As on previous visits to Copper Harbor, I’ve found myself at the Mariner North for dinner. There are only a few restaurants here, after all. I think their menu has gotten more affordable; I remember this being a what-the-heck-it’s-only-one-meal extravagance, but there were plenty of affordable options. One difference is that they are now serving (and recommending) the local craft brews; I indulged in the 22oz. IPA. The campground is only half a mile away, with almost no traffic.

I’ve been carrying a couple of freeze-dried dinners an a couple baggies of oatmeal, so today I bought my lunches and trail snacks at the general store in Copper Harbor. It’s dried meat sticks, granola bars, and Snickers bars… Not exactly fine dining, but it should be enough I keep me going for a couple days.

The weather forecast for tomorrow isn’t getting any better. It’s 90F and sunny up on Brockway Mountain right now – yes, Flash II made it up there, no way I would’ve tried it on Flash I – but heavy rain on Isle Royale tomorrow is a statistical certainty, and the nighttime temp is supposed to drop below 50F. With the added hoodie, I am seriously considering not even bringing the shorts, to make room. I seriously don’t think I’ll need them.

I am getting the what-the-hell-am-I-getting-myself-into feeling about this, but I’ve gotten this far, and there really isn’t much else I can do instead, short of checking into a motel or going home. As long as I can make it through tomorrow’s deluge, and stay warm enough (and I’ve managed worse before) I should be OK.

I am seriously considering the 3-day exit option, however. Instead of taking three days to get to Manitowoc, I could do it in two. (The third day is the short ride home from Ludington.) It would mean skipping some of the scenic riding I have planned, but if the weather’s rainy (and the forecast leans toward “it will be”) that’s not really a loss. All I’d have to do is change one Michigan state park reservation to another location (small fee), skip the one in Wisconsin, and change my Badger ticket to the previous night. It’d be a lot like what I did five years ago to end that ride a day early. Still just an idea at this point.

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