The Bauer Family

We got back from vacation on Sunday, August 12 and got busy unpacking and catching up at home and work.  I lost track of time and am now catching up here. Day 7, Race Day We woke up to perfect temps and beautiful weather on race day.  I got coffee going and got showered.  Then it was time to get the family up and head out for the race.  We made a quick stop at McDonalds to get them breakfast and it was off to Lakeview Arena for the race start.  People were starting to role in as we arrived and I got the bike and myself ready to go.  Racers were starting to gather at the start line so I got up there and got my spot claimed. On the start line.   The race went really well and I got in the lead group from the start.  As soon as we hit the climbs I got relegated to 3rd place and knew that I could not stay with the leaders.  I then battled with a couple of riders for a while and then fell to 4th place.  I would not get back on his wheel ti...

So today was going to be an easy day and some rest for tomorrow's race.  So Raymond called around 10am and asked me if I wanted to go for a ride.  We set off for the South Marquette trails from the hotel around 10:45am and had a great ride.  We rode a small section of trail and then went on the gravel service road to attempt to climb to the top of Marquette Mountain.  Well we hit around 1025 feet and called it quits.  The grade was pretty steep and with the race tomorrow decided it was not a good idea.  We even took it easy going down hill so we would not crash and ruin the day.  So I made it back to the hotel and got cleaned up and we all headed out for lunch.  The four of us went to the Border Grill.  The food was ok, just an unusual set up for ordering, etc.  Just wouldn't recommend this place.  Thought it was going to be more like Qdoba, which is one of my favorites.  So then we were off to the beach on Lakefront Boul...

After a good night sleep I woke up around 8:00am and had some yogurt and coffee.  I called Raymond and we were off on a bike ride.  I discovered I had a broken spoke on my rear wheel.  However, it was not affecting the wheel much so we set off for the trails near Marquette Mountain. We made our way on the multi-use paths and encountered a short section of single track that was very fun.  We rode the kid/Grom loop which was very fast and flowing.  This is Marquette's version of an easy trail.  We then made the ride back to the hotel.  After a little beak Raymond and I went to one of the local bike shops and I got my wheel repaired and front derailleur adjusted.  After lunch Michelle and the boys went swimming and I worked on JJ's bike.  I replaced the rear derailleur and shifter. This then lead to our trip to Munising to go on the glass bottom boat and view some old shipwrecks.  It was raining when we arrive...

Today was our big travel day as we left the resort and headed for Marquette. We said goodbye to the elk. We were then on our way.  Just a quick stop in Hillman. This street was named after the family of our former pastor at Trinity Monitor Lutheran Church near Auburn.  His family has a big part in Hillman's history. We crossed the Mighty Mac! We arrived in the UP! We then went and had pizza at BC Pizza! Paul Bunyan and Babe took time to take a photo with us. Some dork showed up! Mom and Dad Mason made a showing. They climbed Castle Rock. On top of the Rock! We departed Castle Rock and made our way to Marquette non-stop.  We checked into the Holiday Inn and shortly after the Leach Family arrived.  We then all went to Bonanza to eat with swimming at the hotel afterward. 

We got a late start today and did not leave the resort until well after 12:00pm.  We headed for Duck Park in Alpena.  We rented Kayaks and went out for about an hour.  After this we picniced there at the park.  Our next destination was Norway Ridge Pathway and a mountain bike ride.  We did over 6 miles of riding.  The boys did great.  This was Brendan's longest ride under his own power.  Afterward we went to Dairy Queen for some well deserved ice cream (I love the Blizzard).  We then went to the Grand China Buffet and got take out.  It was back to the resort to eat and start preparing for our departure tomorrow morning.  Sorry no pictures today.  We have a large itenerary tomorrow.  We will be meeting Mom and Dad Mason in St. Ignace, doing Castle Rock and making our journey to Marquette.  Till tomorrow, good night!

We left the suite in the early afternoon and decided to have lunch out.  So Applebee's in Alpena was our lunch stop.  After that we went to the Besser Museum in Alpena. Fossil Park was our destination. Brendan made another friend and found several fossils. You will be able to see him on the museums Facebook page.  The museum was very nice and the staff was wonderful.  The lady in the picture is from San Diego and she was out visiting her son.  She is 81 years old and majored in Archeology, her name is Barb.  She has done some digs in South America and gave all of us an education today. From the museum we went to Starlight Beach.  The beach was nice, however Lake Huron today left something to be desired.  We then went to Dairy Queen for a treat.  We then headed back to the resort for some elk viewing.  I came across this area on my bike ride this morning.  We were in for a treat.  These animals are incredible. I saw this bull i...

Woke up to a beautiful sunny day here at Thunderbay Resort.  After a couple cups of coffe and some fruit and yogurt I headed out on the bike for a short ride.  This was only my third time on the new mountain bike.  I went on the snowmobile trail here at the resort and did some exploring of the local dirt roads.  I discovered a little park and found where the elk are here on the property.  Seen a large bull elk and a cow.  Unfortunately I only had my iPhone for photos and they don't zoom in.  So no photos. This was more of a test for the bike.  Back in April I purchased an Access Stealth 4.0 carbon MTB from Performance Bike.  On my second ride which was the Sweat Shaker race at Mid Michigan Community College in Harrison, Michigan I broke off the rear derailleur and put a hole in the frame on the right side seatstay near the dropout.  I was crushed.  I called Performance and they said they would send me a shipping label.  From ...

Today we started our vacation.  We got a late start today as we had a lot to do.  Yesterday we cooked, cleaned and packed.  This morning we finished up and headed out around 12:45pm.  We stopped at mom and dad's in Auburn to have lunch with them and check on them before leaving.  We were back on the road around 2:30pm and headed for Hillman.  We got to the Thunderbay Resort around 5:00pm and checked in.  We made our way to our suite and unloaded everything that we needed for our 3 day stay.  We then went to Alpena to eat at JJ's Steak and Pizza House.  We ordered Pizza which included salad bar and filled up.  I would highly recommend this restaurant, one of the best pizzas I have ever had.  After filling up we went to Walmart and did a little shopping before heading back to the resort. We returned to the resort and drove around a bit.  I was scouting out where I can get a ride in for the morning.  While doing this we c...

Today we leave on our vacation.  First stop is to check on mom and dad in Auburn and have lunch with them.  Then to Thunderbay Resort near Hillman/Alpena.  Wednesday we leave for Marquette and Ore to Shore.  Updates and photos will follow every day.  I hope.  Till then enjoy your day.