North Branch, MI - Sunday, July 30

Interlochen, MI - Tuesday, July 25

There was a nice Bike/Ped trail through Traverse City, and there was a very nice library right on the trail.

I got stung by a bee. I was on a fast descent on a back road with a rather poor surface, so I had to watch to avoid bumps. I was going perhaps 30 mph when I felt this sting on my arm. I looked down and saw a bee inserting his stinger (or what ever it is they do) and had a dilemma trying to decide whether to concentrate on the road or the bee. I smashed the bee and brushed him off, but his stinger and part of his body was still attached. At this point, I decided to return my concentration to the road. Soon I was at the bottom of the hill and looked in my rear view mirror only to find a car tailgating me: obviously he had slowed down as he saw me weaving all over the road. So I quickly pulled over off the road, let the car go by, and pulled the stinger out of my arm. I think this is the first time I have ever been stung while riding, and hope it is my last.

Andy bought a wok today at a second hand shop. It has replaced the skillet we had, and I think it will make cooking on our small stoves easier. Ann and Andy are both buying fresh produce at local farm stands, as a lot of veggies and cherries are locally grown and are in season.

We camped at the Interlochen State Park. This is part of the Interlochen Music complex, and there was a jazz concert that night. The campground was on Duck Lake and was a nice place to stay.

Luther, MI - Wednesday, July 26

Rain. It started about 1:00 am and stopped about 2:00 pm. We camped at a State Forrest I have used before on one of my solo tours through Michigan. Linda & I cooked, and we had bought a pound of butter for the pasta. As is frequently the case, we gave the left-over butter (2 sticks) to a friendly neighbor, since we can't carry it with us.


Clare, MI - Thursday, July 27

There is an excellent rail-trail from Clare to Midland. We rode through Clare and took the trail to a county park just off the trail. All of us except Ann and Hans got lost trying to find the park. Andy will update the 'leader notes' so that next year's group will be able to find it. It's a nice campground, but was very expensive.

When we awoke this morning (at Clare) there was heavy fog. Really heavy, and it didn't burn off until about 11:00 am. I notice we are seeing fewer White Birch trees; I guess we are pretty much out of what I call 'the northwoods'.

Bay City, MI - Friday & Saturday, July 28 & 29

These were two wonderful days. Saturday was a lay-over day. Karen drove up from South Bend - about a 5 hour drive, and we spent two days together. Andy's wife, Linda, also drove up from Kentucky, and they were happy to get together again too. Karen brought a new Schwalbe tire for me, which I mounted on the rear. The old rear one had about 4,000 miles on it; although I had never had a flat on it, it was worn bald. Andy also replaced his rear tire. I am surprised at how quickly my rear tire wore, compared with the front, which shows very little wear.

Karen and I stayed at the Residence Inn in nearby Saginaw. We just kind of hung out. Karen brought our laptop and I was able to download the remainder of my trip to my GPS, and upload my pictures to the laptop. Karen will be posting them in a few days.

We did some shopping, and I bought a new pair of shoes. There was a thunderstorm Saturday, but we were in the mall when it hit. The campground group was able to stay dry when it hit too. The temperature hit 94 degrees. We joined the group at the campground that evening, where we had KFC chicken and wine. They were staying at the state park on Saginaw Bay.

The land has gotten really flat. On of the major crops is sugar beets. Another is navy beans; they look like soy beans, but the plants are not as big. Of course, there is still lots of corn, soy beans, and wheat. Farmers are now starting to harvest their wheat.

North Branch, MI - Sunday, July 30

We are in the midst of a heat wave. Hot, with a thunderstorm in the afternoon, and high humidity at all times. The land continues to be flat, which I expect will continue until we get to Niagara Falls.

We camped at a pleasant private campground.