Bicycle & Horse Traffic On Mackinaw Island

The Mackinaw Bridge
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Fargo, ND - This morning we boarded a ferry in Mackinaw City and went to Mackinaw Island, where automobiles are prohibited and bicycles and horses are the main modes of transportation.

While on the island, we cycled on a path that circles the entire island and afterward indulged ourselves with free samples of the famous fudge, which is made on the island. In the evening we boarded another ferry and went to St. Ignace to complete our crossing of the Mackinaw Straight and begin our ride in the upper peninsula of Michigan.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Bob & Diane Shockey - Let us stay at their condo on Lake Michigan and gave us access to their beach to swim in Lake Michigan.

Day 43 Recap: Mackinaw City, MI to Brevort, MI (34 miles)

Update From Cheboygan, MI

U.S.S. Mackinaw Docked In Port At Cheboygan
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Cheboygan, MI - Yesterday evening reached the tip of Michigan's lower penisula as we rolled into Mackinaw City. Today we are visiting Greg's uncle Gerry and his friend, Beth, in Cheboygan, MI and tomorrow we plan to take the ferry across the Straits of Mackinaw to begin our ride in the upper penisula of Michigan.

The ride through Michigan has been incredible and we plan to post more pictures and a detailed daily log when we can find an open internet connection. Listed below is a brief recap of the past week.

Daily Recaps:
Day 41: Boyne City, MI to Mackinaw City, MI (70 miles)
Day 40: Traverse City, MI to Boyne City, MI (77 miles)
Day 39: Leroy, MI to Traverse City, MI (91 miles)
Day 38: Herrick Campground (2 miles east of Clare, MI) to Leroy, MI (55 miles)
Day 37: Caro, MI to Herrick Campground (2 miles east of Clare, MI) (87 miles)
Day 36: Lapeer, MI (5 miles north of town center) to Caro, MI (33 miles)

Rockin' Ross Says "Don't Leave Tracks"

"Don't Leave Tracks"
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Aitkin, MN - We met several cyclists today as we cycled a popular bike ride that runs along the Lake Michigan shoreline between Petosky and Mackinaw City, Michigan. One section of the ride which is called "The Tunnel Of Trees" meandered through wooded areas and offered spectacular views from bluffs above Lake Michigan.

In Petosky one cyclist approached us and immediately introduced himself as "Rockin' Ross". Ross eagerly gave us travel advice and in particular he recommended that we camp on the sand dunes outside Mackinaw City. He continued to inform us that camping was not permitted on the sand dunes, but he told us if you "Don't Leave Tracks" then no one will even know you are there. We appreciated Ross' enthusiasm as he even demonstrated how to not leave tracks.


We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
"The Chain Gang" - Bought us dinner at Legg's Inn where we enjoyed some fine Polish cusine along the shoreline of Lake Michigan.
John & Meg - Let us camp in the yard behind their bike shop in Boyne City, MI.

Day 41 Recap: Boyne City, MI to Mackinaw City(70 miles)

Mary Joins Us & Larry Shows-Off His Vintage Schwinn

Larry Thompson's Vintage Schwinn Bike
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

North Branch, MI - Mary Fordham joined us today in Traverse City and we welcome Mary as she will be riding with us for the next 10 days in Michigan and Wisconsin.

During our ride through Grand Rapids, Michigan we met Larry Thompson as he rode his vintage girl's Schwinn bicycle into a convenience store. He told us his bike was over 40 years old and he found it in the trash and "brought it back to life again" after dling some repair work on it. Larry likes the bike because as he demonstrated to us, he can bungee a cane between the handlebars and the seat post and grab for the cane to fend off irate dogs.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
John & Meg - Let us camp in the yard behind their bike shop in Boyne City, MI.

Day 40 Recap: Traverse City, MI to Boyne City(77 miles)

Life In The Manistee National Forest

Insect Mating Season
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

North Branch, MI - We left Leroy early this morning and finished our westward trek across the lower penisula by late morning and then we turned north and cycled through the Manistee National Forest. We enjoyed our ride through the forest as we observed an ecosystem which was full of plant and animal life. By late evening we reached the west coast of the Michigan lower peninsula in Traverse City and took in a beautiful view of a bay filled with sailboats in the distance.

