August 14, 2013 Traverse City --> Cadillac, MI - 50 miles
We decided to go off the ACA route maps again and head for Cadillac MI approximately 50 miles away. There was a bike shop just a few blocks from our motel, so we stopped in to get advice regarding the best roads to take, and to ask if there were any bike trails. Randy had not slept well last night and was already tired. What became apparent soon after we left the bike shop was that Randy was asking for something totally different than the guy was answering and/or Randy was hearing something different than the guy was saying. Because we were only a mile or so away before already feeling lost. We pulled out our iPhones and Google maps to plug in Cadillac. My Google lady immediately chimed in and "took control" of the situation. She has a very commanding voice. At her insistence, we ended up on a dirt road for a few miles. Then, Google lady apparently changed her mind because she started instructing us to backtrack from where we had come. At that point, we rebelled and took another road. Google lady recovered quickly and got back on board. Now that I think about it, I must have looked pretty funny bending my head down towards my handlebar bag to hear the Google lady speak. Shaking my head and talking back at the bag when I disagreed. At any rate, we did finally end up on a road we recognized as crucial. The truth of the matter is that we felt lost, but really weren't when all was said and done. Sort of a metaphor for life sometimes.
The first 20 miles of the day were on probably the worst roads so far. Narrow and very little shoulder with many cracks and potholes. Traffic was pretty heavy. Finally, we turned on to a state highway with broad, smoothly paved shoulders and for the next 17 miles or so pretty much cruised. Stopped at a Subway in Manton for lunch, then rode the final 10 miles to Cadillac.
Our motel was located on the other side of Lake Cadillac from town and somehow it seems we ended up riding 3-4 miles all the way around the lake, rather than going directly to the motel. Seemed like the theme of the day - hard time following directions. Lost Randy shortly after checking in as he was desperate for a nap after having a rough night sleeping. So, I went for a short walk to take a few pictures for the blog, had a nice long soak in the tub, then headed for Subway for my now favorite chopped chicken salad.
I feel good and think I will sleep well tonight.
