Day 36: Lots of Little Stops

I went extra long yesterday so today could be a shorter day as I knew the wind would not be favorable. Originally, today was going to be a longer day and yesterday a more normal length, but the wind forecast changed my mind. Riding into a strong headwind is tiring work, so I stopped… frequently.

Places I stopped:

• Linda’s Bread Box to get and sip some coffee (and also a package of ramen)
• Cooks’ picnic pavilion behind the community center
• An MDOT rest area
• The side of the road to chat with another touring cyclist going the other wayℹ️
• The side of the road at Bull Run Creek
• The side of the road near Ensign
• Jack’s Cafe in Rapid River (this was a less short stop for French toast)
• A supermarket in Gladstone
• A lakefront park in Gladstone
• On a short bike path to chat with a cyclist going the other wayℹ️

As you can see, I averaged about five miles between stops. It was one of those days.

However, I made it to Dan and Karin’s house in Escanaba! They are friends of Ann and Cindy from Traverse City and are kindly hosting me tonight and tomorrow. They fed me a delicious dinner and dessert (Happy Birthday Karin 🥳), we spent some time looking at maps (a touring cyclist’s main pastime), and I enjoyed sitting in their front room overlooking a park right on the lake. I’m definitely going to enjoy a cup of coffee there tomorrow morning.

ℹ️ Both cyclists were doing a loop of Lake Michigan, one from Chicago and the other from Milwaukee. However, very different touring styles: one was going about 60 miles a day from inn to inn and the other was going about 150 miles a day and camping.