adventures on an e-bike

Perhaps the best place to start, would be to give you all a peek into the letter I sent out to many "big names" or the Upper Peninsula. This will show you the conflict, the solution, and my objective all at once, and I won't have to write a whole new thing from scratch....
Dear [NAME],
The climate is changing, here in the Upper peninsula of Michigan. This is recognized by scientists and local small businesses alike. The lack of snow has profoundly affected our economy - the motels sustained an untold number of cancellations from disappointed would-be skiers and snowmobilers, and likewise, the restaurants, shops, and other tourist attractions have felt the dearth of customers. Even the Copper Dog races in Calumet were canceled, for the second year in a row and this alone was a huge financial loss for the community. This altered winter season will, unfortunately, most likely be a continuing trend for the UP.
What’s to be done, you may ask? How can we maintain our flow of tourism to the UP, without our famous snowfall? I have a proposition. Our peninsula, with or without snow, is a beautiful place, full of natural wonders and interesting areas to explore. If we can no longer rely on snowmobiles to take us to these places, perhaps we could give electric ATVs and E-bikes a try. This would kill two birds with one stone as they say, since not only would these vehicles make a more weather-friendly alternative to the snowmobiles, but also, not requiring gasoline, would be a more environmentally sound mode of transportation.
And so we come to the “meat” of the matter. I am planning an E-bike charity ride, and I would be honored if you would accompany me and the group. This trip, highlighting many little towns and byways of our beloved UP, is intended to promote tourist traffic, and thus to help support our struggling small businesses during the newly extended spring and fall. We will be traveling, for the most part, on country backroads and already-existing trails. E-bikes, while being the focus of the event, are not actually required. I will be riding one, but traditional bikes or any other non-motorized vehicles are welcome. You could even come on a horse, if you like!
I have classified it as a charity event, without designating a specific organization to support. Anyone who joins us may raise money for the charity of their choice, local, national, or international. I will not be managing the financials of this; when you pick a charity, you are in charge of gathering sponsorships, etc.
The trip is plotted from Ontonagon to Schaffer - roughly 110 miles long, a great opportunity for some exercise! Timing will be pretty variable, depending on several factors such as rider speed and weather conditions, but I’m estimating it to last around five to ten days. You may participate for the whole trip or for as many days as you like. I plan to camp along the way, being mindful, of course, of the old boy scout “no trace” policy: “Take only pictures, leave only footprints”. You are free to camp with me, rent cabins along the way, or work out other accommodations as you see fit.
We’ll hopefully start around May 4th, depending on the weather. Three organizational meetings were already held at the Covington Multipurpose Building - but there’s still time to tag along if you like!
Full disclosure: I am a writer, and at the end of this event I intend to write a book about it. Participate at your own risk; I am not responsible for any personal or property damage that occurs on this trip. A medical release and liability release will need to be signed in order for participation. Camping materials and food are also your own responsibility. I am not furnishing anything - only the route and the company!
I hope to hear from you soon. To the enjoyment of the great outdoors - and the continuing resilience of the UP!

Sincerely,



Hilton Moore
Unfortunately, no one ended up coming along with me on this journey. Perhaps there were a lot of conflicted schedules, or maybe the letters weren't sent out far enough ahead of time to make arrangements. Whatever the case may be, I embarked alone on Monday, May 6th, from Ontonagon. Notwithstanding the lack of companions, I am very excited about this ride, and will be adding updates to this letter as I go. (Through my secretary, of course. I have no access to the internet out here, and patchy cell service at best.) In this way, though I am physically alone, you may all accompany me vicariously on my trip.

Monday, May 6th:
​Black flies are out. This willow is down in the yard of "S." along Norwich Road. I drizzle maple syrup along the limb and then put bird seed along the syrup and watch the birds.

Tuesday, May 7th
​Well, as you can see, the bike is packed up and ready to go into town, hopefully for nothing major. Both batteries were charged up, so that probably wasn't the issue. Seems likely at this point, that there is an electrical issue. Please don't let this discourage you from buying an E-bike, as all relatively new technologies need tweaking. I will let you know later the status of the bike.