Day 39 Recap: Leroy, MI to Traverse City, MI (91 miles)

Devin Pops A Monster Wheelie!

Devin Darnell Pops A Monster Wheelie!!
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

North Branch, MI - Today we rode most of the day through rain and at one point we cycled through an all-out down pour for nearly an hour. However, things turned for the better in the evening as we rolled into the small town of Leroy, Michigan and found a pavilion in the townsquare to dry out our gear and sleep for the night.

While setting up camp, we met Devin Darnell and his friend Joe Gingrich and we enjoyed watching Devin put on an Evel Knievel bike trick exhibition for us.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Julie - Gave us fresh baked cookies and other energy food from the Leroy general store.

Day 38 Recap: Herrick Park Campground, MI to Leroy, MI (55 miles)

Earl Rogner Says "Keep Truckin' "

Earl Rogner Says "Keep Truckin' "
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Stillwater, MN - Earl Rogner eagerly approached us while we were taking a water break at a convenience store in Bay City, Michigan and introduced himself as an "over-the-hill truck driver". He was very interested to learn about our journey and as we chatted with him we could tell by the excitement in his voice that that he was far from "over-the-hill". Earl wished us luck on the rest of our journey and we thank him for sharing his positive energy with us.

Today we cycled north to Bay City, which is at the lower tip of the Saginaw Bay, and then we turned west and cycled to Midland where we picked up the Pere Marquette Rail Trail and cycled to Herrick Campground just east of Clare, MI.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Ed Nicholson - We met Ed in Fairgrove, MI and he gave us some home-baked cookies for the road. Ed recently completed his first century bike ride (100 miles) and each summer he meets several cross-country cyclists and offers his house as a place to stay for the night.

Sarah Myszynski - Offered us a free campsite at the Herrick Park Campground. Sarah enjoys hiking and and we wish her the best as she plans to follow her dream of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Day 37 Recap: Caro, MI to Herrick Park Campground, MI (87 miles)

"Riders On The Storm"

A Storm Closes In
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Stillwater, MN - Last night we slept through a constant rain downpour, but in the morning we were fortunate enough to have a short break in the rain, which allowed us barely enough time to break camp and load up our bikes.

Once we began cycling, the skies ahead of us got as dark as night and we immediately sought refuge in the vestibule of an open church. The storm blew through after a couple of hours and in the afternoon as we cycled the countyside we saw numerous blown down trees. We later learned from some locals that a small tornado had run through the area!

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Roberta Gauthier - Greg's friend who let us dry our wet gear, take showers and clearn our laundry at her house in Marlette, MI.

Day 36 Recap: Lapeer, MI to Caro, MI (33 miles)

"Mi Casa Es Su Casa"

Dale, Greg & Uncle Gerry
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Marlette, MI - This afternoon we resume our journey as we depart Taylor, Michigan and head north through Pontiac and make our way toward the Saginaw Bay area.

We enjoyed our 4 day rest in Taylor and we thank Uncle Gerry and Dale for extending us their hospitality, which truly made us feel like "mi casa es su casa."

We appreciated the use of Dale's computer as we logged in countless hours on his pc and we thank uncle Gerry for giving us free rein on his food stash. And last night's steak dinner, which Uncle Gerry prepared and Dale cooked, well quite frankly it "knocked off our socks" Those steaks were just what we needed to get back on the road!

Day Recap 35: Farmington Hills, MI (just north of Taylor) to Lapeer, MI (5 miles north of town center)(58 miles)

Visiting Greg's Family & Friends

Visiting The Parkolabs In Taylor, Michigan
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Taylor, MI - Yesterday afternoon we rolled up to Greg's uncle's house in Taylor, Michigan and completed Stage 2 of our tour. For the next 4 days we are resting and look forward to visiting with Greg's family and friends in the Detroit/Windsor area.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Steven & Kevin - Gave us water bottles and energy food for the road ahead.
Geraldo & Cathy - Enjoyed meeting up with Geraldo and Cathy, friends from Houston vacationing in Michigan and Cananda. Also, we thank Cathy for her generous donation to the cause.

Why Ride Westbound?

