Testing

Down in the main part of Michigan. We had planned to get off the Adventure Cycling maps for the first couple of days. Kitty's sister got us some ideas from a local cyclist. We put together alternate routes that would take us along the shores of Lake Michigan for a bit longer. We just needed to figure out how to get from the Mackinac Island ferry to the main road we'd chosen.

Back in Montana, when we made our leap from the original route to the southern path through North Dakota, to avoid the Minot flooding, Bruce was quite concerned about diverging from thoroughly tested roads. Well. He seems to have left that worry far behind. He went into a gas station in Mackinaw City for directions & came out with a whole new plan. "If we turn left at the light, that road will take us towards 81." Uh, 81 had nothing to do with our modified route, but ok. I didn't learn until later that the gas station guy had apologetically said he had no idea how to get where we were headed; even the vague advice we accepted had come from another customer who chose to speak up. So we rode for a while, and found 81. Then more ideas surfaced. If we turned to an even smaller road, we could stay right on the water most of the day. Only things didn't look quite right.

We stopped a passing cyclist, who said she thought we might be on a road that ends at a park, but she's from Minnesota, doesn't really know the area. I decided we should keep going. There was too much traffic coming towards us to be coming away from a park at 10 on a Saturday morning. Luckily, I was right. We soon arrived in Bliss. Really. That's the name of the next town. It has a little store where we stopped for snacks and advice. This was the decision point: a fairly efficient road a bit inland, or the winding coast road that would take us on an extra c-shaped bay? Bruce decided he didn't want to add maybe 10 miles to the day so we turned left. Then he changed his mind & we made a hasty u-turn to the coast road. Just the way we might navigate at home where we have a rough sense of what we are choosing. A little adventure!

This turned into one of our best days. The coast road goes through a "tunnel of trees" and goes through a couple of charming little towns, then through a very fancy neighborhood of what have to be summer places. They are great big early 20th century houses, very attractive, great lawns & gardens, porches with swings, interesting windows, docks on the lake. Then a bike path begins that takes you over 20 miles, right up to the town we are in tonight (Charlevoix).

Our first stop was not a great success. We had heard from one of our route advisors that the town had a place called Legs & that it was supposed to be worth seeing. It looked very nice, but too popular. We decided not to wait in line for lunch. We did get a quick look at the gardens and some of the carved bears that fill it. But I was not sorry to leave. As we were on our way out, a woman said yes, we needed to move the bikes; it doesn't look nice when there are bikes all over the place. I was taken aback. Could she not simply have asked us pleasantly to put them wherever she wanted them? Or maybe even said nothing, since we were already leaving? But that was the only sour note all day.

The next stop was in Good Hart, another great name. There is a deli & bakery well worth trying if you are ever there. We got sandwiches & stuff & sat in front to eat them. I don't know if I can describe all the people we met there. First, as we waited to order, there was a very high energy woman who was talking about the stuff she had ordered, then asking us all sorts of questions, then reacting with huge enthusiasm when she figured out how far we were riding. She seemed to be with her mother & sister. She lives in Orlando (but keeps far away from Mickey Mouse). Then there were the two older guys who were teasing each other about whether they were wise to be buying the treats they had ordered (I'd have to vote no on that one) and who also asked us about our trip, then used our mileage to tease each other more. They left after we'd taken a seat on the bench out front, one of them on a motor scooter, smoking a rather overpowering cigar. Then another cyclist. He asked us to keep an eye on his bike while he went inside, then he came out & sat on the other bench & chatted. I know more about him than I do about some people I have known for years. He is a trustee of his college; he has been at the house of a fellow alum in Atherton who has an impressive modern art collection (he refused an offer of 10 million for one piece); he has a PhD- in what I don't know, but I know where he earned it; he's very involved with his local symphony. In fairness I have to add that he offered us his cottage for the night. He was really very nice to us. But I have only rarely encountered such a persistent name-dropper.

Then we went looking for the start of the bike trail and met a guy who used to live in Colorado & race bicycles - especially loved climbing. Then a local couple on a tandem rode beside us for a bit to ask about our trip. He had once done some of the route on a motorcycle. They had reached their car when we got to the end of the trail & stopped to ask where we were staying & told us they thought it was a good place.

Phew. Quite a day. Well worth the extra miles. Aline got here first. We are in a sort if condo on the harbor. We had dinner on our porch, watched while someone attempted to dock a boat very nearby to the accompamiment of the strident criticisms of a brash woman on board who had clearly drunk her lunch. And dinner, probably. Took three tries to get the boat in. We walked along the canal into the harbor afterwards. There's a drawbridge that opens twice an hour to accomodate all the local boat traffic.

70% chance of rain and thunderstorms tomorrow, but no severe weather anticipated. Does that mean lightning can really be gentle?

Miles today: 71
Total miles so far: 2970