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Me: "But I just want to e-mail my wife. It will only take a minute."
Librarian: "Well, you'll have to pay $2.50, and give me your driver's license. Let me show you." (Librarian pulls out notebook and leafs through many copies of driver's licenses, finally finding the policy and showing it to me. The policy essentially says, "If you're not from this area, you don't pay taxes here, so you need to pay $2.50 to use our computer.")
Me: "But all I want to do is send my wife a quick e-mail to let her know that I'm safe. I have to wait in line, pay $2.50, and give you my driver's license just to type a quick e-mail?"
Librarian: "That's right."
Me: "Oh, never mind."
While I can somewhat understand the viewpoint of the library, the policy seemed out of place in a town with an economy that revolved around the tourist trade. Many shops in town sported the word Willkommen (Welcome) over the entrance, but the library's policy made me wonder if everyone in town truly welcomes tourists. On the bright side, it gave me a story to tell.
We had a delicious dinner in the school cafeteria, including bratwurst, chicken, corn, beans, and brownies, and then set out to explore the town. Corky and Fr. Jim were ready to ride their bikes into town, but I convinced them that the town was better suited for walking. We walked through a park, stopping to see a colorful rose garden on a hilltop. Continuing, we passed a large group of men playing horseshoes, a memorial to Native Americans, and a flour mill. Walking through downtown and across a long, wooden covered bridge, we decided to walk to Bronners (a large Christmas store, which has billboards throughout the Eastern USA). We walked…. and walked…and walked, until it became apparent that I was mistaken when I said that the town was better suited for walking. We finally turned back towards camp without seeing Bronners, and I fended off a playful beating from Corky for much of the walk back As we walked back to camp, we stopped in a pub for a break. By the time we got back, darkness was falling and we were very tired.
Wednesday, August 2nd: Frankenmuth to Richmond, Michigan (93 miles)
On Wednesday morning we were scheduled to eat breakfast at a restaurant located about one mile from the camping area. As we packed our tents, we glanced at the sky and saw a large thunderstorm approaching. We quickly packed up and raced the storm to the restaurant. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and the dark sky looked very threatening, but almost all of the riders made it to the restaurant in time. Only two or three riders came in with water dripping from them. We ate a leisurely breakfast while lightning illuminated the windows outside, then donned our jackets and rode back through Frankenmuth. Reaching midtown, we turned eastward along the Cass River.
After the storm, there was a fairly strong wind from the south. We rode mostly eastward, occasionally turning south for a few miles. The ride was mostly flat, but we did climb a few hills that seemed to take us to a large plateau. When we reached the small town of North Branch, many of the riders stopped in a restaurant for a snack. Corky needed a padlock for his cable lock, so he and I walked down the street to a small variety store and purchased a lock.
We rode on to Brown City, where a picnic lunch was set up in a small park. Fr. Jim and Corky elected to have a sandwich in a restaurant, while I ate a picnic lunch with Jim and Deb, from St. Louis. The Cycle America staff made batches of tuna salad and cut up fresh fruit as the riders arrived.
After lunch, we continued east for 10 miles, and then turned south on busy State Route 19. We immediately faced a stiff headwind, which slowed us for the last 30 miles into Richmond.
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