July 6, 2018 – Today the Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s will ride in tribute to Maria Gamez
Maria is originally from Brownsville, Texas. She is 99 years old and currently lives at the Samaritan Campus.
Maria was lucky enough to score a ride on the rickshaw bike at the Samaritan. “I just love it,” she said. I was just hoping I wouldn’t fly out. We got back and I said that’s it?”
Maria wanted a longer ride.
Maria is still looking for someone to sponsor her Tribute Ride. See the simple for below. Sponsor Maria and 100% of your donation will go to the Samaritan Campus for a new rickshaw. You and Maria will receive a post card from the road.
Be sure to then visit Samaritan Campus with your post card and introduce yourself to Maria. She’s a spitfire at 99 with a December birthday on the way.
The 2018 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raising money this year for a rickshaw for seniors at The Samaritan Campus, a 501c3, so all donations are tax deductible.
Hardwood floors painted gray, aisles about shoulder-width apart that we’re stocked full with whatever you would need, right down the VHS tapes and canning supplies.
Bob had run the store the past 43 years. He said he kept the gas pumps out front from the 1960s because he liked it. He said it really confused the kids.
There was a glass deli counter up front full of meats and cheeses, ice cream could be scooped by hand and, in typical Otten fashion he discounted the price of a sandwich.
Canned products were hand stamped. Matter of fact, all products carried a hand stamp.
Bob’s Stop & Shop did not carry tobacco products. But he did have beer and a series of wallet-size photos of grandkids lining every bit of open space along with clever clippings and signs. There was zero empty wall space or counter space; there was a kid photo, canned good or homemade sign at every turn.
Asking Bob what town was ahead he rattled off a series in success and then said, “If you stub your toe on the railroad tracks you’ll fall out of town.”
Bob gave me a little message in a small plastic baggie as I left. Click HERE to watch.
Contents: An eraser so you can make all of your mistakes disappear, a penny so you will never have to say I’m broke, a marble in case someone says you’ve lost all your marbles, a rubber band to stretch yourself beyond your limits, a string to tie things together when everything seems to fall apart, a hug and a kiss (chocolate) to remind you that someone somewhere cares about you.
Women of Newberry
Fought the strong headwinds north into the small, but patriotic town of Newberry and I met Alice Schroeder who loved President Trump and wanted everyone to know about it.
Schroeder was straightening her handmade lawn signs, which were a little cattywampus from the strong south winds.
“I got the mannequin June 29 for my birthday,” said Schroeder. “It was a gift from my daughter; the mannequin was already wearing the red, white, and blue swimsuit.”
Schroeder was dressed in a red shirt accessorized with a sparkly USA flag pin and red, white and blue earrings.
“The president just stands for everything I believe in,” said Schroeder. “God, the Constitution, middle class values, the Second Amendment, and family values.”
As we talk under the shade of trees in her front yard people drive by, pull over, roll down their windows and snap photos of the display.
It happens multiple times. “I just felt there was more I could do…. so I made this,” said Schroeder. “So far it’s been well received.”
A note of thanks to Trinity Lutheran Church
Entering moose country as Newberry touts itself the Moose Capital of Michigan!
Fun – there’s even a “moose sightings reporting station” at a gift store downtown.
The clerk points out a white map with an array of colorful stickpins. “So far the season has been slow… but we’re just getting started,” she said. “The moose sightings can be pretty rare as they actually like to stick to the swampy areas.”
Seeing a moose clomp through the middle of town is not commonplace.
A familiar face far from home as the pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Newberry is none other than Kyle Kuehl of West Bend. Kuehl is a graduate of Living Word Lutheran and Concordia College. He went to seminary in St. Louis and has been heading up the parish in Newberry the past three years.
While the weather remains sunny, temps this morning started at 52 degrees. There are strong southern winds as I move north, and neighbors say the next 60 miles is expected to be a bit of a grind.
July 5, 2018 – Manistique, MI – I decorated my bike for the July 4 holiday and my new best friend Ritch threw in a splash of the Spirit of ‘76!
Ritch Branstrom, owner of adhocWORKshop, handcrafts giant works of art. A couple of birds that looked like they flew out of a Dr. Seuss book were the first thing that caught my attention.
Ritch is an engineering student turned artist and he has this fantastic ability to create raw-material art out of items cast off by others.
His pieces include discarded farm implements, old cowboy boots, and home appliances.
“When I open the door to my shop it’s like people get sucked into this vortex,” said Ritch.
The piece above is a giant lamp/chandelier. Can you identify what the pieces are from?
