Memoirous

This has become a thing—for almost 12 years. I believe my first ride home from the Festival of Faith and Writing in the always unpredictable month of April—the weather, that is. I’ve had snow, sleet, rain (of course!) and sometimes too much heat. Heading home to Chicago, the ride took 4 days. It’s much more manageable going back to Okemos. Once again, I took Indian Trails up, prepped bike and took off for my host’s house—fabulously only 3 streets over from Calvin University, making getting back and forth during the Festival easy peasy. There’s always surprises at the Festival, small delights and big discoveries around books and authors I’m not acquainted with—same goes for this year. I’ve often wondered: does timing matter? The algorithm is all over the place. Upon first arriving, the energy is there, while on Saturday the last day, the emotional levels are depleted. Am I more open to the universe at the beginning or end? Just like the Michigan spring—there’s no predicting. The b...

When tRump was elected I had so many sideways thoughts. One of which was: Now I’ll have to get on my bike and ride across the country. I immediately had this urge to go hide, runaway from life. The idea of dropping out was very appealing. I didn’t think I could handle the next 4 years. Mostly because I barely handled the other 4 years from 2016-2020. My world was upended by a divorce and pandemic. I did ride my bike across the country. Flashforward. Today is like reliving the past—except, I’m with family. The press of the everyday, ordinary life squeezes out the existential worry of “what if.” The baby is at a particularly tough age: always getting in to stuff, everything! Truly he would kill himself if we weren’t there to pull him off tables, small spaces he’d gotten into, pulling rocks and mulch out of his mouth. He’s old enough to walk and feed himself. He just lacks judgement, foresight, reason. Skills to keep him alive. The other grandson is learning patience, empathy, about h...

  Follow up--using public transportation Wednesday September 11, 2024, 4 miles (6 km) - Total so far: 103 miles (166 km) 1) using Indian Trails motor coach to get to Traverse City: I experienced NO problems, The first driver who picked me up in East Lansing was a curmudgeon. He complained that my bike took up half his bin. Not true. I had ridden the ten minutes to get to the bus stop with a bbq grill cover rolled up and bungeed to the back of my bike. Load in was easy. There was no baggage put on top of the bike--though it had to lay down in the bin (not upright). I made sure the gear-side was up. In Grand Rapids we changed drivers, but I did not have to transfer. All in all, it was a longish trip, but I could sit back and relax and read a book. Once in Traverse City, I did the reverse, rolled up the cover and was on my way in less than 5 minutes to my host's house. On Indian Trails you do not have to pay extra for the bike nor check a box when ordering tickets indicating you ...

  Leelanau Trail and Old Mission Peninsula (east arm of Traverse Bay) Tuesday September 10, 2024, 60 miles (97 km) - Total so far: 99 miles (159 km) I did A LOT of riding today and am seriously tired. I haven't done this many daily miles in about 3 months, plus temps climbed to 84 this afternoon. All this to say I did a killer couple of rides in one day. First, I started at 8:30 again at the BATA station taking the route 10 bus up to Sutton's Bay. I quickly got sorted to a public restroom, a trail map, and the actual start of the trail. It was a relaxing, event free 17 miles. Very pastoral, no big climbs, but also no views of the bay. You had no idea you were on a peninsula surrounded by water. It was mostly orchards, honeybee meadows, and forest. I certainly didn't overheat with so much nice shade. Then I made my way through Traverse City. The waterfront street and accompanying bike trail are torn up due to construction. So I had to follow detour signs and use a combinati...

  Monday September 9, 2024, 35 miles (56 km) - Total so far: 39 miles (63 km) What a wonderful day! I had no idea how some of this was going to work out as far as bus schedule, distances, room for the bike. You see the bus only takes 3 bikes and knowing this is a popular tourist destination plus the Heritage Trail, I wanted to be early. I was very excited and got to the BATA station a half hour before departure. I was the only one there. The bus, Route 11, took an hour to get to Glen Arbor. It was not immediately apparent where to pick up the trail. I finally saw a lone cyclist (it was 9:30 a.m. a bit early as it is past the season) and he told me where to go. Everything was well-signed and easy. At Glen Haven I met Mary also a newbie on the trail. I said I didn't know how much time it would take to get to Empire and if I'd need more water. She seemed to think one bottle was enough. I thought it was 20 miles to Empire, 40 round trip. I was there in maybe 10 miles. We rode toge...