Friday, May 10th
We just picked up the bike from Downwind Sports on Thursday, May 9th. Parker, DJ, and Tosh have been so helpful. Parker and DJ helped figure out the bent contact on the battery. Tosh is helping to get Inreach Mini 2 so we have some communication. Great people at Downwind Sports. The bike would not start, because there was a bent contact at the connection of the battery. Hoping to get out on the trail some time next week. I got sale shoes at Getz's in Marquette, MI, because I got an infected big toe from my new hiking shoes I got for my trip. Joanne wrapped my toe in bread and milk to draw out the infection. Lost half of the toe nail. Redness and swelling I had in my big toe on Monday, May 6th, when the E-bike quit has cleared up. Thank goodness.
I broke down about three miles from the Norwich Bluff. When I get the Inreach, I'll start at the point where I broke down. Thank goodness Joanne was there as a support vehicle to load up the E-bike. Joanne was quite upset when I refused to load up the bike to get help! She accused me of being stubborn.
Here I'm testing the E-bike to make sure it's ready to go.

Saturday, May 11th
Here is a picture of my two bike batteries. Joanne takes one home and charges it while I'm running on the other. She may not actually be on the trip with me, but she has been absolutely essential to the whole operation.

The dimensions are 16x3x3 inches, and they weigh 9.4 lbs.
A lithium ion battery, or any other battery for that matter, may be bad if you notice any one or more of the following signs and symptoms:
VISIBLE SIGNS:
- Frequent overheating
- Swelling or bloated body
- Strange smell
- Discoloration
INTRINSIC SYMPTOMS:
- High self-discharge rate
- Low voltage
- Reduced capacity
It's important to know these signs, as a battery that does go bad can be a very dangerous fire hazard.

Thursday, May 16th
The E-bike is all patched up and ready to go - and the other thing I was waiting on has arrived today too. When the E-bike broke down before, I was trapped in an area with no cell service and was unable to call or text for help. While I don't expect to have any more trouble, I also do not want to be unprepared in case of another such emergency situation. So, I ordered a pair of Garmin Inreach Messenger devices. These sturdy little contraptions sync with your cell phone and let you send text messages (but no calls) via satellite, so no matter where I might be, I can always get ahold of Joanne, should I need to. Today, they were delivered, and we're working on learning our way around them now. I should be back on the road very soon now! Will keep you all posted.

Tuesday, May 21st
This is Bear Country, whether we like it or not. Most of the time, a bear is shy and will run away if it sees a human, but a sow with cubs can be particularly dangerous. I'll be going through many wild areas of the U.P. and want to be prepared, so I bought a large can of UDAP Pepper Power Bear Deterrent Spray. You might think that a small can of regular pepper spray would be fine, but that spray is designed to work against humans and isn't nearly enough to hold off an angry bear. The UDAP spray came with a handy little brochure as well, with many bear safety tips inside. Some of the things you should do to avoid unwanted attention include:
- Hanging your food in a tree, at least four feet away from the trunk so they can't reach it from the tree, and at least fifteen feet up in the air
- Never cooking in your tent
- Keeping the spray handy in its holster and not buried in your backpack where you can't reach it fast!
- Not traveling on trails at night, dawn, or dusk, which is when the bears are more active
- Keeping an eye out for signs of bears, like tracks or scat
- Staying away from any dead animal carcasses you find, as they often feed on these for days and may be nearby
- Keeping your dogs close to you, if you have them - dogs like to explore and may get a bear's attention, then lead them right back to you!
- And, if you can, don't travel alone. I reached out to quite a few people to come along with me on this trip. Sadly, no one was available so I will be by myself. But with the rest of these precautions, I trust I will be safe.
The UDAP spray can be purchased at JD's East Branch Outfitters, a sporting goods store in Kenton - one of the many towns I will be traveling through on my E-bike.