Ritch is the master of the Island of Misfit Toys and his talent is astounding.
On a side note: Made it 65.90 miles on July 4 from Escanaba, MI to Manistique, MI. The day was hot and even though Hwy 2 was busy with 65 mph traffic there was a generous shoulder and rumble strip.
Found an anomaly at one of the rest stops just outside of Manistique; it’s an odd creature that apparently makes its home in the U.P.
The attendant at the gas station laughed as a I snapped a couple photos. Anybody else seen one before? Can you name it?
Also entered Hiawatha National Forest. It’s beautiful with green forests on either side of the highway. The National Forest markers always remind me of The Flintstones.
The ‘Give a Hoot’ signs also bring back childhood memories and one segment in particular from Mad Men.
July 5, 2018 – Today the Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s will ride in tribute to Jan Schumacher.
The 2018 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raising money this year for a rickshaw for seniors at The Samaritan Campus, a 501c3, so all donations are tax deductible.
July 4, 2018 – Today the Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s will ride in tribute to my former tour partner for The Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s, Audrey Steffes. Thanks for putting on the mileage and the memories with me!
The 2018 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raising money this year for a rickshaw for seniors at The Samaritan Campus, a 501c3, so all donations are tax deductible.
July 4, 2018 – Escanaba, MI – Laid low on Tuesday and explored Escanaba; the name is of Ojibwa origin and it roughly translates to “land of the red buck,” others say it means “flat rock.”
For those of you who may have missed it, I’m a solo act now as my partner in crime took a spill at the railroad crossing just as we were headed out of Escanaba. The whole thing happened in an instant.
I was thankful for so many things including the people who stopped to help, to the fact we both were wearing helmets, to the respectful traffic, to the guy who put Aud’s bike in his truck and hauled it up the hill and Debbie who stopped and drove Audrey to a safe space.
She’s a tough kid who only cried a little. I remember I just grabbed her and pulled her close and kept repeating, “You’re OK. You’re OK. You’re OK.”
She is OK. She felt she hit her head and a quick call to her parents decided that six days on tour and 294 miles from Milwaukee to Escanaba was a pretty good summer adventure for a 15 year old. Again, Audrey is safe and doing okay after the spill.
Touring Sand Point Lighthouse
Sand Point Lighthouse and museum are part of the Delta County Historical Society.
It’s a magnificent display of donations and community support overseen by archivist Karen Lundquist.
“One hundred percent of the items here have been donated,” she said.
Her most recent favorite is the doll house.
“It was made in the 1930s and stored in the attic in the garage for 60 to 70 years,” said Lindquist. “When we got it, it was covered in soot – so much so we didn’t know there was even color on the roof.”
“I guess the parents of the person who donated it couldn’t bring themselves to heave it out,” she said.
The museum contained a wonderful era of artifacts from living on the lake. There was a unique collection of log mark hammers used by loggers to stamp their timber before sending it down river.
“They were rustlers who branded their logs and those came by the thousands and thousands down the river and were separated by brand to the various mills,” said Lindquist.
After the timber was harvested, farmers tried to make use of the land but it was just chuck full of stumps.
One invention that was pretty popular was the One Man Stump Puller. The entrepreneur even used his wife, dressed in a skirt, to show how easy it was.
Another gem of the museum is the Fresnel lens that formerly sat atop Sand Point Lighthouse.
“Five years ago we were told to take it indoors because it was sensitive to the outdoor conditions.”
The lens, according to Lindquist is rare and valuable. “I was told that when Lighthouse would be decommissioned by the Coast Guard they would take them down to the beach and beat them with a sledgehammer,” she said. “I’m told they destroyed many… but they were very valuable.”
Sand Point Lighthouse
The Lighthouse next door is a replica of the one originally at Sand Point.
Mary Terry was the Lighthouse keeper who lit the lamps from 1868 until her mysterious death in 1886.
The site is on the National Historic Register.
The original Lighthouse that stood from 1868 to 1939 warned mariners of the “spit of land that extended into Little Bay de Noc at the entrance to Escanaba Harbor.”
House of Ludington
The House of Ludington was a well-known local hotel with stories about its ties to the mob.
Built in 1864 by E. Gaynor it was renamed in 1871 after lumberman Nelson Ludington.
Then John Christie bought it, enlarged it and marketed it as the “only hotel in the city having baths, steam heat and electricity.”
At this time it’s mostly apartments and there was a restaurant but it was closed.
On a side note: Thanks to New Life Church for providing a safe space for me on Tuesday night.
