick'.

Tried camping at Lake Superior CG - no luck - much too late for extremely popular CG. Camped at Blind Sucker Flooding #1 CG - plenty of room - perhaps change name of site? :) Fine except for neighboring site with loud radio and campfire stories until 2 - most were MSU fans.

Went for quick AM dip - ended up swimming length of flooding (ie pond) and back - perhaps 3/8 mile each way. (Time and distance very crude estimates.)

Nice neighbor on other side mentioned blueberry site on way out. I stopped and picked over 2 cups in about 40 minutes. Not thick, but lots of them over large area.

Cycled on state highway (great shoulders) to and fro Paradise (really!) and Great Lakes Shipwreck musem at Whitefish Point - near where Edmund Fitzgerald went down. I was surprised that most of the hundreds of Lake Superior shipwrecks in that area were due to collisions, not the weather per se. (Most were at night and/or in heavy fog.) Apporpratiely, i was listening to Gordon Lightfoot tape on way to Paradise. Road signage was bad. I almost had to stop and ask a John Deere driver, "What is the way to paradise?" Peddled pretty hard - 43 minutes each way. 10-11 miles.

10-11 miles each way with crosswind - lessened by the woods. Really stiff breeze at the Point. Bought maple fudge (not pumpkin fudge ?) - hmmmm.

Before swim, AM trail run round-trip from BS #1 CG to BS #2 CG.

For Tuesday night, I found free National Forest unofficial site site on Avery Lake - only camper!

Quick after dark dip to cool and clean - warmed up by campfire.

Over 2 hours of touring 20+ miles of hardpack/light gravel trails at Seney Wildlife Refuge in UP. Best way to see Seney! Saw lots of Trumpeter Swans, Can. Geese (near their home!), osprey, great blue heron, and the highlight was: 2 bear cubs ahead on trail (I stopped), joined by third cub (I thought, "this is weird."), all disappeared around bend, I waited, one cub and mommy return to right & leave trail, I wait, when I proceed all have gone - my guess is mommy #2 departed to left with her two cubs.

Caught midway in hard 'scattered thunderstrom', I hanged from cotton shirt to Axis Gear synthetic - kept warm! Lots of deer flies swarmed, did not bite.

Long walk on Lake Superior beach with deep sand to and fro first and easternmost of Grand Marais sand bluffs - stopped at 12' diameter, 10' tall teepee - yes, made of trees/saplings, no covering. No idea who made it or why. I sat inside for a while - no perceptible effect.

Short swim at teepee site - lake Superior was again warmer than expected. Top foot warm, deeper was bearable. Quirky right shoulder hurt during back stroke - ugh.

New ride: Esky, SE on M35 to County 535, north to Bark River, back east to Esky on Old State Road - roughly 45 miles. Break times not included. At Bark River, glanced at HUGE Off-Road vehicle track races - hundreds of campers and RV's; hundreds more parked cars. Between races, I missed the zoom-zoom, and felt like riding rather than enter for $20. Beautiful weather, roads were flat and smooth. Two lane M35 has 6-8' paved shoulders; rest had 2-3' paved shoulders.