Great Lakes Iron Porcupine 1200k - 08/13/2020

 

Great Lakes Randonneurs Website Ride Update for Great Lakes Iron Porcupine 1200k on 08/13/2020 03:00 You are registered for this ride and are receiving this email as additional information from the leader. Distance 784 Terrain Mixed Route Link https://ridewithgps.com/routes/28788203 Cue Sheet Cue Sheet   Location Quality Inn Downtown Green Bay 321 S Washington St Green Bay, WI   Somehow the date and time was left off.   Michele Brougher is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.   Topic: Iron Porcupine Final Ride Preparation Meeting Time: Aug 9, 2020 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)   Join Zoom Meeting Great Lakes Iron Porcupine 1200k - Planning By Great Lakes Ultra Cycling 786mi 25,099ft 10.1% 00:00 25,099ft -10.9% Content Partner Great Lakes Ultra Cycling Long Distance Cycling in the Upper Midwest A challenging 90+ hour grand randonnee in Northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan featuring trips through the Iron Range (notably the now-closed Empire Mine), Porcupine Mountains State Park, Copper Harbor, Calumet National Historic Park, the Ghost Towns of the Keweenaw (copper mining towns), the Menomonie River, Escanaba River State Forest and Lake Superior. With almost 25,000 feet of climbing, most of it in the middle 500 miles, and many stretches of 100k+ without resources, this ride is along the lines of the Gold Rush 1200k in difficulty. This ride is not a good choice for those with skinny tires - there will be a mandatory 4 mile unpaved section on Day 1 and the UP has short stretches of "rough" pavement on all days of the ride. Control Times listed are for planning only. Green Bay, WIPublic (1,343 views)Created Oct 15, 2018Updated Mar 15, 2024 Surfaces Paved 782.3 mi 100% Unpaved 3.7 mi 0% Cuesheet Climbs 1.8 mi 294 ft 2.3% 1.6 mi 357 ft 4.1% 0.8 mi 146 ft 2.2% 1.6 mi 436 ft 5.9% 0.8 mi 142 ft 3.9% 1.6 mi 513 ft 5.7% 0.7 mi 167 ft 5.2% 0.9 mi 147 ft 2.3% 1.1 mi 209 ft 2.8% 0.9 mi 144 ft 3.2% 0.8 mi 160 ft 4.1% 1.3 mi 199 ft 3.0% 2 mi 317 ft 3.0% 1.4 mi 227 ft 2.3% 1.4 mi 263 ft 3.4% 0.6 mi 115 ft 3.3% 0.6 mi 99 ft 3.3% 0.7 mi 186 ft 3.7% 0.6 mi 166 ft 4.7% Collapse Climbs Descents 0.8 mi 157 ft -3.3% 0.7 mi 123 ft -3.0% 0.9 mi 137 ft -1.8% 1.8 mi 291 ft -2.8% 0.8 mi 142 ft -3.6% 1.8 mi 413 ft -4.0% 0.6 mi 107 ft -3.1% 1.5 mi 402 ft -5.4% 2.4 mi 600 ft -4.6% 1.3 mi 209 ft -2.6% 1 mi 195 ft -3.4% 1.4 mi 274 ft -3.4% 2.9 mi 494 ft -3.6% 1 mi 168 ft -3.0% 1.5 mi 298 ft -3.1% 1.1 mi 180 ft -2.1%

Dear Fellow Porcupiners! I had originally really hoped to cover much of this in the Zoom meeting as it is a very complicated situation. In addition, it is the middle of the week and I am also currently working 15-16 hour days which is one of the reasons for the rider meeting being on June 3.  However, it appears that it may help your decision making process to attempt to cover some of those topics in an email early. The COVID-19 Mitigation Plan for this ride is very extensive; I will post it online as soon as I can so that you can see it in its entirety.  To have a good ride, we want to preserve the best aspects of the experience while providing for the safety of all.  One of the biggest areas of focus is the overnights. Right now, the ride is still on very sound financial footing because, believe it or not, we planned for catastrophic events such as this.  We want to maximize the use of our funds to provide the best experience that we can. A big part of the additional mitigation planning for this specific event is to ensure that people are: Able to socially distance without socially isolating themselves or feeling that it compromises their ride.  Randonneuring (as many of you know) already has quite a bit of distancing built-in. We maximize the impact of social distancing when it matters the most - such as when you are indoors or sleeping. Everyone’s tolerance is a little different and it is key to respect boundaries as much as possible.  Our overnights are currently very receptive to what they can do; they want us to come – this event is a very big deal for all of them.  We also want to be clear with the situation with RUSA which is an unknown and will be for some time. One of the key questions asked 2 days ago was whether people wanted a single room.  We anticipated that single rooms at the overnights would be a very key decision point for riders – the ability to minimize the cost of that option as well as the availability of PPE is what motivates the May 31st date. For example, we have 35 riders right now.  Were we to freeze the size of the ride right now and all riders stayed on, every rider would have a single room at overnight #3 in Iron Mountain without any extra cost – but due to where it is on the ride and the likelihood that people will be already be spread out, it’s probably less of a mitigation than one might think.    We would like to negotiate in Green Bay to provide single rooms for as many riders as feel this would help them because there is a high degree of likelihood that people will not spread out naturally – to do that we need a count of how many rooms we really need.  Spread out it could be a much smaller surcharge to go from 19 rooms to 38 rooms and give everyone a single room for 3 of the 5 days. However, we do not want to open a large negotiation with a hotel if the real issue that people care about is RUSA sanctioning, food, or training and at this point only 2 riders have expressed interest in a single room at all.  Regardless of how effective a mitigation is, it won’t be effective if it doesn’t also make riders feel safer and address their concerns.  You, who are signed up right now, are the most important opinions here – you have committed to this ride.  The last thing we want is for you to quit and the ride now and have it re-fill in early July with other people when things are more certain. In any case, please let us know immediately if having a single room in Green Bay would help you to have a better ride and if you can, what your cost tolerance would be for adding those 2 days.  We will keep the refund at the current level through the 3rd.  If you see the mitigation plan and can update us with your concerns before then, we can be better prepared to address specific questions and have additional options. This will be a great event.  And it will go on.  There are many kinds of camaraderie, getting to the start can be part of that too! Regards, Michele & Jeremy

