For about 35 of my 55 miles today, I was riding smack into the wind. It wasn't fun, but it wasn't the end of the world either, just a whole lot slower.
Coming into Yale, I saw a gal cycling toward me. She crossed over and we chatted for awhile. Her name was Sarah (my second Sarah). She had started in Anacortes on July 1st. She was definitely making good time. She said she had a limited time window of two months. Sheesh! I don't think I could do that! She wasn't going all the way to Bar Harbor as she said she lived about two hours (driving distance) south of Bar Harbor, but still, that's a short time.
In Yale, I checked off a Michigan Subway. Since it was just 9:00, I only had cookies and something to drink.
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| Michigan Subway |
Prior to Yale, I had been going primarily north. After Yale I turned west and spent the next 9 miles going in a straight line into the wind to Brown City (note its claim to fame in the photo below). It was about 11:30 when I spotted another Subway (in a grocery store). I stopped for lunch. That made it a double Subway day.
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| Birthplace of the Motorhome? |
As I was walking out of the grocery store, an older gentleman stopped me and asked me if I was a biker. I said I was, and he asked me where I was coming from and all that. He thought I was very brave to be by myself. His name was Louis, and he was 95 (he sure didn't look 95). He was of Hungarian ancestry, and had lived in Brown City for 50 years. He told me I would go by his house just a quarter mile out of town. His wife was there (she's 93). They owned 30 acres, and except for having a gal come in and clean the house, they still did everything themselves. I told him I hoped I was just as active as him when I reached 95.
I got back on Tilmann and headed down the road. A quarter mile down the road I saw his house. The garage door was open, and his wife was sitting in a lawn chair in the garage. She waved at me. I crossed the road and rode up the driveway. I asked her if her husband was Louis, and was he at the grocery store. She said yes, and I told her how I had met him and talked with him. She immediately asked me where I was from and if I was alone. She also thought I was incredibly brave. Since I knew they had lived in Brown City for 50 years, I asked her what she liked about the town. She didn't really answer that question, but instead told me how when they first moved there, the mayor asked them to build a theater. They did, and ran it until television came along and no one went to the theater anymore. Then, Lou had the idea to open a Canoe Livery. She asked if I knew what that was. I said I'd seen them on this trip, and would actually possibly be camping at one in a number of days. They would take the canoes up the river, and the people would paddle them back to the livery. I've kayaked the Wenatchee River, but they company that we went with didn't call it a Kayak Livery. Maybe that's a mid-west term. Anyway, I really enjoyed talking to Jean and Lou.
Back into the wind, I just listened to my music and kept pedaling. The next town was North Branch. Sure enough, there was another Subway. I was very tempted to stop and make it a triple Subway day, but I thought that might be a bit ridiculous.
I rolled into Otter Lake at about 3:00. Gail, at the Otter Lake Village Park and Campground said I could just set up my tent near the restrooms. She wouldn't charge me anything. I thought that was great. She even gave me a key to the restrooms and showers. I just have to remember to give it back in the morning.
I talked to her husband, John, later on. I asked him if there was a good restaurant in town. Indeed there is! I think I'll eat there tonight. The wind would make cooking difficult (although I could manage if I had to). John and I had a good chat. I learned more about the whole seasonal camper thing. He said it's like a soap opera. It all sounded quite funny to me.
I'm off to see about some dinner (and maybe some wifi)...
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| Otter Lake |
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