Memoirous

I’d camped here before and really enjoyed the leisurely packing up and getting going—by 7:30 I was off. Very slow. I kept stopping to adjust. It was chilly and again drizzly. In Itasca I got a chance to use my immersion stick to heat up water and make a hot tea. I ate a bar and tried to knock some of the built up yukka on my bike that accumulated due to rain and being on a gravel and broken asphalt path. It was more than a baby wipe could handle. I was on mostly roads. Dewitt turned into a long gravel segment, but again the rain made it a hard-packed surface. My butt and thighs were sore and I had to keep stretching while in the saddle. It was a lot of miles for a spring ride, first of the year, without a lot of training. Again, ate lunch in St. Johns and purchased a Gatorade for the last push home. There is the gravel path to Krepps, a mile or two of hard surface, then 2.5 miles of gravel, then maybe 5 more miles on asphalt with rollers, ups and downs. By the time I turned off f...

I scurried to set up my tent for stealth camp just minutes before the storm hit. The weather cleared the park, but also meant I didn't set up beneath a shelter like I'd intended. I got the tent up and clambered in with my stuff to sort out inside. Water unfortunately got in and I had to deal with that as well as residual clamminess. There was nothing to be done about it: It was a soggy night. But, quiet after the storm. In the a.m. I had to pack up wet and sort've wet stuff. I ate hot oatmeal at the shelter and used the restroom before leaving at 7:30. It was hard going. I was supposed to follow Fallasburg Park road to eventually meet up with Flat River trail, but ended up on Lake Lincoln Hwy, which seemed busy for a Memorial Day morning. I took McPherson to get on the trail which is "recycled asphalt"--it was horrible stuff. I only made maybe 8 miles an hour on it. It was like riding on a broken down roadway. I continually had to keep gearing down and my bo...

I rode through cottonwood drift falling around me like snow from the sky. Beside the path white and fuchsia wildflowers bobbed their little heads. The day was warm but not too hot; the sky was blue dotted with clouds—but I knew that storms were predicted for later on! In St. Johns bathroom doors were locked, drinking fountains dry. I ate a little and then rode on, using the Shiawassee Trail. At Fowler I texted a work mate who lives in Ionia to see if he wanted to meet up. Yes! He rode to Lyons where we went on to Saranac. I’m glad Jeff was with me as the trail, though level and scenic, can also be a bit boring. After Jeff turned around, I was a bit tired and took a break before starting the road part of the trip to get to Fallasburg Park. The road went up, leaving the river. It was about 11 more miles to the park. The North Country trail also goes through the park. Right before the park is what Wikipedia describes as an abandoned village. Established in 1837, it went into decline ...

Day 3, July 5 64 miles Saranac to Okemos The heat was almost unbearable today. I got up early and was gone by 6:20. There was a heavy ground fog in the fields as I left. I tried to eat as much as I could. Again, every bottle was full and, most importantly, I had a Gatorade in reserve. The Shiawassee Trail to St. Johns was slow, or else I was. I took my time and made frequent stops to simply drink or adjust my butt. Everything felt a little ragged around the edges. It took 4 hours to go 36 miles, but I made it to St. Johns by 10:30. Wildlife along the trail was intense with deer and rabbits darting out and then scurrying away. Riding along the Grand River was beautiful as the sun was just coming up. There are depot towns about every 7 miles with trailside water sources and restrooms. After eating and taking a break, I slathered on cream for my backside and brought out the big bottle of Gatorade. I knew with noon coming there would be very little shade on the roadways, and I had a...

Day 2, July 4 76 miles Alma to Saranac Wow, what a day! I’m exhausted and burnt out—temps hovered in the high 80s and humidity was bad—but I feel like I did a lot. First, last night—I stealth camped at a county preserve. What was great was there was no road access, so I felt safe. I went to Meijers and bought chicken, danishes for breakfast, and a gallon of water. Last night I slept so sound, only waking once to pee. This a.m. before leaving I filled all my bottles and left the rest on the shelf for the Girl Scouts. I was on the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail by 6:20 across the Pione River. I was still tired from yesterday, so would pedal and then pause, on repeat. It took me almost 3 hours to get to Erdmore where I took a Danish break and made tea. By 11:15 I was in Greenville, where I took another big break. It was already terribly hot. Overall the Heartland Trail was quite remote, not a lot of houses. Truly the heartland of Michigan—some farms, meadows and woods. No water fauc...

Gravel, Rail Trail, and Chip Seal: 3 days in the heartland of Michigan Monday, July 3 63 miles Okemos to Alma The first 10 miles were familiar territory. I eventually got on Chandler going north and soon Google put me on gravel. Krepps was 9 miles, mostly hardpacked surface. I hooked up with the Shiawassee Trail in St. Johns where I had a lunch break. There a seasoned rider gave me intel trying to help me stay on paved roads, using DALMAC maps. His route took me into Maple Rapids, where I took another break. From there Google again had me on gravel. Algers started gravel then changed to chip seal. Harder work than I wanted. Winds were fairly calm and the day started with thick clouds. By noon clouds were breaking and I had to put on sunscreen. Traffic was very light and will likely stay that way over the next couple of days leading into the holiday. The last 10 miles were ugly as heat and exhaustion caught up with me and there was no shade and the miles were boring. My legs were b...