Tag Archives: Bike Tours

Bicycling Under the Aurora Borealis

Yesterday Molly and I finished 1,371 miles of self-supported bicycle touring which found us riding along the shores of Lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan.  We were on our bikes for 33 days and during that period we never, not even once:

  • Watched any TV
  • Listened to a Radio
    and
  • Rode in a Car

I will admit we bring tablets along in our panniers, which we use to keep in touch with the world and upon which we download lots of books from our library. Imagine if you can what it is like to disconnect from the normal media and transportation methods and see America at 12 mph. (read my daily trip bike diary)

Perhaps my favorite experience from the entire trip was watching the Northern Lights out over Lake Huron. I only had 30 minutes before the moon came up and washed out the dancing lights with its brightness. I only wished I had thought to insert my bicycle into a photograph before the display was dying down. Still, it’s a neat picture. The location is Drummond Island on Lake Superior, but not too far from the Straits of Mackinac and Lake Superior.

Aurora Borealis by Bicycle
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Our Final Route … we started and finished in Milwaukee
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Door County Day Tripping Ducks!

Even though today was only our second “rest” day of the 28 days we have toured, I was cycling by 6:50 am. My goal was to arrive at Peninsula State Park shortly after sunrise for some quality “birding by bicycle”. The early light equates to better photographic conditions, and more active birds. While I did not find any exotic birds making their southern migration, I did find a flock of well over 250 Common Mergansers which were bunched up in a protected cove of Lake Michigan. I knew that the huge winds out of the south over the past few days would have stopped any southward migration while our feathered friends awaited favorable winds out of the north. Birds are like cyclists … they love tailwinds and HATE headwinds. Oh yes … my rest day equated to 25 miles on the bike!

A couple of cormorants hang our with the mergansers

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Peninsula State Park also has some sedge meadows … a fact not overlooked by some sandhill cranes. I actually found this trio in a local farm field.

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One local took umbrage with my birding

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Today’s ride and our route after 28 days and 1,178 miles on the bicycles

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Looking out over Peninsula State Park

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