Memoirous

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...