Dear Fellow Porcupiners! This has been an extraordinary week in many ways.  I am including below another link to the Zoom Meeting.  I will record it for our international riders (who are not in a good time zone for it).  I have the preliminary slides created and posted. These have the high level information.  We can dig deeper on June 3.   Iron Porcupine Safety Plan Before the meeting, I wanted to share some very big news.  In talking to many of you, it became obvious that sharing rooms is a real concern for many.  There is one place where I believe it matters the most: the start and the finish. We have a long history with the Quality Inn in Downtown Green Bay.  Those of you on the Mac & Cheese may remember it as Overnight #3, others may remember it as the location of the Dark Chocolate Cow 1000k.  I have had many conversations with Debbie McAlister, the general manager.  It turns out that our events have had a huge meaning to the area over the last years.  "You energize the hotel and so many around here, we want to see you come". As a result of all of the good will that we have put in during past rides and the hope for rides yet to come, the hotel is halving the room rate.  We will thus be able to offer everyone single rooms in Green Bay at both the start and the finish.  That coupled with the pre-arrangements we had with overnight #3 mean that all riders will be guaranteed to have single rooms on at least 3 of the 5 nights at no extra charge. There have been some really difficult times behind us (I live in Minneapolis).  But sometimes, the things we do have impacts that go beyond what we ever see.  This ride really means something to the communities we will be visiting.  Our overall plans take them into account - their safety as well as the econonomics.  Together, we can all help create a truely amazing ride that will help people far beyond just ourselves. That is what camaraderie is. Michele & Jeremy Michele Brougher is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Great Lakes Iron Porcupine 1200k Rider Information Meeting Time: Jun 3, 2020 07:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Great Lakes Iron Porcupine 1200K August 13-16, 2020 3:00 AM Quality Inn - 321 South Washington St Green Bay, Wisconsin Day 1: Pines To Mines Start: Quality Inn Green Bay, Green Bay, WI R=Right L=Left C=Continue BR=Bear Right BL=Bear Left U=U Turn F=Food, POI=Point of Interest, H2O=Water, !!!=Pay Attention Leg (miles) Leg (km) Turn Cue Day Dist (miles) Total Dist (miles) Day Dist (km) Total Dist(km) 0.0 0.0 R Out of start on Crooks St 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 R Right onto S Washington St (SS) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.6 0.9 L Left onto Main St (SS) 0.6 0.6 0.9 0.9 2.1 3.4 R Slight Right onto Benjamin Edinger Bike Trail at corner 2.7 2.7 4.3 4.3 0.6 1.0 C Straight across Bond St onto Morley Rd 3.3 3.3 5.3 5.3 0.2 0.3 L Left onto Moraine Terrace 3.5 3.5 5.6 5.6 0.3 0.4 R Moraine Terrace turns right and becomes Apogee Rd 3.7 3.7 6.0 6.0 0.0 0.0 L Left onto Schanock Dr (SS) 3.8 3.8 6.1 6.1 0.0 0.0 R Right onto Melody Dr (SS) 3.8 3.8 6.1 6.1 0.5 0.8 L Left onto Lenwood Ave (SS) 4.3 4.3 6.9 6.9 0.2 0.4 R Right onto Memorial Dr (SS) 4.5 4.5 7.3 7.3 0.4 0.6 C At the traffic circle, take the 3rd exit onto Velp Ave 4.9 4.9 7.9 7.9 0.1 0.2 C At the traffic circle, continue straight to stay on Velp Ave 5.0 5.0 8.0 8.0 0.1 0.1 C At the traffic circle, go straight through to stay on Velp Ave, then cross bridge over Duck Creek 5.1 5.1 8.2 8.2 0.2 0.3 R Right onto Riverview Dr 5.3 5.3 8.5 8.5 0.3 0.4 L Left onto Glendale Ave 5.6 5.6 8.9 8.9 0.1 0.1 R Right onto Lakeview Dr 5.6 5.6 9.1 9.1 5.8 9.3 R Continue onto Riverside Dr at T intersection 11.4 11.4 18.3 18.3 0.3 0.5 L Bear left onto N Lakeview Dr 11.7 11.7 18.8 18.8 6.4 10.3 R Right onto County Hwy S 18.1 18.1 29.1 29.1 14.4 23.2 R Right onto Co Rd Y/Main St in Oconto (services off route, turn left here 1-2 miles) - NOTE: You may see signs for road closure - bikes can ride through here 32.5 32.5 52.3 52.3 7.9 12.6 R Right onto Bay Rd (DO NOT MISS) 40.3 40.3 64.9 64.9 0.1 0.2 L Stay on Bay Rd (DO NOT MISS) (bathrooms in campground ahead) 40.4 40.4 65.0 65.0 1.0 1.6 L Left onto Hale Rd 41.4 41.4 66.7 66.7 3.6 5.8 R Right to stay on Hale Rd 45.0 45.0 72.4 72.4 2.2 3.5 C Continue onto W Front St in Peshtigo 47.2 47.2 76.0 76.0 0.6 0.9 R Right onto French St at 4-way, cross bridge immediately 47.8 47.8 76.9 76.9 0.1 0.1 C Continue onto E Front St 47.9 47.9 77.1 77.1 0.2 0.3 L Left onto US-41 Business/Maple St (services available before next turn) 48.1 48.1 77.3 77.3 1.1 1.7 R Right onto Old Peshtigo Rd 49.1 49.1 79.1 79.1 3.7 6.0 R Right toward Co Rd T/Roosevelt Rd at Arbys 52.8 52.8 85.0 85.0 0.0 0.0 !! Left on access road before mall toward Kwik Trip 52.9 52.9 85.1 85.1 0.0 0.0 R TIME CHECK: Kwik Trip 2297 Roosevelt Rd, Marinette, WI Open: 05:50 CDT 08/13 Close: 08:40 CDT 08/13 Posh food mart, fast food, restrooms 52.9 52.9 85.2 85.2 0.0 0.0 R Out of control, continue on service road towards CR T/Roosevelt Road 52.9 52.9 85.2 85.2 0.0 0.0 L Left onto Co Rd T/Roosevelt Rd 52.9 52.9 85.2 85.2 1.2 2.0 R Right onto Irving St 54.2 54.2 87.2 87.2 0.2 0.4 L Left onto McAllister St 54.4 54.4 87.5 87.5 0.1 0.2 R Right onto Hall Ave 54.5 54.5 87.8 87.8 0.3 0.4 L Left onto Van Cleve Ave 54.8 54.8 88.2 88.2 0.4 0.6 C Continue onto Riverside Ave 55.2 55.2 88.8 88.8 0.8 1.2 L Left onto 26 St/Hattie St/Hattie St Bridge 55.9 55.9 90.0 90.0 0.1 0.2 C Continue onto 26th St 56.0 56.0 90.2 90.2 0.1 0.2 R Bear Right onto 10th Ave 56.1 56.1 90.3 90.3 0.0 0.1 L Left onto 25th St 56.2 56.2 90.4 90.4 0.2 0.3 L Bear Left onto West Dr 56.4 56.4 90.7 90.7 0.4 0.6 L Left onto 18th Ave 56.7 56.7 91.3 91.3 0.8 1.3 C Continue onto River Dr 57.5 57.5 92.6 92.6 1.8 2.9 L Left to stay on River Dr 59.4 59.4 95.5 95.5 1.0 1.6 L Left to stay on River Dr 60.4 60.4 97.2 97.2 10.6 17.1 L TIME CHECK: River County Park Co 581, Wallace, MI Open: 06:48 CDT 08/13 Close: 10:36 CDT 08/13 Water, restrooms 71.0 71.0 114.2 114.2 2.9 4.6 C Continue onto Co Rd 581 73.8 73.8 118.8 118.8 2.8 4.5 R Right onto G-08 76.6 76.6 123.3 123.3 2.1 3.3 L Left onto US-41 N - CAUTION TRAFFIC 78.7 78.7 126.6 126.6 0.2 0.3 F (Optional) Gary's Quality Fs, Wallace. Next services 50 miles. 78.9 78.9 126.9 126.9 0.3 0.5 R Right onto Number 15 Rd 79.2 79.2 127.4 127.4 2.0 3.2 L Left onto Range Line Drive M 1 81.2 81.2 130.6 130.6 2.0 3.3 R Right onto Wildwood Rd No 17 83.2 83.2 133.9 133.9 2.0 3.2 L Left onto Kay Drive K 1 85.2 85.2 137.1 137.1 1.0 1.6 L Left onto Co Rd 348/Ingalls Rd 86.2 86.2 138.7 138.7 0.5 0.8 R Right on Hendrickson Rd 86.7 86.7 139.5 139.5 2.0 3.2 R Right onto County Rd G 12 88.7 88.7 142.7 142.7 0.5 0.8 L Left onto Meintz Rd 89.2 89.2 143.5 143.5 2.1 3.3 R Right on 22 Mile Road 91.2 91.2 146.8 146.8 1.7 2.7 L Left onto Co Hwy 354 92.9 92.9 149.5 149.5 1.7 2.7 L Bear left onto I Ln 94.6 94.6 152.2 152.2 0.6 0.9 R Right onto 24 Mile Road 95.2 95.2 153.1 153.1 4.0 6.4 R Right onto Co Rd 360 99.1 99.1 159.5 159.5 0.4 0.6 L Bear left to stay on Co Rd 360 99.5 99.5 160.1 160.1 2.2 3.5 R Right onto Co Rd 366 - UNPAVED FOR NEXT 4.3 MILES - CAUTION 101.7 101.7 163.6 163.6 2.2 3.6 L Left onto Co Rd 551 103.9 103.9 167.2 167.2 2.1 3.4 POI END OF UNPAVED SECTION 106.0 106.0 170.6 170.6 6.3 10.2 R Right onto Number 36 Rd 112.3 112.3 180.8 180.8 0.8 1.2 C Continue onto Hannahville Rd 113.1 113.1 182.0 182.0 0.0 0.1 C Continue onto Hannahville B-1 Rd 113.1 113.1 182.0 182.0 4.3 6.9 R Right onto Wandahsega Ln 40.25 117.4 117.4 188.9 188.9 0.5 0.9 R Right onto