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Monday, July 31st:
Scottville, Michigan to Farwell, Michigan (84 miles)
The rain stopped during the night, leaving behind a misty fog. We strapped our equipment on to our bikes, lubed our chains, and rode off into the mist. The sky was very cloudy, and it was dark enough that cars had their headlights on, so I turned on the red blinking taillight on my bike. We rode on the shoulder of US Rt. 10, heading eastward across Michigan. The terrain varied from flat to rolling, with a few big hills, and we had a moderate headwind. As we rode along, Corky's wife and daughter pulled onto the road shoulder ahead of us. They were on their way home, and stopped to say goodbye to us.
We rode through Lake County, Michigan. This county was heavily wooded, with many lakes and streams. There were also many vacation cottages, tourist shops, liquor stores, and election signs. Apparently the sheriff's election in Lake County is hotly contested, as there seemed to be a sign every mile or so touting the merits of one candidate or the other. One candidate's signs appeared to have been recycled from past campaigns, which was interesting because the signs touted him as the candidate of new ideas and change.
After twenty miles or so of riding on busy Rt. 10, we finally turned onto quieter, but hilly, country roads. As we entered Reed City, we picked up a bike path that we rode for a few miles. Leaving the bike path, we coasted down a hill, past an old church with colorful lead glass windows, and into our lunch town of Hersey. As we rode through town, we saw a store that sold beer and liquor, and jokingly wondered if it was a "Hersey Bar".
The lunch stop was in a scenic little park that reminded me of the English countryside. A small stream wandered through the park, creating a small wetlands of lush grass. Next to the food tent was a pedestrian bridge, and the stream tumbled over a waterfall as it passed under the bridge. The lunch was delicious, with fruit, sandwiches, snacks, and a large pot of warm, creamy cheese soup.
After lunch, we resumed our ride east. We soon came to a sign that said "Deaf Child Area", which I posed next to, since I have a hearing loss and am a child at heart. For the next few miles, we rolled up and down small hills on a quiet country road. On one bumpy downhill, my handlebar bag bounced off and started banging on my front tire, giving me a scare.
We soon rode into the pretty town of Evart, where we crossed a bridge over the Muskegon River. After we left Evart, we were back on US Rt. 10 for the rest of the day. The first six miles were frightening, as the road was very busy and the shoulder was in bad shape. As we bounced along trying to dodge the cracks in the shoulder, large trucks rushed by. One large, shiny truck did not swerve at all, and seemed to be only inches away. He passed so close and so fast that we could feel suction as he passed.
We pedaled into Farwell, our destination for the day. Reaching the high school, we set up our tents in front of the school, showered, and relaxed. I hoped to visit the town library to e-mail home, but the library was closed on Mondays. We sat on a shaded bench for a while, reading books and writing in journals, and then headed to a nearby elementary school for a delicious dinner. After dinner, some riders explored the town, some relaxed, and others worked on their bicycles. One young lady spent several hours cleaning her bicycle, particularly her chain. She used Gunk remover and towels, and worked on each link of her chain until it sparkled. At the end, the chain was so clean and shiny that it resembled silverware.
After the day's experience on busy highways, we were relieved to hear from our fellow riders that the day was not typical, and that most of the roads would be much quieter. I assume that most of the side roads in this area were dirt, so the organizers didn't have much opportunity to keep us away from the traffic. Next page
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