We rode the Hwy into Houghton (pronounced Hoe-ton). Lani wanted to go to the Keweenaw Food Co-op. Let me tell you about Houghton…it’s on some very steep hills, and the Co-op is at the top (well, maybe not the top, but definitely up there). As I was huffing and puffing my way up a particularly steep part, I said to Lani, “This Co-op better be good!” Okay, it was. They had lots of great options, and a nice bulk food section. I was able to get some rolled oats in bulk (don’t have to carry so much). Also got some dried mango. We are pretty tired of what we’ve been eating, so it was nice to get something different. I got a Chickpea Tikka Masala (just on the verge of too spicy for me) package. I should have also got some sticky rice, but the Tikka Masala was okay without it.
Lani bought a loaf of rosemary sourdough. If only I had the space to carry something like that…
After stowing our purchases, we headed back to the route. The rest of the way into Houghton was on a bike/ski trail. The GPS said to turn left off the trail and up this very very very steep one block road. We should have stayed on the main road. I made it up, but not without zigzagging my way across the road. It was nuts!
We went across the Houghton Canal on the lift bridge.
Lani was impressed I managed to take this photo as I was riding across the bridge. The lift part was a grated bridge deck. I’ll admit, grated bridge decks are a little scary. Lani was smart, and rode the sidewalk.
Once across the canal, we headed back down the canal for a bit before doing a short section of ATV trail. Then we had quite a lengthy section of pavement that led to The Best Road Ever!!!
The road turned to gravel, then we turned onto Covered Drive. It was mostly smooth dirt, and nearly completely covered by trees…a green tunnel. We were imagining how amazing it will be in a few weeks with the fall colors.
It was also slightly downhill. What a joy it was to ride this! It went on for several miles.
We popped out to pavement, and rode to Freda to see the Freda Ruins that was on our route guide. It was a disappointment.
Probably a rail bridge there.
Smokestack and some foundation. There was a fence, so we could get any closer. If you are thinking of doing the Northwoods Route, don’t bother with this. Plus, we had to climb back up to the route (day o’ gratuitous hill climbing).
Once we were back on route, we saw a couple of guys in a Suburu. They stopped to talk to Lani. When I caught up, they told us they were digging for “flow copper”. Apparently, there is quite a bit of it in the UP. It goes for $12/pound. They have special metal detectors they use to find the copper. The one guy gave me a small piece. He said to soak it in some vinegar, and it will “shine right up”.
We stopped a little later, and ate some lunch. Lani lubed her chain, and I attempted to center my front brake caliper as it was making a most annoying squeaking sound. It helped, but the disc rotor is still rubbing.
We had a long section of gravel roads before riding the last couple of miles into Toivola. We were hoping for something to drink at the store that was marked on the GPS. Yeah, there was no store. I still had about 24 ozs of water. We just had 9 miles to go to Twin Lakes State Park, but it was on the Bob Nichols Trail.
It had moments of soft sandy, washboard, and general bumpiness, but it wasn’t too bad. And, it was flat. Riding along, ithought my nose was dripping on my leg. Then realized it was actually spitting rain. It has been in the mid-80s since Copper Harbor. I put the sleeves of my hi-vis jacket back on (for the moment, as it is new, it is water resistant…my proper rain gear was at the bottom of one of my rear bags).
We got off the trail to go to a gas station, then on to the park. We finally got our cold drinks (and I had an ice cream cookie sandwich). Thankfully, this park is open. It’s not nearly as quiet as McLain, as Hwy 41 goes right by, and it’s a pretty busy highway.
Obviously, Twin Lakes State Park is on a lake. When it stopped raining, I went to have a look at the lake. There was this rainbow.
Showers have been taken, dinner has been eaten, and now I’m in my tent finishing up this post. There are supposed to be thunderstorms tonight, with even a possibility of hail. Hard to imagine with these temps, but we’ll see.
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