US-2 E/US-41 N 117.9 117.9 189.8 189.8 0.2 0.4 F TIME CHECK: BP W365 US-2, Harris, MI Open: 10:20 EDT 08/13 Close: 16:40 EDT 08/13 Food mart, Tank up! 118.1 118.1 190.1 190.1 0.0 0.0 R Out of BP onto US-2 (CAUTION: TRAFFIC) 118.1 118.1 190.1 190.1 0.5 0.8 L Left onto D Rd 118.7 118.7 190.9 190.9 0.1 0.1 R Right onto Old U.S. 2 E/Old U.S. 41 118.7 118.7 191.0 191.0 3.3 5.3 L Left onto M-69 W 122.0 122.0 196.3 196.3 1.1 1.9 R Right onto 14th Rd 123.1 123.1 198.2 198.2 3.4 5.5 L Left on I Rd (can be busy) 126.5 126.5 203.6 203.6 3.7 6.0 BR Continue onto 18th Rd 130.2 130.2 209.6 209.6 1.0 1.5 L Left onto J Rd 131.2 131.2 211.1 211.1 5.0 8.0 BL Continue onto 23 Rd/County 416 23rd Rd 136.2 136.2 219.1 219.1 1.9 3.0 BR Continue onto County 416 H Rd 138.0 138.0 222.1 222.1 1.9 3.1 BR Continue onto County Rd 416 H Rd 140.0 140.0 225.3 225.3 0.2 0.4 L Left onto Co Rd 426 140.2 140.2 225.6 225.6 0.4 0.6 L Left to stay on 426 140.6 140.6 226.3 226.3 16.9 27.2 F Lapalm's - Arnold (STAFFED LUNCH) 157.5 157.5 253.5 253.5 0.0 0.0 R Right onto Co Hwy 557 157.5 157.5 253.5 253.5 7.9 12.7 C Continue onto S Co Rd 557 165.4 165.4 266.2 266.2 7.9 12.7 !!! Tall Timber Grocery open until 8 pm 173.3 173.3 278.9 278.9 2.2 3.5 L Left onto M-35 N 175.5 175.5 282.5 282.5 12.8 20.6 C Continue on MI-35 at Empire Mine Road 188.3 188.3 303.1 303.1 0.8 1.2 F Vics Little Store in Palmer: Open until 9 189.1 189.1 304.3 304.3 5.6 8.9 L Left onto Co Rd 480 > Rail St 194.6 194.6 313.2 313.2 4.3 6.9 L Left onto Gold St at old Train Depot 198.9 198.9 320.1 320.1 0.0 0.0 R Right onto Iron Ore Heritage Trail - stay on pavement (do not take dirt snowmobile trail). 198.9 198.9 320.1 320.1 2.5 4.0 R Right to stay on Iron Ore Heritage Trail (UP THE HILL) 201.4 201.4 324.2 324.2 0.3 0.6 C Stay on trail as it parallels the street. 201.8 201.8 324.7 324.7 0.1 0.1 L Left to stay on Iron Ore Heritage Trail 201.9 201.9 324.9 324.9 0.3 0.4 R Right onto N 3rd St 202.2 202.2 325.3 325.3 0.7 1.2 BR Control ahead on right (Holiday Super Station) - enter parking lot 202.9 202.9 326.5 326.5 0.0 0.1 C TIME CHECK: Holiday Superstore US Hwy 41 &, S 3rd St, Ishpeming,MI Open: 15:12 EDT 08/13 Close: 01:48 EDT 08/14 Posh food mart, fast food, restrooms. Tank up! 24 Hour 202.9 202.9 326.6 326.6 0.0 0.1 L Out of control, Left onto Palms Ave/US41 CAUTION: TRAFFIC 203.0 203.0 326.6 326.6 0.1 0.2 C At the traffic circle, take 2nd exit continue straight onto US-41 N 203.1 203.1 326.8 326.8 22.0 35.4 !!!! GLR STAFFED FOOD/COFFEE STOP (Michigammi) 225.1 225.1 362.2 362.2 1.9 3.1 L Left on Imperial Heights Road 227.0 227.0 365.3 365.3 0.7 1.1 BR Bear right onto Petticoat Rd 227.7 227.7 366.4 366.4 2.1 3.4 R Right to stay on Petticoat Rd 229.8 229.8 369.8 369.8 0.7 1.1 R Right to stay on Petticoat Rd 230.5 230.5 370.9 370.9 0.3 0.5 BR Bear right onto Petticoat Lake Rd 230.8 230.8 371.4 371.4 0.6 1.0 R Right onto Petticoat Lake Rd 231.4 231.4 372.3 372.3 2.5 4.0 L Left on US-41 233.9 233.9 376.4 376.4 2.9 4.7 POI Town of Nestoria 236.8 236.8 381.0 381.0 26.1 42.0 R TIME CHECK: Baraga Lakeside Inn 900 US-41, Baraga, MI Open: 18:46 EDT 08/13 Close: 08:12 EDT 08/14 Overnight, dinner, snacks, hot breakfast 262.9 262.9 423.0 423.0 In case of breakdown, call the ride director at the number on your card, if there is an emergency, dial 911. Thanks to everyone who attended.   I appreciate all the feedback and questions.  I made some adjustments and am continuing to refine the plan.  One thing I did hear is that many are nervous about traveling. As a result, I added a new section about travel - both air and land. www.ironporcupine1200k.org/getting-to-start/ We all have to make plans as the time approaches.  Having read through everything and thought about it.  One of the things I would like to offer everyone who is traveling by air is an N95-level mask.  Recently, I've been able to get these for all the volunteers.  We want to maximize the impact of our mitigations - if I can make your journey here and back better, I will do that. So if you would like a mask, let me know via email.   If you missed the Zoom meeting, here is a link to it.  There were some really good questions. Also feel free to contact me at any time. Hello everyone! It isn't normal to do two emails in one day, but here we are! Iron Porcupine Jersey/Kit.  It's super cool.  The vendor is Hincapie Sportswear which did the Mac & Cheese 2 years ago.  They tend to run a little small so my advice is to buy a size up from what you think (if you have never bought one before).  They are very nice and their shorts are among the only ones I ride besides Assos.  https://order.hincapiecustom.com/ironporcupine The store will be open until midnight on June 25th.  We want to have them sent to you before the ride.  The jerseys are really nice and a steal for $53. Swag!!!! The rider gift for Iron Porcupine will be a Neck Buff (also doubles as a mask!).  Ironically, this was the number 1 vote by riders before the pandemic was ever a thing.  This should help for cool nights and other things. You will also receive: Near limitless "Porcupizer" (hand sanitizer) Official Iron Porcupine Clothing Drop Sack (28"x14") - canvas Food Drop sack (14"x12") - nylon with reflective strip Other stuff! More coming out soon.  The first pre-rides/drives of the route are starting this month! Michele & Jeremy Dear Fellow Porcupiners,   We want to follow up on our last message, announcing that the ride will go on, with some information that may be of importance to you as we have already had many questions about it.  While we are now certain that the ride will go forward, we are not yet certain that the Iron Porcupine will be sanctioned by Randonneurs USA (RUSA).  And, if it is not sanctioned by RUSA, it would not be homologated by Les Randonneurs Mondiaux (LRM).  Let me explain this complicated situation.   As you are no doubt aware, RUSA has cancelled all of its rides through June.  The organization has convened a committee to study the situation and to make recommendations about when and how to re-open.  At the moment, then, it is not clear whether RUSA will be sanctioning rides in July and August.    In addition, there are other factors that might lead to the Iron Porcupine not being sanctioned by RUSA.  For example, because of the uncertainty of the situation, I have had to acquire liability insurance specifically for this ride.  If RUSA re-opens, we would need to consider RUSA’s and our insurance situation and coverage at that time.  Likewise, we will be following safety protocols that may need to be discussed with them.  Your safety and the safety of volunteers is paramount for all of us, RUSA included.  However, depending on timing there may or may not be time for that discussion.     In short, then, we will run this as a RUSA and LRM ride if it is possible to do so, but we will also run the Iron Porcupine as an independent ride if that is not possible with riders still receiving an official medal from Great Lakes Randonneurs.  If RUSA does re-open for August, we will enter into conversation with them about sanctioning our ride.  