2785 km
I was on the road today by 9:15 heading for Michigan. The trip started off great. I stuck to local roads and had a great ride up through Indiana. Nice winding roads through a lot of small towns. But when I left I knew that there was bad weather predicted for northern Indiana and southern Michigan – so I had one eye checking out the sky at all times.
Flying Ol' Glory
I wore the shirt that Shannon gave me for today’s ride. I figured it was appropriate for my last full day in the USA since I expect to cross the border later tomorrow. I took this picture at the end of the day when I finally found a hotel before the next storm hit.
I didn’t hear from my friends who are heading to Chicago so we did not connect up. They may have gotten held up in the Detroit area since one of the storms I dodged today spawned tornado’s around Detroit.
I must be fairly blessed on this trip for weather. As I was heading north I could see the dark sky ahead and figured I was in for a rough day. But just as I got close to the front’s edge – I could see and hear the lightning and thunder – my travels headed east. I rode just south of the storm for about 40 km and by the time I turned north, the storm had mostly moved to the east. I did have to suit up for rain and at one point I pulled off under an overpass and changed helmets. I hate that full faced helmet. It is so tight I can’t close my mouth because it pushes my cheeks between my teeth and the visor fogs up. But it keeps the rain out so I guess I shouldn’t complain too much. I am sure it will help with the northern Michigan and Ontario bugs as well (right Doug).
The rain did not last that long and I stopped about a half hour up the road to change helmets again. I hope you are happy Pat – I wore two helmets today.
Typical Small Town Courthouse
I did not take many pictures today. The two here show a typical courthouse in all the small towns. Some have a spire on the top but they are all this basic square structure. This one has a civil war monument.
Civil War Monument
It is very impressive how patriotic everyone is here. Almost every home, store, restaurant etc. has a flag or some type of banner.
A lady in the welcome centre in Nashville recommended I got to Shipshewana Indiana on the way north. It is Amish country. It was south of there that the rain was bad so I almost skipped it but figured – no regrets – I would press on to the area. I am glad I did. Given that it is Sunday lots of people were out in their finery driving their buggies to or from church or to friends. I saw a group gathered at one house and a girl was jumping long rope in her Amish dress, in a light rain. Aly you would have loved it – a new recruit for the AcroRopers. For those who don’t know – that is our hometown competitive jump-rope team that Aly competed with, and coached. The area had lots of farms with many horses. It seemed that each one has a small colt with it. It was cute to see all these wobbly little critters with their moms. (I have no idea if that is how you spell wobbly).
I didn’t hit a welcome centre in Michigan so had to break down and buy a map so that I could get off the damn interstate and not have to drive at 70 miles an hour. No fun having to concentrate on traffic all the time. True to form as soon as a man at the gas station saw me looking over the map he was offering to help me find my way.
I headed over to Battle Creek where I could pick up US66, which takes me straight up the middle of the state, through lots of little towns at a maximum speed of 55 mph (around 90 kph).
At one point I saw a lady herding a large snapping turtle off the road. I almost stopped but it looked like she had thing well under control.
The weather was really threatening when I stopped for the night. High winds were buffeting me on the bike and the temperature was dropping fast so Emily found me a Super 8 motel and we are hunkered down for the night.
Tomorrow I will head to Mackinaw City where I will cross into Canada. The weather forecast looks good for the rest of the week.
Well I shall sign off and post this – and turn my attentions to plotting my route for tomorrow.
I hope this finds everyone well and for those who have to go to work tomorrow – SORRY!
Work – only 3 more days!
Bob,
Glad to hear you were able to stay out of the storms for the most part. We drove through them for about 30 miles, and they were bad. For only the second time in 13 years we actually pulled over because of the rain and winds. Spawned some high wind damage in our area, but it is all in the day’s ride. Glad we met you and had the opportunity to chat. If you are ever going through the Burlington, WI area stop at my True Value Hardware store and we will treat you to a meal.
Finally had a chance to catch up with you, Bob. Great to read of your adventures! I’m glad you went hatless at least once. There’s something penetrating about those sweltering stings of insect needles injecting into your face like so many bullets… makes wearing a helmet a bit of a relief.
Looking forward to hearing more of your tour, perhaps over a pint of suds in some patio somewhere, with soft cushions, of course. Wishing you a continued safe and abundant ride, on your return home.
Glad you stayed dry. It has been very wet here lately. Glad we brought our rain jackets downtown last night, it poured! No problems getting down there, lots of cops, lots of boarded up windows. But it was a great concert! I ran into Cherylyn and Dave and Lindsey and Chris down there; they wish you well on your homeward trip. Grad was today so only a few kids will show up tomorrow…then summer here I come. Looking forward to seeing you soon.
Love E
You will have to soak up as much ‘southern’ hospitality as you can. It will be interesting to hear how you find people’s reaction to a lonesome rider in Canada. Your weather story sounded like you got a little lucky. When I read the title Storm Chaser, I wondered if you had found a new vocation. As I remember, there is a good road up the Michigan shoreline that may make for some good riding. As Erin says, we have had a boat load of rain…literally. I finally gave up bailing mine and took it out of the water to let it sanitize before taking it to the lake but it is almost as wet sitting in the driveway. We stopped an saw Mom last Thursday and she was having a great day; joking and asking questions. We told her about your quest and her response was ‘that’s nice’. I guess it is. Take care. D&B