  Indian Trails bus, East Lansing to Traverse City Sunday September 8, 2024, 4 miles (6 km) - Total so far: 4 miles (6 km) I rode to the bus stop in E.Lansing on the Lansing River Trail. When I got there I took the tarp we use for the grill off the back of the bike and covered it. Indian Trails does not charge extra for the bike. Their only requirement is that it be boxed or bagged. The grill cover worked perfectly. The first driver was a Barney Fife kind of stickler. He complained to me that the bike took up half of one of his storage bins. I'm thinking . . .so? . . . because the bus is half empty, so too, the bays under the bus. After Grand Rapids there was maybe only 8 of us on the big motor coach. The second driver was much more chill. Then there were 4 passengers--possibly less, as I got left at the MacDonald dinner stop. No joke. We all got off and I went in, bought a hamburger, and came out with my bag--no bathroom, no side trip--the bus was gone. I was confounded, thin...

We’re about to turn a page in the calendar—August to September—which always leaves me wondering: Did I do enough? Did I wring enough summer out of summer? They’re already offering pumpkin lattes at the coffee shop. I’m seeing candy corn in the candy aisle. Despite the fact that meteorological summer is not over, for all other purposes, we’re moving on. In two weeks I will make a trip to Sleeping Bear dunes, something I’ve wanted to do even before moving to Michigan. When in Chicago we used to visit Indiana Dunes (now designated a national lakeshore) frequently. I loved climbing the steep hills of sand and hiking the trails that wandered between woods, scrub oak and sand, and then disappeared into the dunes. Sleeping Bear was a destination for me, but seemed out of reach either because of work schedules, the fact that it is an expensive area for accommodation etc, and getting there. I’ve worked out some of these difficulties. Indian Trails bus can take me and my bike all the way...

Last fall I rode my bike up the Rhine River from Cologne into Switzerland. It was a GREAT trip. See links. I used Warmshowers  as an option for where to stay and trip planning. In the famous town of Strasbourg in northeastern France I was lucky in finding a host. Florian answered yes and we arranged where and when to meet up. I cycled to his apartment building outside the historic city center and waited beside my bike. Within minutes Florian showed up after his evening commute. Later—after a warm shower—we sat around a table and ate a wonderful lentil salad and a baguette because . . . I was in France! I saw on a bookcase over his shoulder a whole shelf of Harry Potter books. He was of that generation, same as my daughter who just turned 35, who grew up reading Harry Potter. Their whole childhood was comprised of Harry Potter. Every year there was a monumental publication, the subsequent hoopla, the launch event, the completive reading, marathon, then the waiting for the next ...

Recently a friend invited me and my grandson to a trampoline park for a playdate; they had an extra ticket. Sky Zone was awesome. It was hot outside and cool inside and NOT overrun with kids. Thus, I was able to get on the apparatus. So was this a good idea? I’m 65, and marginally medically insured, like most of us. As I sat on the swing high above a foam cube pit, I wondered about first setting up a Go Fund Me. How would I be able to explain to my boss at work, how I’d broken my arm, leg, foot, finger? The idea was to push off from the platform and about 7 feet below was an impact pit. I’m sure it is soft, but from height, considering my weight, it could still hurt. At this point my friend who is 8 months pregnant and not doing it herself plus her son and my grandson were spurring me on. Just do it. She had her cell phone camera trained on me. After a few more minutes of deliberation, I let go, where I discovered . . . The worse part was the worry. Which reminded me of every...

That One Bike Ride, 1970 *where we took off without water, food, money, a map *where I are a whole loaf of French Toast and got a huge tummyache *where after a few miles and a big hill we turned back *where after those few miles, I began to miss home and got scared *where I felt the furthest I had ever been from what I knew *the unknown I cannot tell you how old I was. It was the 1970s when kids rambled outside unwatched. We were a gaggle of kids with a plan—albeit one very loose, disorganized, not well-thought through plan—to ride our bikes, possibly to Miamisburg. Again, I’m not certain as memory and time have corroded the edges of what may or may not have happened. I believe we took Alex Bell Rd, past Normandy Methodist Church and down a hill. The point is, we entered uncharted territory, left Washington Township, Centerville, our school district. Nothing was recognizable. I do remember a hill going down and feeling sick because before leaving one of the kids’s mother ...