And we will keep you apprised of the status of the ride with RUSA and LRM as we learn of it.   And here, we need to introduce one more complexity: it is vital that we know the number of riders who will be doing the ride so that we can make necessary arrangements.  If you decide not to do the ride because it might not be sanctioned by RUSA and LRM, or for some other reason, you can still get a 40 percent refund if you let us know by May 31.  If you withdraw during the month of June, you will receive a refund of 20 percent.  And if you withdraw after June 30, there will be no refund.   We must abide by this schedule of refunds, published on our website, because we have had to make financial commitments along the way, and we will need to make more commitments in the near future.  For example, we have rented all of the Mountain Host Motor Inn in Iron Mountain, MI, our third overnight stop as well as a series of outdoor tents to serve as a control.  We have done so because that is the best place for us to stay, and also because, in having the whole inn to ourselves, we can better provide for the safety of our riders.  Likewise, we will have to buy masks, disinfectant and other personal protection equipment, and we need to know how much to buy while these difficult to find items are available.    There will be an opportunity to discuss these matters during our Zoom meeting, which we announced in my earlier message, and which will take place on June 3.  In the meantime, though, we wanted to make sure that you are all aware of the status of the ride with relationship to RUSA and LRM, and that you are aware of the schedule or refunds.     This is a great ride, it will not be offered again, nor will it be postponed.  Rest assured that the plan for you safety is top notch and has been reviewed by many outside agencies.   We look forward to seeing you on June 3rd.   Michele & Jeremy   Dear David Nakai, Thank you for registering for the ride. We are looking forward to seeing you. Before you come, review any notes for the ride regarding parking and preparation from the leader(s) who are listed below. Our website will be updated a few days before with the latest information on the route including any changes. Your payment is complete. Below you will find the references to your PayPal transaction. The amount paid for this ride is $700.00. Ride Details Ride Name: Great Lakes Iron Porcupine 1200k Ride Date: 08/13/2020 Ride Time: 03:00 Ride Type: RM 1200 Terrain: Mixed Distance: 784 Miles Location: Quality Inn Downtown Green Bay Address: 321 S Washington St Green Bay,WI 54301 Leader(s) Michele Brougher Great Lakes Randonneurs does not provide refunds for rides except in cases where we are providing lodging or hotel accommodations. In those cases, the ride description will outline the specific policy for cancelling. Your fee covers a wide range of costs such as brevet cards, printing, website costs, route scouting, signage and cue sheets. Greetings Fellow Porcupiners! There has been a lot going on as we close in on 5 weeks to the ride. First of all, the rider survey is ready!  Just go here Iron Porcupine Rider Survey  It should be easy to fill out.  This is an exceptional year and we want to be certain to capture enough information to do everything possible to make this a great and safe ride. The first pre-rides are complete.  The entire route has now been surveyed by bike and/or car.  There is some excellent news pavement-wise.  MI-26 in the Keeweenaw has been repaved from Copper Harbor to Houghton - the lines are just going in.   This is a spectacular stretch and will doubtless be easier.  Don't worry, Brockway Mountain Road is still as steep as ever - but we will be waiting for you on top with lunch so no need to tank up before doing it.  You know it's a big hill when a 10% grade feels like a break.  Additional repaving has also gone on for Days 1 & 3.  There is probably at least 60 miles of fresh pavement on the route. Second, we have secured a bike shop, The Broken Spoke, that is 4 blocks from the start and can handle setup and teardown of bikes.  If you ship your bike there, they will put it together and hold your box for the duration of the ride, you can drop it off on Monday before you depart and they will ship it back.  The charge is $60 for each way.  The rider survey includes a question about whether you want this service.  It will doubtless keep your air travel easier.  They will require one week to do the assembly and with 5 days to ship, we'd recommend that you ship your bike no later than July 29th. Third, thanks to many volunteer efforts, we have our food choices coming together.  The ride will provide lunch to you on all 4 days.  This will be either pasties or sandwiches/wraps.  We are going with all local businesses for all our lunches - service will be by volunteers with an outside option. There will be roving vehicles with snacks, food drop sacks and fluids.  This should significantly help out with service voids. Finally, we also highly recommend that you consider evacuation insurance such as MedJet or Global Rescue.  These services are to get you home in case there is any issue on the ride.  Insurance does NOT always cover getting you from the emergency hospital back home which can cost thousands of dollars.  These services will do that.  The charge for a week long period is about $120.   Hospitals in the UP are very small, you may not want to get all your treatment there.  It may seem like a lot, but it will give your spouse peace of mind; like packing a raincoat, having it will hopefully lead to not needing it. Please fill out the rider survey as soon as possible. Thanks so much!  Happy Training. Michele Dear Fellow Porcupiners, I really appreciated all your input on June 3.  That was a difficult week for me.  I live in Minneapolis; the rioting was very close to me and our community is devastated.  I don’t think I’d slept for a week when we sat down to talk.  I had considered postponing the meeting but felt that would be unfair to you.  If there are any questions or things you felt were unclear, please let me know.  I did my best but would never say it was my best outing as a speaker. From the discussion, I have already taken three items and made changes that will hopefully help you. First, anyone flying can have the ride provide them with an N95-level mask for their flight.  There is also a new section on the website (under Getting to the Start) on travel.  It is now permissible to take hand sanitizer on a plane.  It’s a good idea to read the CDC and keep informed.  One rider did post an excellent resource for ideas about making travel less stressful.  Many of these ideas are now in the travel section. Second, it has always been a concern that there are almost no services available on any night of the ride (food deserts).   We don’t want to mix clothing and food in the same drop sack for lots of reasons!  We also want you to be able to have as many good options as possible for fuel on the route as well.  