Copper Harbor to Santa Fe

[rionapo]

Back in Internet land, so here are a few pics from Keweenaw County and the Copper Harbor bike trail system, deservedly one of IMBA's 61 epic trails worldwide. We figured we'd finished our northern journey when we found this sign (checkout the high tech snowplow marker):



Or, as the locals like to point out, the place where US41 starts its almost 2000 mile journey to Miami



Signs were helpful in other places, too



Though there were some easier spots like this one on Stairway to Heaven



And gorgeous single track



With plenty of color at the state park



And boondocking, too



No visit here would be complete without a lighthouse, rainbow and barge



Or the first snowfall of the year, not much but there's more coming already

[Pschitt]

Nice trip report, thanks for sharing...

[daveb]

Gotta love the fall season. Looks super nice back there.

[JoeH]

Awesome. Thanks for the stoke!

[4MacFam]

Looks like you found some great spots. Enjoyed the coffee we had in Mad City.

[rionapo]

Colors are great, snow and freezing temps are crimping the two-wheel drive scene. Can't say enough about Copper Harbor trails. Bring $$$ though, seems like everyone else up here (MI, WI, MN) charges. They want $10/day/person for the trails at MTU in Houghton. The cold chased us away before we could get indignant. (In fairness, somebody has to cut the grass. Our water in the Southwest is more disciplined. It doesn't just fall from the sky and make things grow where you don't want.)

4MacFam, great coffee. We got hung up in Madison and high-tailed it for the UP. Returning now, going to Hayward for the CAMBA trails. We didn't ck WI boondocking yet but it was easy enough in MI until the sun disappeared.

Don

[rionapo]

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.

[rionapo]

The wayback machine had a few leftovers from the September beginning of this trip. Thought I'd throw them in for completeness.

An Indian Summer nap above the Rio Grande Gorge in northern NM



An unexpected visitor north of Silverthorne, CO



Camping and hiking in the Snowy Mtns of SE Wyoming





with lakes around every turn



and a dog waiting faithfully for her mistress

[86Scotty]

My Aussie sure wold enjoy a roll in the snow!

Very nice report Don. Thanks for sharing!

[stanw909]

Beautiful. Thanks