Coast To Coast Painting
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Taylor, MI - While eating dinner last night, we met Richard Rose and afterward he graciously invited us to camp in his backyard. As Richard is a cycling enthusiast, we enjoyed talking about cyclotouring and invariably the re-occuring question was posed, "Why ride westbound?".

We have been asked this question often since most touring cyclists traditionally cycle eastward in order to take advantage of the favorable winds. We address this question by saying that when planning our tour we basically focused on riding westward when planning our tour since we wanted to explore the continent like to pioneers and have the opportunity to see the land unfold from east to west.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Richard Rose & Family - Invited us to their home so we could camp in their backyard and use their pool.

Day 30 Recap: Toledo, OH to Taylor, MI ( miles)

Gary's Diner - Clyde, OH

Gary's Diner - Clyde, OH
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Taylor, MI - After sleeping through a night of slow and constant rain, we awoke to a wet and overcast morning As the dark skies seemed to promise more rain, we broke camp quickly and made our way into Clyde, Ohio to have a warm breakfast at Gary's Diner.

During this time the clouds slowly opened up and the sun started to break through! The rest of the day proved to be ideal for cycling and we clipped off more than 70 miles and ended up in Toledo, Ohio, just south of the Ohio/Michigan stateline.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Dan Kauble - Let us pitch our tent on his land in Bellevue, OH and shared some refreshing beverages with us.
Angie, Jim & Vicky Campbell - We thank Angie for using her car horn to scare away a dog that was chasing Drew and we also thank the Campbell family for refilling our water bottles and for giving us directions to Toledo, Ohio.

Day 29 Recap: Clyde, OH to Toledo, OH (71 miles)

Starsky & Hutch

Starsky & Hutch
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Taylor, MI - We began the day by having a fantastic breakfast at the Sunset Shores Bed & Breakfast in Avon Lake, Ohio and afterward we cycled further west along Lake Erie and eventually rolled into Vermilion, Ohio where we stumbled upon a vintage "Starsky & Hutch" Gran Torino at a classic car show.

In the late afternoon there were scattered showers and we sought shelter in Vermilion for a short period and another time for a longer period in Avery, Ohio. After these stoppages our ride turned in land from Lake Erie and we cycled throught some vast farmland in northeastern Ohio.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Denny & Bobbie Potonic - Let us pitch our tents at their bed & breakfast (Sunset Shores B&B in Avon Lake, OH) and offered us breakfast the following morning.
Gail & Austin Raymond - We enjoyed chatting with Gail and Austin at the Subway in Vermilion and thank them for making a donation to the cause.
Jeff Marcero - Donated to the cause and told us he appreciated our journey since he lived in the backcountry of Alaska for 4 months during his college years.
Resley Subway Crew in Vermilion, OH - Gave us free sandwiches, cookies and ice for the road.

Day 28 Recap: Avon Lake, OH to Clyde, OH (53 miles)

Cook-Out With Liz & Sophie

Greg, Liz & Sophie
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Taylor, MI - As we cycled west of Cleveland, Ohio along the Lake Erie shoreline, we had the good fortune of meeting Liz and her daughter, Sophie. They invited for an evening cook-out at their house and there we enjoyed an excellent meal and good company.

Liz recently started running marathons and she identfied with our ride. We thank her for encouraging us to ride on and likewise, we wish her the best with her personnal goal of running a marathon in each of the 50 states.

Day 27 Recap: Beachwood, OH (just east of Cleveland) to Avon Lake, OH (41 miles)

Hitting The Town in Cleveland

Drew, Chad Reed & Greg
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Beachwood, OH - We made it to Cleveland late this evening and met up with Chad Reed, Charlie Steffy and Georgina Goodnight, Drew's friends in Cleveland. We had a good time hitting the town and want to thank Chad and Charlie for letting us crash at their place.

Day 26 Recap: Sebring, OH to Beachwood, OH (just east of Cleveland) (88 miles)

Steel City Departure

Departing Pittsburgh
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Pittsburgh, PA - We are departing Pittsburgh late this morning and hope to ride into Ohio before the end of the day. After having resting for the past 4 days in Pittsburgh, we are very energized and ready to continue the ride. During our rest days, we posted daily logs that recap our journey between the dates of June 27 - July 8th. Also, we have posted some video clips.

