Michael: Head East or West, Old Man

A day of drizzle
And light wind brings to an end
The rainy season.

Friday, October 28, 2016

It doesn’t take much research to discover why some beautiful areas are not visited very often, particularly if you don’t have a car.

Take the Upper Peninsula in Michigan where Kimme and I will be next year to run in the Grand Island 50k. After the race is over Kimme’s going to take our rental car and make the long drive between Munising and Cheboygan, Michigan. I’m going to stay behind and run part of the North Country Trail.

Right outside of Munising is the Pictured Rock National Shoreline, which is suppose to be one of the most scenic sections of the North Country Trail. How fortunate for me.

Now the problems begin. I don’t want to camp because then I’ll have to take my equipment to the states and I’d rather run lighter and go from lodge to lodge. If I head east and can cover the 42 miles in a day I can stay in a nice cozy hotel at the end of the run in the little town of Grand Marais.

Only problem is where do I go from there? Running all the way to Cheboygan means I wouldn’t have any time to visit, which wouldn’t sit well with the wife.

All right, I’ll run to the nearest Greyhound station and take that to my mother in law’s. But heading east toward Cheboygan, the nearest bus station is just about as far away as if I ran to her house.

Okie-doke; lets head west. About 40 some miles to the west of Munising is Marquette, which has a Greyhound station, Yeah! And to top it off Pictured Rock has a shuttle service that runs between Munising and Grand Marais.

Now that I can get back to Munising, the question is how do I get to Marquette? If I ran there that would be a race of 30 miles, followed by a jog of 40 miles followed by another 40 mile day. That may be my only option but if there’s a local bus that shuttles to Marquette, I would have to strongly consider that option.

Along with all the other logistical considerations, like shuttle and bus schedules, where to get water and where to stay, a short trip of just over 100 miles becomes pretty complicated when I’m relying on my limited wits and physical capabilities and without that favorite American traveling companion, the car.