Michigan Ferry Wisconsin Day 3

Got up very early, and an hour earlier from my circadian Ohio clock.  Checked radar and maps for the best way to home after getting ready for a bit.  Radar indicated quite a bit of rain in most of central Wisconsin.
Maria and Nicole got up a few hours later.  We talked a bit more while Nicole made her excellent breakfast hash.  Breakfast was great and it was time to hit the road.  Decided to not ride through Chicago.  The Sunday traffic would probably not be that bad, but construction is always a threat and I was getting a later start on the road than I had thought.  So decided to take I-39 down to Bloomington and then head through Indianapolis to home.  It adds around 25 miles this way, but I doubt if it is much slower on average.

Weather was perfect as I left.  Overcast and upper 70s is wonderful motorcycle weather (nearly as good as upper 60s and sunny).  Once into Illinois however, the temperatures started to rise quickly.  There was hazy sunshine for the rest of the day with temperatures in the lower to mid 90s.  The hot temperatures and humidity can make fatigue an issue.  Other than the hot temperatures, it was a very uneventful, but long, ride home.
Got home later than usual due to the late start.  But, there was still time to sit for a bit and get ready for the early work day on Monday.
I'm not sure if the reason for the trip was to see Paul, take the ferry, or see Maria and Nicole.
I guess it doesn't matter.

Michigan Ferry Wisconsin Day 2

Got up a couple hours before Paul and got ready and packed.  Talked with Paul for a few more minutes and left for a very cool hour ride up to Muskegon.  Easily found the Lake Express Terminal and was ready to board in minutes.  Talked with a  couple on a Ducati also going across the lake for the ferry experience.  

The Lake Express Ferry is a twin hulled ferry ship.  It crosses the lake in about 2 hours in good weather.  I had read stories about how rough it can get in bad weather and how that can affect people's stomachs, so I went ahead and booked the "Premier" Cabin area where no kids under 12 are allowed.  It only cost a few dollars more.  I'm not sure it was necessary, but I would probably do that again.

Motorcycles were let on about mid way through the cars boarding.  Got the bike tied down on the deck.  There were about 10 other bikes of various makes for the westward trip.  It was a little difficult to find 4 good tie down points on the ST1300 but managed to get it tied down.  Attendant said the lake was calm so there was little reason to worry.  The attendants were all very helpful as well.

Once safely tied down, everyone goes up to the deck for the trip.  As the boat pulled away, nearly everyone was topside.  The boat slowly makes way out of the bay.  Once in to open water, the speed of the boat is impressive.  The wind made most of us return to the cabin area.

Initially everyone in the cabin is seated leafing through magazines or scrolling through their phones, but after a while, the time spent with little to do forces conversation with the passengers.  There were many interesting people on the boat, several on motorcycles and some people going to the Osh Kosh Air show.

As we neared Milwaukee, the skyline comes into view.  Once the boat is nearly docked, we all head down to our cars.  All the motorcycles survived the trip which was not unexpected as it was butter smooth.  The Ducati next to my ST1300 had additional straps put on it by the boat crew after we were underway.  The owner didn't notice until he was about to take off.  That could have been embarrassing if not worse.  I helped him remove the extra  straps and made my way off the boat.  Once off, I pulled over to put my tip-over wings back on and do a final map consult.

Getting through Milwaukee on Saturday was pretty straight forward.  The traffic was a bit hairy, but easily manageable.  It was about an hour trip with one gas stop to Maria's.  When I got to Maria's house, she wasn't their.  I debated driving down to the lake, but ended up just waiting.  Maria and Nicole came by on their bikes within 15 minutes.

This is the first time I have been to their new house, it was a little unusual and started life as a smaller ranch with lots of additions.  This makes the flow through the rooms a bit atypical, but there is a huge sun room on the front of the house.  It has a huge yard, mostly in the back and fenced in.  Perfect for two people with their pets.

We walked down to a really nice large lake that is only one street over.  I think Maria and Nicole need a boat.

We went into Madison and walked around the downtown area.  A hoot of a place to people watch. We ate sushi at a restaurant in Madison.  The sushi was good, but there was a worm in one of the edamame.  I guess that is a risk when eating food in a pod like that.  No harm no foul.

We went back to their house after ice cream.  We started to watch Mystic Pizza on Netflix, but it was frankly, very slow.  We switched to Four Rooms, which Nicole and Maria had never seen.  Then, it was time to turn in for the night.

Michigan Ferry Wisconsin Trip Day 1

Woke up at usual time for a Friday which was too early to leave.  Made coffee and finished packing.   Turned on the TV for a bit then looked online at the weather forecasts for the trip.  There was a mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado ("President Kennedy was shot today, so it goes" - Kurt Vonnegut).  Temperatures looked to be warm with (currently) only a slight chance of rain.  After trying to read for a little while, just couldn’t stand it anymore so jumped on the ST1300 and left around 7:30.  Temperatures were in the lower 70s with hazy clouds and only a minimal amount of drizzle.  North of Interstate 70, it rained on and off lightly for quite a while and the temperature dropped.  At the last minute I had chosen to not wear the waterproof riding jacket since most of the trip was anticipated to be quite warm.  It was cold, but surprisingly not intolerable in the mesh jacket even though temperatures declined to the lower 60s.  

North of Fort Wayne, the weather improved dramatically.  It was actually a bit cooler, but there was a mix of sun and clouds and much less humidity.  Warmed by some Twinkies bought at a gas station, the rest of the trip was uneventful.

Got to Paul’s house in the early afternoon.  I had not seen him in over 10 years.  We caught up for a few minutes and then went out for some lunch.  I met his wife enough to say hi as she was working at the tieme.  Afterwards, we went to Paul’s parent’s house.  It was great to see his parent’s after so many years.  His dad is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s but still remembered lots from when we were younger.  Paul’s mom is undergoing treatment for breast cancer but looked very well and was in very good spirits.  We drove around Grand Rapids for a bit.  I was surprised how little I remembered of some areas, but that should be expected.  Stopped by the Shop (the 3^rd University Motors) for a quick visit there with John as well.

It was a good day catching up after so many years.