Travelogue -- Dr Bob's Northwest Territory Motorcycle Ride
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30 May 2015, 9:45 PM, Silver City, MI

And a good evening to all my loyal followers. The single word that can summarize today is COLD. And even with the cold, I rode 317 miles, only about 5 of them on Interstate.

As you know, if you have read the past day or two of my ramblings, a cold front has gone through the area where I presently exist. The temperature in Sault Ste. Marie when I left this morning was a balmy 46°. As I rode west through Munising and Marquette, I could feel it getting colder. The thermometer on my Harley was showing low 30s. I was fine, but my fingers were not, approaching frostbite. I had five layers on my upper body.

At the top right is my summer jacket liner for cold weather which I wore over my (short sleeve) shirt, just below that is my summer jacket liner for rain, just below that is my summer jacket with armor, and just below that is my rain jacket (or windbreaker). In addition I was wearing my leather bandanna which you see on the upper left and my winter gloves which you see on the far right and far left center. I wear a full face helmet, so face and nose and ears were just fine.

All of a sudden a light flashed before my eyes. I said, "Dagnabbit [a term I learned from Hoss Cartwright], why didn't I think of this before. I am sitting on an oven and all I have to do is stick my hand in the oven." I put my hands, one at a time for a minute or two, below me near the rear cylinder and my fingers were fine. I did that on and off throughout the day. Maybe I need heated gloves. But, this is the first time I have wanted them in, maybe 10 years. The oven worked fine.

I got up when I woke up, had breakfast, and checked radar with my NOAA app. Everything looked good. The rainy weather associated with the cold front was not going to be a problem today. Here is what I saw on my iPhone. I am the black dot near the right. I did notice the "Freeze Warning". And, as I said, I did not freeze, but my fingers did, that is until I remembered the oven that I had taken along for the ride.

Here's a shot of the front of the Best Western and water puddles, but no rain, just before I left. You can see two bikes up there, both Harleys, mine is on the right.

I rode south a few miles to catch the main road going west, and soon as I headed west I could see the clouds ending on the back side of the cold fron.

Sometime later, I was taken by how long the straight roads were here, something I usually associate with desert riding in the west.

Did you see the railroad tracks on the left side in the picture above? I doubt it, I cannot see them either, but they are there. Take a look a the next picture, taken seconds later looking to the left.

Sure enough, that is a railroad track.

Later I had my first glimpse of Lake Superior.

Here's another view, a few miles down the road.

And another view, same location.

Much later in the day I headed into a Michigan State Park. This is the road. It was one of those pleasant rides with big trees on each side, almost touching overhead.

I was headed up Porcupine Mountain. Once I reached a parking lot near the top, I had to walk up this board walk. Have you ever seen a boardwalk before that has switchbacks?

And here's the view I was going for, the Lake of the Clouds.