We’d always expected to have roving vehicles on the ride with snacks.   What better way to solve all of this than to give riders a “food only” drop sack! So, in addition to the 28”x14” laundry bag for your clothes and gear, you will get a second drop sack for gels, bars, powders, cookies and any other foods that you bring yourself (still no glass please).  These are nylon 14”x12” drawstring bags.  The smaller size will let us put them in a roving vehicle while your clothes go to the overnight.  We can then stage them on the course at various points for you to access throughout the ride – particularly at night during those food deserts. You are still absolutely welcome and free to stop wherever you choose following social distancing as required at the time or which is fine tuned for your own needs.  We will provide a neck gaiter, cleaning wipes and hand sanitizer to you at the beginning of the ride.  All ride vehicles will have these available and refills will be at the overnights. Finally, the ride is going to provide dinner the night before the ride in Green Bay – though we will welcome a donation since this was never a part of the original budget.  This will likely be pizza or a sandwich/salad that you can pick off a take-out menu (you will have choices).  We will also have a mechanic on hand.   Our goal here will be to keep the ride “compact” – the start is at 3:00 am so we anticipate most retiring early.  The hotel is keeping us in our own area and you will have the option of keeping your bike in your room the night before the start.  Volunteers will be on site 1-2 days before the ride to do additional cleaning and disinfecting as well as setup to make sure everything is ready to go. We are working with all our overnights to assess what we can do to guarantee everyone their own room at all the overnights.  Several riders and volunteers have contacted us about donating extra to the ride as a gesture of camaraderie.  You are under NO obligation to do this, but if you want to, just send an email to rba@greatlakesrando.org.  I hope to finalize the room arrangements in the next 1-2 weeks. The goal of our approach is to have many tools in our toolbox and keep this ride as close to normal as possible. Some of those tools may turn out to be unnecessary – the ride is still 2 months away.  We will keep you as up to date as possible as we fine tune things.  Please feel free to contact us at any time.  Your ideas are always welcome and important. Regards, Michele & Jeremy Fellow Porcupiners! Great meeting tonight and it was fun to get to know all of you. The following is a link to the dropbox with all the ride documents in it: Ride Procedures Starts The presentation from tonight The pavement guide https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3uke1sud29nl328/AAC0JgHXCdU9lc50la8LaCLia?dl=0 Also here is the route: https://ridewithgps.com/events/132361-great-lakes-iron-porcupine and the cue sheet link - print your own cue sheet - everyone wants something different in a cue sheet! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19ZjcoEOYeiB2XiPRLBeHV43cgKxcwxvtVRRIDrNjogg/edit#gid=1744848557 I will see all of you on either Tuesday or Wednesday! Michele PS: I recorded the meeting but the link has not shown up in the Zoom app.  I'll send it along when it shows up... Great Lakes Randonneurs Pavement Guide to the Upper Midwest MyRorschachTest clearlyshows me a hooded werewolf here...IntroductionThe following guide was created just for those wondering what the pavementmight or might not be like onthe IronPorcupine 1200k. With 780+ miles, youand your tender parts will experience the full breadth ofoptionsin an area famous for everything from floodingto100degree+ tempsto 300 inches of snow in thewinter.Just so that we areall on the same page!There will be times when you cry with joyand times when you curse you ancestors all over the pavement. This is normal and not to be confused with rando brain or any other psychosis that sets in as a natural result of riding hundreds of miles in 4 days Alligator Pavement Everyone has seen it. And everyone really can just feel that gator chewing away at the nether regions...Caused by problems in the underlying road structure either because the paving contractor was sub-par OR because a bunch of people ignored those warning signs that say "Weight Limit X tons". Advice: Ride around it if you can! If you can’t complain to the person riding next to you and hope that the section they are riding on is worse than yours. Bubonic Pavement Like the namesake plague of bike trails, it happens when the contractor doesn’t dig out all the rocks before laying asphalt and the winter expansion forces them to the top. Advice: Consult a plague doctor or be certain to avoid or hit it dead on with big tires. You can also thrill your riding partner with stories of the black death at this point provided you know some. Tar Snakes! These can happen as a way for paving contractors to attempt to cover up their own in adequacy or lack of budget for a better fix to cracking pavement. Advice: You can just ride over them, but if it’s hot, they can get soupy leading to tar all over your tires and thus miles of flats. They can also slide and cause a nasty fall so beware–they can pack a mean bite. San Andreas Pavement Few things are as terrifying as suddenly coming across a wheel-eating monster lurking in the road!!! Advice: Avoid at all costs–responsible for insurance claims, road rash, broken wheels and everything else. Start screaming like a little girl and warn everyone else that might be around. LaBrea Tar Snakes A deadly combination of San Andrea Pavement covered over millions of years with tar by some pavement contractor who never thought anyone would actually have bicycle tires. Gives you a false sense that you can just ride over it then you sink like a wooly mammoth to be found by your fellow riders in a messy pile. Advice: The only thing worse than San Andreas Pavement. Especially nasty when it’s hot tar. Avoid at all costs and keep the bike very steady.... Acne Pavement Looks like my cheeks when I was about 15 years old, acne pavement is caused when chip of chip and seal breaks off leaving a smooth but scarred looking surface. Advice: Rejoice that it isn’t real chip and seal which would slow you down and break your teeth. Then rejoice again that you aren’t 15 and your face doesn’t still look like this. Black Hole Pavement Pavement so dark that it has an event horizon.... On a hot day, it radiates like hot lava, at night it sucks your headlight up, disorienting you like Ernest Borgnine’s career after Disney’s first feeble attempt at a PG movie.: When lines have not yet been painted, black hole pavement really is nasty and be careful when descending on it. Glassphalt Somewhat unique to the area, glassphalt is created when bits of recycled glass are used in the pavement mix resulting in a sparkling pavement experience! Advice: Usually this is really smooth pavement–but beware, it can hide actual glass on the