Day 37: Goodbye, Great Lakes

Today is my last day on the Great Lakes. Early tomorrow, I’ll head west and away from Lake Michigan. I’ve been along Lake Michigan for over a week now and it’s been lovely. I got in a nice walk along a park right on the shore today, so I had a good send off.

Easy Escanaba Day

Back in Traverse City, Cindy told me Dan makes a great pot of coffee and I would enjoy sipping it in their front room overlooking Lake Michigan and she was spot on. I slept in a bit this morning and came downstairs to coffee and a full breakfast spread in the kitchen. Dan insisted on spoiling me a bit on my rest day and I was happy to oblige.

After a couple leisurely coffees, I went on a walk around the park I’d been watching. There’s an old lighthouse down at one end with some other historical artifacts to explore. A bit further along the path, there was a swinging bench, which I very much enjoyed and could have sat at all day watching the bay. However, I realized I was hungry (even when not biking, my body now needs a lot of food) and wandered back to the house where I made a grilled cheese sandwich and a couple of hot dogs.

I spent the afternoon resting, planning, and writing a few post cards. When I wandered back downstairs, I found Karin had brought back a couple of pasties from her favorite local shop! This one was even better than the one in Naubinway.

Karin and Dan’s niece and family came down for the evening. The kids hung out with us while the parents went out for an anniversary dinner. We made spaghetti and meatballs and hung around chatting. There was a cake to celebrate Karin’s birthday upon the parents return, which was the cherry on top of an excellent day.

The forecast is looking a bit dicey tomorrow afternoon, so I’m going to get up and out early to see if I can get to my destination before the weather turns. Wish me luck.