I also appreciate the prayers for Audrey.
Onward today as I make my way to Whitefish Point and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.
Just a reminder for this busy holiday travel time: Please don’t text and drive.
July 3, 2018 – Escanaba, MI – So everyone is fine …. but I just wanted to say I will be moving on with the tour alone. Audrey took a spill after crossing some railroad tracks Tuesday morning. We were still in Escanaba and plenty of people stopped to help.
Thanks to Debbie for giving Audrey a ride, to Scott for hauling her bike and to the Honda Cycle City dealership in Escanaba for letting us use some office space to rest and get our bearings.
It was a scary moment; she was wearing a helmet when she took the spill but her parents thought it best to wrap it up and bring her home.
Six days on a bike from Milwaukee to Escanaba, MI is a pretty valiant summer tour for a 15-year-old.
It is going to be very different moving on without her as Audrey really pushed my biking skills to the next level and she helped me grow as a person.
She taught me to take life a little less seriously. She liked to laugh when people pointed at our bikes and wondered, “What the heck are those people thinking…. and in this heat!”
Audrey made me appreciate a good dip in the water after a hot day on the bike and if there’s a bouncy thing next door… just slip over quick and give it a try; just once.
Overall I consider the spill a blessing in disguise. The traffic, especially around a July 4 holiday, is crazy and falling off a bike is better than getting hit by a vehicle.
Thanks to everyone for their support. I’ll be spending the day in Escanaba and heading out early Wednesday morning.
Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raising money this year for a rickshaw for seniors at The Samaritan Campus, a 501c3, so all donations are tax deductible.
Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raising money this year for a rickshaw for seniors at The Samaritan Campus, a 501c3, so all donations are tax deductible.
July 3, 2018 – Today the Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s will ride in tribute to Edith Schultz who was inducted into the Wisconsin Senior Olympic Hall of Fame in 2017 having won 29 medals.
The 2018 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raising money this year for a rickshaw for seniors at The Samaritan Campus, a 501c3, so all donations are tax deductible.
July 3, 2018 – Escanaba, MI – Ya der hey, we made it to da U.P.
Logged 76.58 miles on the day from Peshtigo, WI into Michigan as we make our way to Whitefish Point and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.
And this sweet, innocent, animal-loving kid is killing me. If you ever want to get in shape just take a 15-year-old speed skater with pistons for legs on a bike tour/vacation.
Our average speed Monday was 16-19 mph. (my normal plod is a 12-14 mph).
Mind you, we are also dragging a dinosaur tail of gear that weighs about 70-80 pounds.
Our third wheel, Mother Nature, was kind to us with flat roads, a sunny day – but not blazing hot – and a nice tailwind.
Highlights of the day:
– The Peshtigo Fire Museum is reason alone to visit the community. A horrible historic event is well documented in paintings, stories, and a mass grave of unidentifiable neighbors and families that were swept up in the deadliest fire in America on October 1871.
The stories were horrific and graphic.
-The rest of the museum was quite interesting with local antiques and collectibles, including bikes. There was a fabulous tandem that also served as a holder for boxing gloves.
And we found a bike built to ride on railroad tracks. Audrey took great delight in pretending she was riding the rails.
– A big note of thanks to Bobbi and Parker from New Life Church for giving us a safe place to stay in Peshtigo.
On a side note: I bought Audrey a speedometer before we left but didn’t find time to install it mainly because I couldn’t find the English instructions. During the evening she installed it herself but had a hard time setting the readings to fit her tire size.
“I read the German version on how to put it on,” she said.
Of course she did. Audrey had seven years at German Immersion School.
The only thing we’ve been able to read so far is the temperature setting. So to bring you into my world the biking chatter has changed from “how many miles have we gone now” to “It’s 84 degrees now.”
“We’re up to 96 … no, now it’s 104… ”
While it has been hot, I think we’ll have to reread the instructions.
The 2018 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raising money this year for a rickshaw for seniors at The Samaritan Campus, a 501c3, so all donations are tax deductible.
Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raising money this year for a rickshaw for seniors at The Samaritan Campus, a 501c3, so all donations are tax deductible.
July 2, 2018 – Peshtigo, WI – Killing a little time while we wait for the Peshtigo Fire Museum to open. We’re at Badger Park and rather than swim Audrey, 15, gravitated to the swing.
“Push me,” she said. “Give me an under dog.”
I said it’s “under duck.”
Definition: When you push someone on a swing from behind and then push so hard you run under the swing at the end of the push.
