Don't Be A Nancy

1. Nancy didn't want to follow the posted detour signs.
2. Nancy chose her own detour that started as gravel, turned into dirt, then became sand.
3. Nancy doesn't have the skill set to ride in the sand.
4. Nancy had to use her jack, then power walk the bike half a mile.
5. Follow the posted detours. Don't be a Nancy. 🤣

Let's start from the beginning, shall we?

I made it through the Wisconsin 50 Rides with almost no trouble, but as I was leaving the peninsula, a terribly strong storm came flying through. I dove under a gas station pump overhang...I also needed gas...and stayed for about 30 minutes until it passed. I was only a little wet 👍.

On into Michigan's U.P. (Upper Peninsula), where the Yuppers (pronounced YOU-perz) reign supreme 🤣. Unfortunately, I didn't find a pastie place that was open and not crowded, so I missed out on that pleasure 😞. Next time.

I took the Mackinaw (Mackinac?) Bridge, from which you could barely see anything because of the smoke, and dropped down into the Glove, the main part of Michigan above Ohio.

I spent almost 3 hours trying to go 28 miles down the M-119, Michigan's 50 Rides road, because of three separate road closures. Which brings us back to the beginning.

Because I was trying to ride every inch of the road for the AULDR challenge, I chose NOT to follow the posted detour signs, which kept to paved roads. Shorter story: I wound up on one that started okay but quickly turned bad, then worse when it became deep, loose sand. I locked my elbows and kept it straight for longer than I thought I would, but eventually I went down. Not hurt, just in the middle of nowhere and getting dark very fast. I used the jack, then power walked the bike out to the pavement...which I didn't actually know was going to be paved or was going to end up in the middle of the road closed section and have to turn around 😳. But, nope, paved, all good 👍.

I did learn something though, more than it's best to follow the posted detour signs. The bike was down on the right side, so I put the kickstand down before jacking it up. However, the kickstand would've just punched right into the sand and may have cause the bike to go down on the other side. What to do? I have my puck, the big round black one from HD, on a lanyard so I can connect it to my handlebars and pull it up without bending over. But setting the puck down on the ground where I thought the bike might go was a very iffy proposition. So, I used the lanyard to attached the puck to the end of the kickstand. When I jacked him up, I tipped him over to the left, and the kickstand with its attached puck set him gently down on the sand and not IN the sand. Cool 👍

Anyway, once back rolling, I went through every "Road Closed to Thru Traffic" barricades and most of the actual "Road Closed" signs, making u-turns at the last second. I rode as much as I could. I hope AULDR will accept it.

Now, I'm camped behind Zip's 45th Parallel HD hoping the storm that's north of me and lighting up the sky will stay north of me 🤞🤞🤞, but I'm in the tent just in case.

Hope to see you on the road! Remember, NO WHINING! ✌️

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2026 starting odometer: 46667
Starting odometer: 123631
Ending odometer: 124428
Daily mileage: 797
2026 miles total: 77761Read more