Last week I got caught in the rain 4 times on my bike. Not normally a big deal, but Chicago has already had so much rain that I try to get out between showers. Sometimes it looks perfect and I think to myself, Stop being a slug. Get up and go downtown!, and literally ten minutes later it’s pouring. When people see me come in dripping wet they act like I’m so hardcore to ride in the rain. I want to tell them, No, I just need to get home and that’s how—on my bike. So then there was this past weekend. I wanted to take advantage of a weekend without rain in the forecast. OK, there was a 20% chance, but that’s 80% chance of NO rain. And it’s finally warmed up. The average June temp in Chicago this year was like the low 60s. So meteorologically it looked like the stars were aligning for a two-day ride and camp out. I met a woman at the Bikes of Wrath movie (see link for review). It was a movie about bike touring and afterwards I came out to the parking lot to see someone look...

November 5 th is my birthday and just thinking about life a year ago is a bit depressing. It seems the world has cracked and broken into two. November 5 seems so naïve, so innocent. Democracy before reality TV invaded politics. Anyway thinking about this I have compiled a list of how I’ve managed to get through this past year: *Friends *Cds: Josh Garrels The Light Came Down , Carrie Newcomer The Beautiful Not Yet *“fake” news: BBC, The Guardian, The Washington Post, NPR *Podcasts: Radiolab, The New Yorker Radio Hour, Snap Judgment (this is my new favorite, I spend a lot of time listening to these) *counseling (lots) *writing/not writing *bike rides: just this year alone=Nova Scotia, coast of Maine, carriage trails in Acadia National Park, Old Plank Trail, I & M, Centennial Trail, North Shore Channel Trail, Green Bay trail, Des Plaines River Trail, Kal-Haven Trail, Prairie Duneland Trail, Oak Savannah Trail, Lakefront, etc *walks along the lake ( see al...

Day 14, Acadia to Deer Isle Thursday June 29, 2017, 46 miles (74 km) - Total so far: 638 miles (1,028 km) This was my official last day of riding. I won't complete the blog until I put in pics which might not be for a couple of weeks. I leave Saturday for my one-week residency at GSH island. So today. Not a high-milage day but a toughie nevertheless. I left via the shuttle to Trenton which cut out some miles but also dropped me by the road at 10:30,which meant I missed riding during the cool of the a.m. Winds were relatively calm, but would ramp up with the heat. I got through Ellsworth, the town itself was quaint. There were also some sizeable hills. Not sure why, but I walked the bike up more today than any other day. I was making good time and told myself I'd stop for lunch and put on sun screen in Blue Hill. Well outside of Surry I felt my back wheel to phlump. It wasn't flat yet didn't feel round. I tried to go and the brakes grabbed. Finally I pulled ove...

Day 13, Mainayr to Acadia Nat. Park, Tuesday June 27, 2017, 46 miles (74 km) - Total so far: 576 miles (926 km) So perfect. Really a great day all around. Now sitting in tent waiting for a thunderstorm.It took me about 39 miles to get here and it wasn't too bad. Some roadworks on 1 made things a little hairy. I took the turn-off for 3, and continued to the entrance info center. There I used a special phone to call around to the campgrounds. Everything inside the park was full, but I was able to secure a tent site at Bar Harbor campground for 2 nights for $68. I know, it aS much as a hostel. Overall though it is a good value. Everything is convenient, the shuttle bus, the showers, and washrooms. There's even an ocean view. After getting settled in I took the shuttle with my bike and got on carriage trails at Hull Visitor Center. I had absolutely no idea what this would be. Let me tell you it is a dream come true. Like riding in Paradise. Tomorrow I plan to get up early ca...

Day 11 @ St. Brendan's rescue donkey Sue and Alan Day 12, Dennysville to Steuben, Mainayr Campground Monday June 26, 2017, 63 miles (101 km) - Total so far: 530 miles (852 km) I'd like say today was easy, but I had to put on my game face. First, it was hard to leave St. Brendans Retreat Center also called Holy Trinity Chapel. Alan and Sue welcomed me into their home. Even the dogs started to love me. We'd sit around the table and have deep talks. There were also chores to do: goats to feed and milk, donkey pens that needed mucked out, and little baby goats that needed to be bottle fed twice a day. This a.m. I helped separate about 2 gallons of goat milk. I left with the sweet taste of cream on my lips. I knew I had at least 60 miles to do today--and 1/2 of this is up. Nothing like my JOGLE but yet it is taxing--especially in the hot sun. Yes, there was sun. A blessing and a curse. Then I got a flat tire. I pulled over and ex a mined it and found a tac...