As we head west, we will probably have less computer accessibility and may go longer stretches before posting updates. In the future, if you would like us to notify you when we post updates, please send an email to drew_ettinger@hotmail.com or glpark@aol.com and let us know that you would like to be added to our list.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Lee & Charlene McGratn - Let us pitch our tents in their backyard in Sebring,OH.

Day 25 Recap: Chippewa, PA (just west of Pittsburgh, PA) to Sebring, OH (46 miles)

Stage 1 Complete - Pittsburgh, PA

Point State Park, Pittsburgh, PA
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Pittsburgh, PA - We started our ride about 65 miles north of Pittsburgh today and the approach to the city was somewhat challenging as we tried to navigate the busy, windy and hilly streets of western Pennsylvania. Today's ride completes stage one of our tour as we now rest for the next several days in Drew's hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Dirty Harry's Bike Shop in Verona, PA - We thank Scott for helping us fix the grips on our handlebars.

Day 20 Recap: N. Washington, PA to Pittsburgh, PA (65 miles)

Travis & Devon - Biking Buddies

Travis & Devon
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

We met Travis and Devon while cycling on the Justus Trail in Franklin, PA. They both enjoy biking together and they reminded us what it was like in to ride bikes with your friends in the "Good 'Ol Days" of summer. Today we spent much of the day riding south toward Pittsburgh on rail-to-trail path in Oil Creek State Park and on the Justus Trail which runs along the Allegheny River.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Country Pedalers Bike Shop, Franklin, PA - Gave us directions on how to follow the Justus Trail to Emlenton, PA.
Jim Zanella, Sue Confer, Jason Brothers, Ericka Brothers & John Benson - Let us camp behind the IPRA Rodeo fairgrounds in N. Washington, PA.

Day 19 Recap: Titusville, PA to N. Washington, PA (68 miles)

Update From Corry, PA

Don't Try This At Home
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Corry, PA - We crossed into Pennsylvania just moments ago and we are currently at the public library in Corry, PA. We had difficulties getting computer access during our long trek across the sparse Adirondack Mountain region of upstate New York, but we are now making a short pit-stop in Corry to post a brief update. Listed below are the towns and distances that we covered over the past week. We have uploaded many pictures, but still have more pictures to upload. We plan to upload the remaining pictures and provide more detailed postings and descriptions when we have a chance to access a computer this weekend in Pittsburgh, PA.

June 27 - Middlebury, VT to Severance, NY (40 miles)
June 28 - Severance, NY to Long Lake, NY (59 miles)
June 29 - Long Lake, NY to Thendara, NY (47 miles)
June 30 - Thendara, NY to Osceola, NY (53 miles)
July 1 - Osceola, NY to Fair Haven, NY (73 miles)
July 2 - Fair Haven, NY to Fairport, NY (75 miles)
July 3 - Fairport, NY to Lockport, NY (77 mile)
July 4 - Lockport, NY to Wendt Beach Park, NY (81 miles)
July 5 - Wendt Beach Park, NY to Stockton, NY (37 miles)
July 6 - Departed Stockton, NY and plan to reach Titusville, PA

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Manly Pelc - Gave us directions for a contruction detour in northeast Pennsylvania and shared his fantastic collection of N.H.L collector's items.

Erie County Sheriff's Maintenance Crew

Erie County Sheriff's Maintenance Crew
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

This morning we awoke at our Wendt Beach Park campsite and saw a maintenance crew dressed in orange coveralls tending to the park. The crew was supervised by officer Duane Liebler of the Erie County Sheriff's Office and we told him we appreciated their efforts and asked if we could get a picture with the maintenace crew. Although it was not possible to get a picture since we later learned that many of the men on the crew are camera shy, Duane did allow us to take a picure of their crew bus and for this we thank him. We were fortunate to be able to camp at Wendt Beach as we learned that the county nearly closed the park due to budget constraints, but was able to keep the park open by using the resources of this industrious maintenance crew.

