August 19, 2013

August 19, 2013 Rest Day in Port Huron, MI -- 22 miles

We decided to move to a motel in Port Huron closer to the bridge to Canada, and take a rest day. However, before checking out I rode to the closest Starbucks about 4 miles away to stock up on Via for my morning coffee fix. My usual morning routine of study and prayer is greatly enhanced by a good cup of coffee. Or two. I confess that a good cup of coffee is my drug of choice. However, I don't consider myself an addict because if it is bad coffee don't bother.

I returned from the coffee run and Randy and I made the 6 mile ride over to the Best Western by the bridge in Port Huron. the ride was a breeze - literally. Had a nice tail wind. In fact, I realized that I had appropriately named my bike blog Biking with the Tailwind for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that we have had mostly tailwinds throughout the bike trip. The front desk lady at Best Western was very helpful and accommodating, allowing us to check in early. Very nice rooms. They even gave Randy an upgrade to a beautiful business suite with a jacuzzi for no extra charge. This thrilled him to no end, and I think helped soothe the memory of the Saginaw Motel 6 experience.

There was an excellent bike path almost all the way from the motel to the waterfront just under the bridge to Canada. we stopped and took pictures of the bridge, Thomas Edison park and trail. A beautiful waterfront bike trail wound to a lovely downtown area. Along the way there were many people fishing, biking, walking or just sitting and having lunch.











We found a delightful restaurant on Main Street and had a terrific lunch. Mine was a lunch combo of 1/2 Philly cheesesteak and 1/2 Traverse City Salad that was to die for. And the food was pretty to boot.

After lunch we returned to the motel for an afternoon of rest and relaxation. I took a nap and started looking again at the maps for tomorrow as we begin the Canada leg of the journey. Randy has called ahead and arranged for transportation across the bridge into Sarnia, Ontario tomorrow morning. Then we will begin biking in the direction of Toronto. We think there may be a really nice bike trail from Hamilton to Toronto, then beyond along the St Lawrence River and Lake Ontario towards New York. But, truthfully, we are somewhat playing all this by ear at this point.

August 18, 2013

Happy 60th Birthday to cousin Randy Moore!

August 18, 2013 Imlay City --> Port Huron, MI - 40 miles

The plan was for a short ride to Port Huron, then spend most of the afternoon as a rest day. However, we got off to a rough start again as we started encountering dirt roads within the first couple of miles following the Google lady's bike directions. That's it - we are divorcing Google lady. Or at least making further inquiry on type of road before setting out. So, we backtracked into Imlay City and picked up the Imlay City Highway (Hwy 21) towards Port Huron.

The two lane road had a pretty good shoulder and was okay. Ran again mostly through farmland. Lots of interesting barns, silos and houses. Traffic was intermittently heavy and light. It was sunny and the temperature was quite warm. One feature I have noticed in this part of the country is that many of the homes have rock/flower/tree gardens in the middle of large front yards. Some are quite extensive, and some have a theme. For example, one house had two such gardens - one a rock/flower/tree garden and one a rock garden with an old wooden boat in which there was a "person" lying face down. That was a strange variation on the theme. Most were really just gardens.



About halfway to Port Huron, we came up on two touring bikers - a French Canadian father-son team who started in Vancouver and were headed for Quebec City. They had deviated south into the US to traverse the Great Lakes rather than follow a route "on top" of the Great Lakes through Canada. We had a nice visit with them, and saw them a couple of times throughout the day at various stops.









During the ride my mind started wandering again - as it often does. I started thinking about the fact that yesterday's blog discussed my fascination with the rogue corn stalks, and how my thinking/life has become increasingly centered and dominated by simplicity. An awareness of the little things. My life feels less and less "cluttered" in every way, and I like that feeling of a simple life. I like meeting someone on the road and being fully present to their story or what they are telling me at the moment. I guess the other interpretation of what is going on with me is that I am losing my mind. I'll let you be the judge of that. People increasingly ask what I plan to do with my life after I finish this ride, and I can honestly say I am still committed to doing something I am passionate about. Determined not to get caught up in mere "existing." Praying and being open to a revelation as to the next step, whether that is personal training or whatever. Praying for the courage to move beyond fear of the unknown and uncertainty and to progress 1 step at a time towards the path as it unfolds. Praying for continued patience. This is not always easy for me - a person who is generally impatient and likes to be in control. But so far the past 3 years or so have been a constant adventure in not knowing and I have reaped the joy and benefits of life surprises as they are revealed. One of the biggest benefits has been the ability to share these adventures with my family and friends. Reconnecting. I still believe that my life as it is continues to be revealed will be better than I could hope or dream for myself.

As we approached Port Huron, we were again treated to the unexpected surprise of the Wadhams to Avocado bike trail for the last 5 miles or so. Another one of those flat, smoothly paved bike trails. We ended up at our motel in mid-afternoon, and after lunch spent several hours planning the next phase of our route (looks like Toronto), arranging for cell service in Canada, getting info on money exchange, finding a motel for tomorrow, connecting with family, etc. We decided to make tomorrow a "real" rest day for the most part before venturing into Canada on Tuesday.