Day 38: Racing the Rain

I lost a few of the battles, but I won the war. Some passing rain clouds spat on me throughout the morning, but I made good time to the campground and was able to get all settled in under a pavilion before it started pouring and thundering.

Yes, I’m Still in Michigan

Turns out it’s a big state. Plus, I did not exactly take the most direct route…

I got up early this morning and had another breakfast with Dan. Excellent coffee and toast and jam and strawberries. He even made me a few turkey and cheese sandwiches for the road!

I hit the road at 7 and it was a beautiful day. Calm and quiet and partly cloudy. The roads today were quieter rural highways with narrow, but clear, shoulders. The terrain was forested with an occasional farm (potatoes is the main crop here) and gently rilling upwards. I gained 600’ in elevation over the day.

As Dan warned me, there weren’t many places to stop along the route today. I took a quick side of the road break by a creek, then a longer rest in Felch at the community center’s picnic pavilion, and a curb of a gas station break in Sagola. I made good time and got to the campground at 1ish (central time, so I gained an hour in the day), while the skies were still blue.

Lynn and Ray, the caretakers of the campground, kindly let me pitch my tent in the pavilion with the threat of hail in the forecast. I got all settled and enjoyed listening to the rain and thunder while cozy and dry in my tent.

A couple touring on a tandem rolled in later. They’d been caught in the rain, but thankfully found a pavilion to hide under just before the hail started. Bill and Michelle are headed eastbound so we traded notes on what’s ahead for each of us and ate dinner together. They even shared a few cookies with me for dessert 😋.