road.... FrankenPavement When the road is made of patches of road, you’ve got a real franken-mess. Frequently seen when counties have no money to really fix the road so they endlessly patch it. Results in cracked teeth and... other things. When surrounded by alligator pavement, we call it Frankengator pavement.... PARTING WORDS...Brockway Mountain Road is a smorgasbord of every kind of evil pavement type there is all on a15% grade with traffic. So, any other time you can call the route designer an angel. You might notice that we don’t talk about gravel in the pavement guide. There is 4.3 miles of it on the Iron Porcupine. Believe me, it’s better than riding most of the evil pavement types anywhere else. This route was ridden by a road bike with 25mm tires by one really tough guy who finished RAAM too and has bionic legs. More normal pre-riders had 28mm tires and were very happy with the results. There isalmost90 miles of fresh pavement on the IP1200to take your mind off the bad stuff. Be alert for pavement and you can avoid the worst! Hello everyone! As the ride approaches, I am collecting all the information I need to make things fast and safe for you.  You all indicated on the rider survey that you need a ride from the airport. So that I can keep tabs on everything, please send me your complete itinerary including flight numbers and arrival times.  I will be programming these into my phone so that I can be alerted if there are delays or changes.  This will also help me to know if some of you are on the same flight.  If you are, I want to be certain I have enough vehicles to transport everyone safely (along with the luggage 😊).  The vehicles for the ride will be marked with the ride logo; I drive a black Toyota RAV4. The Green Bay airport is not very large - it’s only a short ride from the airport.  I’ll hopefully be there when you come in.  Everyone will have masks and I will have hand sanitizer for you to use before you get in the car.  I’ll have you sit in the rear seat as well. Two of you have also requested the information for the bike shop.  It is very close to the start (perhaps a 5-10 minute walk). To make arrangements, call the bike shop directly.  Here is the contact information: Matt Fisher Broken Spoke Bicycle Studio 115 Pine St Green Bay, WI. 54301 (920) 634-2040 The shop charges $60 each to setup and teardown the bike.  They will keep your box during the ride and you can just ride it back and drop it off on the way out.  They need to receive the bike a week before the ride so you will likely need to ship the bike by late next week. We should be able to get you back to the airport as well on Monday, though I have to get back to the Twin Cities so I may need to drop you a little early if you flight is in the evening. If you have any questions, please let me know.   Michele Hello all, Had a wonderful time riding Wisconsin and Michigan,  Contrary to some belief, it is not flat.  As you will witness with tonight's poem.  Apologize as it's full of inside stuff, had to be there.  Want to hear the full details, be on this Sunday's ride.  See everyone then. Happy safe bicycling, David The Tale of David versus the Iron Porcupine I know what you're thinking, can you consider it fair To be taking on a cute little critter in iron wear But there is more to this animal than it's sharp spines Welcomed on late arrival to the land of cheese A personal drive, Paul, makes me feel all at ease My bike's set up and the accommodation is prime Michele's making certain my navigation has no doubts A GPS that's not working plus a King to lead me out A tracker might been spotty but my escort is fine A big breakfast meal all the food can fit on one dish Includes Kringle since we have so many Chris Just wish I had put my water bottles on before time A dark early morning going, beating the traffic out of town Excitement gets adrenaline flowing with a police takedown Don't know the offense but to miss this would have been a crime The first day gives false valor with a gentle rise in grade A nice summer shower provides pleasurable shade A pleasing leisurely roll through lovely country side The Porcupine does rear up with bumpy, deteriorating roads Come four miles of gravel will not deter us only makes things slow Just need to take it easy and gradual following other's line Day one takes it's toll, it's wearying, a very long one indeed But with great staffed controls, no need carrying all that I need Though quaint sounding Petticoat aint, made me start to unwhine  The 17 miles descent not the nice gravity pull I'd expected Mike kept me keen on my senses till our rest stop is detected Baraga by the bay of a super lake of this super ride It's day 2 with sunshine as I'm with a new group of friends It's shoreline fun time till a left puts our bliss to an end Put those gears we brought to use for these are steep climbs Good brakes for the drop so as not to be Montezuma's revenge Take a bridge break and walk so our bike does not get eaten This little Porker is giving notice with his sets of warning signs Don't worry dear I'm straight after visiting a Gay Bar May be gay and elate by the forest and lake with absence of cars It's a badge of honor when the dirt road leaves a polecat design The Porcupine is poised to turn our smiles upside down It's bent on taking our joyous earned miles into the ground As the teasing ups are now to becomes horrendous inclines The first bite is a sharp one straight up to the skies Legs cry 'This is not fun' as tears and sweat fills my eyes The puny 'Piner' asks 'Uncle?', I shook my head no to decline The Porcupine was just starting to roll up it's sleeves There's no departing these roads without a second helping please Brockway lays waiting to dash our hopes of trying Just the mere sight has my legs already pleading for mercy My bike points right at heaven my legs are now cursing Can hear that animal laughing as my legs are now crying Stand on the pedal inching on a slow skyward creep  Did I really need those signs to tell me the hill is steep With all my sweat could turn the freshwater into brine But with time and determination a summit is met gradual not hasty In celebration find compensation with delicious pasties Then on to the wind blown descent avoiding all the mines Tired legs keep turning though the going is slow That porcupine is learning that we're serious you know Even those short spikes thrown in we're not paying no mind Drivers wonder what for, what's up with these people Riding in a downpour after fixing a flat with Mimo You idiots, it's dark and it's raining, are you guys blind Soon we're shining in Silver City's control with safety Sooner than that finding we are already into day three Dinner and breakfast has me leaving yesterday's climbing behind The Porkie's not finished, irate as it winces it's hands Have to take the long namesake up Porcupine Mountain Which goes surprisingly swiftly with Robert and Brian A lovely campground by the lake is a pleasant control Take a stroll around the woods to view the river and