A few of the local MKE Fatbike Crew got a text from Mike up at ZuZu Pedals in Port Washington that the beach is back! Zito and I had been riding around at the time and the Sunrise Mimosa idea was hatched with a Church of 2 Wheels Sunrise Service planned for Sunday, September 23rd.
The morning began a bit misty and foggy as Zito and I made our way north to see whomever of the faithful would show up at 5:30AM for the first light departure of 5:45AM so that we could be in a good spot for the sunrise at 6:15AM. We were greeted at the bandshell parking lot by Sue whlle Chris, Dave and, eventually, Mike.
We left the bandshell parking lot a bit late thanks to Mike but not to worry there was sand on the beach! As promised.
North of Port Washington. A bit of the beach is back!
Luckily, Lake Michigan is pretty warm this time of year! As we got further north the available beach was blocked on some spots like this.
The sunrise was very nice and...
Mimosas made the day even better.
Eventually, about 2.5 miles north of Port Washington, we got closed out. Here's some splashing along on the return trip.
This guy was on the outward bound trip and still there on the return. The derby tracks looked like the Circle of Life!
Mike's "Nature-made Fatbike Fender.
If you've been north of Port Washington on the beach you may recognize this rock. "The Dark Side of the Moon" has been painted on it for years. There used to be 100 feet or better of beach where the lake is now lapping at the rock
Here are a couple of Mike's art pieces that are part of an art auction in Port Washington. Awesome in person!
We headed to South Beach to see what we could see. Rockier than North but there is a mile and a half or so of rideable shore.
Naturally, rocks were tossed! No Zitos were harmed in the making of this photo and, yes, we take out our empties.
South of Port Washington.
My steed, a Rohloff-equipped Schlick Cycles Northpaw fatbike with Gates belt drive. Very nice on the beach!
In the end, the beach is back, sort of. Dave’s Strava showed us riding 8.9 miles on both the North and South Beaches. Not bad considering we’ve had nada for most of the summer.
As an aside, I headed up to Sheboygan on Monday and took a look at the beach north of Harrington Beach but it was closed out pretty good. Probably rideable for bit but i doubt very far. We will keep an eye on the weather report and look for some good winds to put the lake out a but. Maybe the riding will return this fall. Winter, when the shore ice comes for sure!
Keep your eyes peeled to the Everyday Cycles Rides Page of the site for information on more Sunrise Service rides!
Coming up on June 15th, 2019 the Everyday Cycles crew will be riding with 400+ like-minded individuals on the 35th edition of the Fat Tire Tour of Milwaukee.
Started in 1985, the Fat Tire Tour of Milwaukee is the oldest bicycling group ride in Milwaukee and an annual event that cyclists from far and wide look forward to. With several bar/brewery stops along the route covering 20 or so miles, the ride is a rolling party that lasts the entire day.
The Everyday Cycles crew headed north to Manitowoc, WI for the 7th running of one of the best fatbike races in Wisconsin!
It felt like this year some of the fun and festive atmosphere of Shelltrack has returned while the competitive nature of the race was not to be diminished.
