Changed the title of the thread as a first step to (finally) finishing the trip report.
Copper Harbor led to early snow at the Twin Lakes State Park south of Houghton, MI. Not much trouble finding a space and the morning crew was happy someone stopped by
A mere two weeks earlier, the trees at nearby Pike Lake were still in color
and the water loved the sunrise warmth
while Houghton's drawbridge was a beauty in the early cold
Union Bay in the Porkies was almost as deserted but the biking tended to be a bit sloppy
We wandered through Hayward, WI to ride the CAMBA trails but kept moving as the campgrounds were closed and the spouse detests ticks, including the one she picked up while camping in the local backcountry. The Jay Cooke State Park south of Duluth had just reopened the majority of its trails after last year's wipeout floods and it was much more hospitable, though I wouldn't call it mountain bike friendly.
Unfortunately, we found ourselves getting squeezed by cold weather, wet trails, hunting season and closed facilities. That didn't keep us from sampling some brews in Duluth (5+ brew pubs for 86,000 people) and playing photogs with the drawbridge
Grand Marais marked our turnaround based on a new rule that says when the waves start freezing, you could consider heading south
Warmth brought a few days at Waubonsie State Park in the Loess Hills of Iowa but no new biking until Switchgrass Trail in Kansas. What a surprise! Never expected such in the Sunflower State
and an unexpected oasis in the Oklahoma panhandle's Black Mesa State Park
All-in-all, an 8,000 mile blacktop road trip but full of beautiful places that we wouldn't ordinarily see. Next, the wayback machine takes us to the beginning of this trip.