it's falls Worth the effort to be surrounded by nature's beauty for all kinds I've been fortunate and blessed to always have riding mates But I need to test myself to see if I can on my own self navigate Hoping I'm not a special live report on the News at Nine And as fate will have it of course I got off the course, nothing new Do I do it for to see a lot more of the country than the rest of you Avoiding being the title of Oh My Darling Clementine An up and down route leads me out, adding to my bicycling tale About elatedly shouted after finding the RV park near the wood trail A new partner, the mighty Quinn, I'll attach to him like twine This is called 'I Earn' Mountain so with all the climbing it is just' It certainly much easier and safer than the miners before us We spent less than a week while theirs is a daily grit and grime In a Pork Pie hat, the Porcue not giving up with his bags of sweet tricks Devised every steep rise, did not bat an eye coming down the street quick The approach to our last sleep over is just cruel and maligned Wouldn't this be the way we'd want it if asked, we came for a challenging ride  A shared suffering is a suffering halved, a shared triumph is a triumph multiplied Our last day is like that of Tour de France or a leisurely drift on the Rhine You may think day four would be a glad day but to me it is sad Last remaining hours to spend time with all the new friends I had And like the forest and the trees I also will pine All good things must end, at this end we have pulled pork to dine Cheer the last riders in with food, savoring the wonderful thyme Thank you Michele and staff for putting on such a terrific Iron Porcupine And thanks to the other riders, it was definitely a great time A true incident While finishing a sale with two women, the buyer asks if she can get a discount.  I ask for what.  Her partner says, don't you give discounts for pretty women.  Which her friend answers, how does he know what I look like, I could be heinous under this mask.  Which I then turn to her friend and say, and I could be sticking my tongue out at you under my mask.  Which the both gals laughed. It's been six days since my big ride, a few short rides in between so a nice flat century, to the start, the long and back would suit me fine.  And with an easy day of course take the fixie.  The Rose Bowl direct is only 25 miles but I had breakfast at Cindy's and the climbing of Colorado.  Wanted biscuits and gravy but was not on their weekend menu, settled for egg benedict.  Have to have something sweet, did not have my first choice of strawberry cake which should be obvious as we are out of strawberry season but the blueberry cobbler was to die for when topped with vanilla ice cream.  Breakfast kind of pricey but hey I'm still on vacation. With the day going to be warm was not expecting many if any but had a nice turnout.  Rod, Nancy, Phil, Jacques, Rafal. Mario, Russ, Lora, and Hoy.  Got to show off my new mask which was given to us on my ride which I used.  There is a photo of me trying to eat a pasties while wearing it.  The wife writes there is a lot of photos of me and I explained that I'm such a photogenic oddball.  Well the oddball part. Got to see the new LAW jersey worn by Rod and Russ, looks very sharp.  Mine has yet to arrive, if it does shall wear it next ride.  Nancy warns to wash before wearing as it has pesticides and other harmful chemicals on it.  If it keeps mosquitos away, I'd be wearing it daily. The bulk of the group stay together to lunch.  I have never ridden this route, you know my fear of a flat ride, but much of it is familiar especially when we pass a couple of start locations.  And it is not completely flat as I can attest with the bike I'm on. Saw a 24 hours Home of the Breakfast Burrito which I forgotten the name of but pretty certain can find it when I get that 3 AM hunger. A side note here about my navigational skills.  Many may think boy that David sure knows his way around town.  Give him a road and destination and he can tell you every little detail of what is there.  reason being that I ride the bike so much.  But in true life, when I'm no in familiar setting, I'm blind and lost.  For the 13 1200 Km rides I've ridden, I've correctly guessed my way around four times due to the numbers of participants or staying with the same people, never had to think.  Every time on my own, tend to wander off.  Fortunately, not being a typical guy am not afraid to ask for directions.  Which can lead to some funny situations of them selves.  After telling I got lost of the Last Chance where nobody can get lost with only 6 turns. well one turn is all it takes.  The organizer of the Iron Porcupine decides to make sure I stay on the route as these are remote areas with spotty cell coverage and roads that can take me a long way somewhere you don't want to go.  So the evening before, they take my bike and install GPS which I refused but accepted to appease.  Simple instruction, if it flashes red you are off course.  Well nothing is simple for me.  Morning of, set with my new device find it does not work.  I miss my start time as they work on it and finally take it off and attach a spot tracker on my camelback.  We'll know where you go when you get lost.  To make sure I stay on cue, which by the way they did not provide a route sheet as they expected you to print out your own which I did and do not expect to find a rider who relies strictly on the written words,  Who rides a bike nowadays without a navigational devise.  I am given a personal lead out, a rider who knows the area, a younger faster and patient guy who takes me up to the last group besides us.  Please try and stay with them.  And I believe the reason I am not good with electrical devices is I have this magnetic field that renders them useless.  As at the first control they notice that my tracking device is not working, so the next morning they put on the organizers personal tracker on me. What a great group that is so concerned of my whereabouts.  And of course I do ride on my own to prove I can follow a cue sheet and of course I head off into the hills where I ask of which way and given a long roundabout route with plenty of steep ups and downs to make me think about getting one of there GPS things.  The good is I end up riding with the last rider and a story which I may include if it fits in appropriate. Do I get upset if I get lost, maybe a bit but I've convinced myself that I get more of the countryside for my money. The route takes us to the San Gabriel River Bike Trail in a long southernly meander and returns north to visit the title's region.  We do not see the lake itself and take it that one does exist.  Rod will investigate on the medium.  We make the rest stop by the golf course as it must be warm as I've downed all my fluids.  Wrote a ride report which I lost my bottle which turned into a hot day.  Well on my big ride, we are given private rooms, mine has two double beds, one to sleep and one to lay out my clothes and stuff.  