This morning is NOT sunny. It isn’t raining either but it looks like it might. Time will tell what the day holds.
I got off to a decent start today. I will ride on the Sunrise Lake Road until I hit Road 80. Then ride south to Evart.
Riding on this sparsely traveled county road in the middle of nowhere today I experience the most surreal moment of my trip so far. Riding out there I was passed by the Oscar Meyer Weiner Mobile! Just came out of nowhere and was gone just as fast. Just as a note: it is the third time that I have seen it. It is always surreal to see it no matter where it happens.
Around noon, I rode into the little town of Weidman and I wanted to get some lunch there. I couldn’t find a cafe so I went into the market. Just as I went into the store there was a few really loud claps of thunder and then the skies opened up. I was save in the store but by only a matter of seconds. That was a stroke of good fortune. I got some food for lunch and ate it on a bench outside of the store under the awning. And I sat there for 3 hours waiting for the rain to stop. So much for an early arrival in Mt Pleasant. Finally about 3:30 the rain let up enough that I felt that it would worth it to try to ride. I had about 17 miles to Mt Pleasant and I could almost sprint that in just over an hour. As long as I knew that there was an ended in sight, I could handle the rain and getting wet.
So odd I went. And the rain just stopped and the sun came out! I wouldn’t be getting drenched at all it was beginning to look like. To make matters even better, the terrain flattened out a lot making the ride even a little faster.
So one thing is becoming clear to me as I get closer to Mt Pleasant. There isn’t a mountain there. There isn’t a hill there. I am not sure where they came up with the name “Mt” Pleasant.
I am heading for Mt Pleasant for a few reasons. One is that I need to begin heading more east to skirt around Lake Erie and second I have an invitation to stay at some new friends house for the night. Way back in Montana you might remember that I met 2 women from Michigan on the side of the road. They invited me to stay with them if I ride through Mt Pleasant so here I am! It is really helping me out. Camping is pretty “iffy” during the Labor Day weekend. Campgrounds tent to fill up fast so staying at their house takes some of the stress out of that element. Plus, I can do that laundry that I desperately need to do. And they can tell me all about their trip which is always fun.
So I got to Jenny’s house around 5:30. I felt right at home. She and one of her roommates Sammy had some friends over including Lynne who was Jenny’s travel friend who I also met. They were all nice. I got a shower, did my laundry and even got some dinner. They were great hosts. And I got a nice soft sofa to sleep on too. Life is good.
Really enjoying your blog, Greg! The descriptions are really entertaining and the photos are beautiful.
BTW, Steve’s sister and brother live on the east side of Cleveland (Shaker Hts & South Euclid). Let us know if you’re headed that way.
AmyB
Greg! very good to hear from you….it had been a few days so I was wondering how things were. Your photos of Michigan look just like Lancaster County, right down to the road with lots of tar melted on the side…. we don’t see a lot of that here in WA. We also don’t see an Oscar Meyer Weiner truck…. our loss. The rain gods have been with you so far, thank goodness for that. I had to laugh that laundry makes a hard day of riding worth it all…. Good luck ahead!
Another note… about roads in the Midwest going mainly north and south. My first thought was it’s because they can! Dividing land plats is easier on the square. There was a reference online to Thomas Hutchins, first geographer of the US, making initial plans for settling the west in 1785. He laid out the first townships in Ohio based on a straight line from Penna. on the Ohio river, and everything followed on a grid pattern from that. The thirteen colonies pre-dated that… so Pennsylvania’s main roads follow the Allegheny mountain range of Southwest to Northeast. Your free lesson for the day…summer break is over.
Oh the people you have met & the sites you have seen! The photos are beautiful & so look forward to reading your blog. I too get a bit concerned if I don’t see a post for a day or so. What fabulous luck with the weather! Continued safe travels!