Tahquamenon Falls June 2017

Dates: June 23-24, 2017

People: Mark

Itinerary

• 6-23 (Travel Day)
• 6-24 (Race Day)

FRIDAY JUNE 23

I left home for the long drive up to the U.P. at 12:50pm. I had to make the check-in window of 6p-9p for my race but otherwise, I was on my own for time. Before I got too far I made a quick stop at Cabela's. I had a gift card I graciously received for a wedding and had been eyeing a sale on the YETI Roadie 20 coolers. I checked them out and this seemed like a good deal so I pulled the trigger. It also brought an immediate benefit of keeping my ice cool so I would have some still for tomorrow. After that stop I was good to go until a gas stop in Flint. I was also making a point to get the legs moving today at a number of stops so I wasn't too tight for tomorrow's race.

After Flint I made it another 2 hours of good driving until I reached Grayling. I was passing time today by listening to Ed Viesturs' K2 on Audiobook. I must have been getting into the book pretty well as I was having a great time driving and staying alert. In Grayling I hit a rest area for a quick break and to refill my drink. It was just after 6p when I hit Mackinac City and there I topped off my gas tank not wanting to have to find gas in the U.P. I also grabbed supper at Subway. It was 7:30p when I hit Newberry and I found the high school to do my race check-in. From there I headed on to the Upper Falls. It was just after 8p when I got there. I wanted to get out and walk around and hit some pictures at the Upper Falls. I also contemplated getting a beer at the Brewery but ended up passing on that. Instead, as I drove over to the Lower Falls I stopped at the General Store near the entrance and grabbed a six-pack of Keweenaw Widow Maker Black Ale and a thing of pringles for snack. At my campsite at Lower Falls Portage I got things setup and spent what remained of the evening prepping for the morning. I enjoyed one of the beers and snacked a bit. Sunset was at 9:50p but there was still some light well past 10p. I read a bit of my book "Teammate" by David Ross before falling asleep.

SATURDAY JUNE 24

Was up at 4:45a to get ready for the race. For the most part I had a good night's sleep. Temps were right around 50 this morning. I tore down camp and just threw the tent wadded in the backseat. It had a small amount of moisture so I wanted to dry things out before packing them up. I was on the road out of the campground by 5:20am to get over to my bus pickup for the race.

Two Hearted Trail Run (Marathon) Trip Report

After the race I got my pack over to my car and pulled out a chocolate protein drink from the cooler and was able to scarf that down. I then moved on to sipping on a Gatorade. I walked around a bit to keep things a little loose in my legs. I headed up to the Camp 33 Snack bar and grabbed a brat and a nachos to eat on. As usual, while my brain things I should be super hungry after a race my stomach is still catching up. I slowly got the food in and still enjoyed it. After that I drove on back down to the Lower Falls where I used my camp towel for a shower there and this felt so good. Now refreshed, I was able ot hit the road for home. I had had concerns about how I would drive post-marathon as in the past I'm usually a bit too tired. But today I was actually doing really well. I left the Lower Falls at 2pm. I drove east to Paradise and then headed south. I stopped at a rest area just north of St. Ignace to also take in their scenic overlook. At about 4:30p I made the first of two supper stops in Gaylord at a Taco Bell and there grabbed 3 tacos, a meximelt, and a drink. That really hit the spot. The next segment of the drive I made my way through a few passing storms which put down some heavy rain on the roadway but never slowed things up too much. As I did with the drive north, I started with listening to more of Ed Viestur's K2 book, but around 4pm the Cubs-Marlins game came on and I listened to that in its entirety.

In Bay City, around 6:30p I stopped to fill up the gas tank and grabbed another drink. Not long after I realized what I really wanted out of my next supper stop was some wings, and I happened to notice there was a Hooters in Flint. I called about 30 minutes ahead to order some boneless wings and curly fries, all easy finger foods to eat in the car. When I made it to Flint I was able to head inside and my food was all ready for me. I loved the wings as I drove onward. For the whole drive I never got into a drowsy moment and felt good. I'm sure the food, drinks, and good stuff to listen to all helped. Before I knew it I was pretty much home. It was 8:53pm when I pulled into the driveway.

The End.