After breaking camp, we cycled along the shoreline of Lake Erie until we reached Dunkirk, NY and at this point we turned south towards Pennsylvania and began our climb into the Allegheny Mountains.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Judy & Al Dolata - Sponsored the ride by buying us breakfast at Pepper's in Angola, NY.
Chris Brown - Owner of 310 Market in Stockton, NY who let us pitch our tents on the land behind his store.

Day 17 Recap: Wendt Beach Park, NY to Stockton, NY (37 miles)

International Border Crossing

Approaching The Lewiston-Queenston Bridge
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

We began the morning by cycling through the Tuscarora Indian Reservation in upstate New York and shortly thereafter arrived at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge, which is an entry point into Canada.

At this point we separated and Drew crossed the bridge into Canada and cycled the length of the Niagara River on the Canadian side of the river and Greg cycled along the river on the U.S. side. We saw Niagara Falls as we cycled along the river (Click Here To See A Video of Horseshoe Falls - This may take a couple minutes to download). We met back up in the late afternoon in Buffalo when Drew returned to the U.S. by crossing the Peace Bridge.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Dick Donovan - Cyclist we met in Lockport who gave Greg directions for cycling the U.S. side of the Niagara River. Also, we thank Dick for donated to the cause.
Laurie Lorenz - We met Laurie and her friends while watching a fireworks display at Wendt Beach Park and we thank her for making a donation to the cause.

Day 16 Recap: Lockport, NY to Wendt Beach Park, NY (81 miles)

Johannes & Hubert Mayer

German Touring Cyclists
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

Today we spent the entire day cycling along the Erie Canal on the Canalway Trail. Riding on this cyclist/pedestrian specific trail was a nice change as it allowed us to easily meet other travelers. Later in the day we met Johannes and Hubert Mayer, a father and son from Wolfenbuettel, Germany who were riding from Indiana to New York City. We enjoyed chatting with them about cyclotouring and thank them for making a donation to the Leukemia Society.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Joel & Molly - Cycled with us for 4 miles on the Canalway Trail near Rochester, NY

Day 15 Recap: Fairport, NY to Lockport, NY (77 mile)

Lemonade Stand!

Lemonade Stand
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

We cycled pass Katie Delaney's lemonade stand in Marion, NY on a hot afternoon and re-hydrated with a couple glassed of ice-cold lemonade. We enjoyed chatting with Katie and her father, Jim, and we wish Katie the best with her promising future as an up-start entrepreneaur!

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Hank & Carol Walck - Invited us to stay the night at their house in Rochester, NY and cooked us a brilliant dinner. Hank is a true inspiration as he is a 70 years old recumbent cyclist, who has cycled cross-country 3 times in the past 8 years.
Brian & Karen Managan - We met Brian & Karen at the Walck's and they let us view with fantastic documentary movie of their cross-country tour which they completed on a tandem recumbent bicycle!

Day 14 Recap: Fair Haven, NY to Fairport, NY (75 miles)

Ray Nelson's Energy Potion

Ray Nelson
Originally uploaded by TourForLife.org.

We picked up our pace quite a bit today as we made a constant and gradual descend off of Tug Hill and approached the coast of Lake Ontario at Pulaski, New York. From Pulaski we cycled along the shoreline of Lake Ontario on a network of roads called the "Seaway Trail". In the afternoon we stopped at a convenience store in Fulton, NY to wait out a brief thunderstorm.

While we were waiting, Ray Nelson approached us and inquired about our journey. We enjoyed chatting with Ray and later learned that he cycled cross-country in 1962 from Seattle, Washington to his hometown of Fulton, NY. Ray told us that he packed very light for his trip in '62, but he also told us that at the time he considered his most important pack item to be a regular supply of vinegar and honey, which he consumed daily to maintain a high energy level. He got the idea for this "energy potion" after reading a book by Dr. Jarvis, a contempory folk medicine practicioner, who concocked many different hippie, home remedies in the 1960's.

We Thank Today's Fans For Life:
Art & Linda Thurlow - Linda cooked us both an excellent fish sandwich at her restuarant in Fulton, NY and we enjoyed a lively and energetic discussion with both her and her husband, Art, about our travels ahead.
Ester - Sold us some delicious strawberries at a roadside farm market stand.

Day 13 Recap: Osceola, NY to Fair Haven, NY (73 miles)