Decide it would be nice to have cold water in my bottles, took them off my bike and place them next to the ice maker.  Place my helmet next to the door so I won't forget to take then out.  And of course I forget and not till when I want to take a drink do I notice them missing.  Fortunately I have a camelback.  Unfortunately on day two in the heat I puncture the bag.  Bought bottles of water to place in the cages which is fine till at night when I accidentally roll over the rumble strips and they fall out rolling somewhere.  But by this time it is raining and I can get my drink by opening my mouth.  At the control was given two water bottles.  When I first met the organizer, told her that I was trouble and have to keep my end up. Normally I'd have checked out the lunch options but when I studied the route, nothing spoke out.  So Rod leads us to Panda Express.  I'd had gone but I was given like hundred dollars of Panda gift card which I don't redeem due to the long lines leading in.  I will not wait for food.  But here next to me is Del Taco with not a single customer, thus no waiting.  I've must have eaten at one of these.  First thing I notice is the sign that states the soda machine is out of order, knowing this still have to verify it vocally.  So what do you have in the way of fluids.  Unsweetened ice tea.  Is there ice, of course silly, it's in the name.  Give me your biggest.  And I'm a sucker for promotional which is a chicken guacamole burrito, not that I'm craving that, just cause it is there.  It's OK for food.  And they did give me free refills.  Can't beat that.  Now with an ocean in my tummy, ready to take on the heat. We head back to the SGRBT and towards Santa Fe Dam, never notice how far away you can see it.  We add to our elevation gain with the many short ups.  The group waits at the end where a vendor is selling cold drinks and water bottle.  As a sucker for bicycling stuff, have to add another to my collection, must have over a hundred which a lot are useless disintegrating through the years.  I'll have to fetch that bottle to look up the club he was telling me about.  6 dollars which included a cold Gatorade which disappears as soon as my lips touched the mouth..  And he took enough selfies of himself with me as if I were a celebrity which I should have charged him to be taking my photo. Now it's the headwind push back to the Rose Bowl.  The heat is taking it's toll on Jacques.  But he persisted and when we got close to the finish, we parted as I did not want to have to go there and back out this way.  On my ride home, passed Rod on his way to the finish which is rare when the long finishes before the medium.  My return is to be different, take the Arroyo Seco bike trail.  When I did it last the other way, part of it was closed.  Seems it's fine now till I find a section of the path has been removed, no problem just dismount and walk over the gap.  A new approach to downtown taking first over and also using Spring which I never use though there is a protected bike lane.  A note about those which I've written about more than once, not a fan of those bike lanes.  Especially when they put both direction on my side.  Cars making turns can not and will not see you.  I did not use these lanes stick with riding side by side with traffic.  That way they can hit you on purpose. So I have to stop and call the wife as that's what I'm suppose to do, the reason for carrying the damn phone.  So she's telling me how hot and humid, then on the other side of the road some woman pushing a shopping cart is yelling something at me.  So I relay this to my dear as she's telling me to get moving.  I don't know what she's saying but she's coming over here.  Wife tells me to get moving.  This woman then hands me a cold can of Hawaiian punch, saying some Philippine guy was giving them away.  I thank her and stick it in my pocket.  Wife says to throw it away.  Ride to a park which I washed the can and drank it.  It's fluid. With it being warm, passed a Foster freeze which was busy.  We have one in Hawthorne, been there as far as I can remember, not sure if I've ever stopped.  I'll get a burger and something cold.  The place looks deserted and desserts.  And they have no food, just sides which I order onion rings. And the biggest root beer float.  BobbieF tells me that is one good bicycling food along with tuna salad and Paydays.  Well it was certainly good then and almost had me buying second. Will end with that story on the ride.  I'm paired up with the last rider and we are struggling to the control at Iron Mountain, seems they have inserted every steep ascent they can find.  Quinn who might be older than me is doing his first 1200 and can tell he is suffering.  He's start up the climb fast, then stop in the middle as I take it slow and will wait at the top so he can get up there and rest.  He's repeat this process up each and every up.   Well one of these up is next to a house where a party is taking place.  It is Saturday night after all.  There is music playing and they see us and start to come over to investigate.  I'm thinking this could be trouble.  They ask questions where are we going, where we came from , why are we riding in the dark...I answer their inquiry.  Then the skinny young guy wants to shake my hand.  You got to know in this part of the country seems they are not in the know about the virus, at least we never see anyone wearing a mask.  So what am I going to do but to shake his hand, don't want to be disrespectful.  Then they invite us to party with them.  Hey you don't have to go all that way when you can stay here.  Trying to get off the hook, Hey isn't that Tom Petty.  You like Tom Petty.  Yeah he's got great songs.  I just ease myself, we got to get going or they'll be sending a search party for us.  They all laughed as Quinn is ready to go.  Waved good by.  We probably made their week. Well this week I hope to be in shape to take on Turnbull in Straight Cow Mountain.  Perhaps Rod will tell us what the A I man did to the cows.  Besides nobody wants to go up a crooked cow. I've never seen a crooked cow I hope I never see one I can tell you this anyhow I'd rather see than be one. Let it be cooler and drier come Sunday, see you all then David Due to the pandemic, there has been more lying taking place and not because its an election year..  It's the 'Pinocchio Syndrome',  Wearing a mask has created a 'Greenhouse Effect' causing people's nose to grow.  Honestly, did not make that up. BTW, I'm needing a larger mask or longer elastics. well I'm not making this up, I did complete the Iron Porcupine 1200.  In leu of a full write up, there is a photo album.  To spot me, look for my bike as it was the only blue one on the ride.  Also look for my backpack, a red triangle on my behind and the number 21.  It was a great ride.  Look forward to my next big one for next year. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOcmu4IodjmqucC-gnvhpPEy7X88akeCkQ2OuSRUUY5iNBdC_2JHEstfSryAUn7cA?pli=1&key=NlUwTnF5LWktWDJvVF9sNi1uUHlPMF9EbElSNjB3