Tag Archives: Northern Lights

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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Aurora Borealis by Bicycle!

As I write this Molly and I have complete 549 miles of our Liberation Bicycle Tour. The name derives from the fact that as of 6 weeks ago, all of our children are married and have jobs. Thus, as parents we are liberated!?

Two days ago we cycled from near the Straits of Mackinac to Drummond, Island in Lake Huron. Shortly before moonrise around 10 pm, the Aurora danced in the skies. While it was a challenge to photograph the Northern Lights without my top lens, I still like the results. Wish I had thought to bring my bicycle into the image before the bright moon started to wash out the Northern Lights. Oh well … enjoying our first rest day in two weeks while watching freighters lock through from Lake Superior to Huron (or vice versa).

My daily bike diary on the Crazy Guy on a Bike Portal

The images in this post … reverse order … night to sunrise

  • Biking the Aurora
  • Northern Lights Spikes
  • 30 Minutes After Sunset on Lake Huron
  • A Remote Lake Huron Beach
  • Ouch … A New, but Defective Tire (biked 90 miles more on this tire)
  • Sunrise Over Lake Huron … Our Campsite Dock

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And answering the question, “Where’s Waldo?”, or in this case, Rich and Molly.img_0689

Kayaking Under the Aurora Borealis!

I could have named this post … The Northern Lights and the Same Time Next Year Gang, but I chose kayaking instead. The Labor Day 2016 holiday weekend finds friends and family gathering for our 27th annual gathering at our small Northwoods cabin. This year is already the year of the Aurora … with two great nights of watching dancing lights in the heavens. NOAA is now predicting an Aurora Watch for tonight (was not predicted the past two nights). Does this mean a ThreePeat?!

Molly and I arrived on Thursday and enjoyed a great display the first night, but yesterday evening was special as we shared the experience with 3 generations of Hoegs. We had folks from age 1 to 61 down on the dock watching the dance. Life is good!

I will admit to sheer fatigue. I have been staying out to the wee hours of the morning with my camera, and then getting up before the grandkids by 7 am. When you combine this with a daily bicycle ride the body is beginning to demand more sleep!

Kayaking Under the Northern Lights
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3 Generations of Hoegs watch Pillars in the Sky
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Smith Lake Aurora Borealis
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Suomi Lutheran Church … a humbling and peaceful experience
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