Colon to Bloomingdale

We got up around 6:30. Our WS host had a large supply of coffee. He said that even I couldn’t drink it all. He was right! 72 cups is a lot.

I had made a couple of cups last night and put them in the fridge so I had cold coffee ready and waiting. It’s always easier to get out of bed when there is coffee waiting for you! There was a crock pot in the kitchen Rose had noticed before she had rode to the grocery store. After our dinner she made crock pot lasagna for our next few meals. It turned out awesome. We never seem to get an early start whenever we are not camping. Today we didn’t leave until 11. But it was a busy morning. There was a lot of dishes we had to wash and food to pack. Also we took our monthly measurements. I would prefer a scale but a seamstress measuring tape is alot lighter to carry! I’m still trying to lose weight. I know if you have read my blog it probably seems all I do is eat! Haha. Food is a huge part of our day. Making dinner together in the evening is usually a highlight. We both enjoy cooking and eating. Cycling works up a healthy appetite! I have lost 4½ inches combined during this first month.

So after cleaning up after ourselves and packing we didn’t leave until 11. It was already getting hot. The roads we were on were great. From Colon to Vicksburg it seemed like every few miles we had a turn. Because of that we often got a little tail wind for a short while at a time.

It started looking really stormy around 2 o’clock. The sky was a dark purplish, blue off in the distance. We picked up our pace hoping to find some sort of shelter. With 6 miles to go we started racing the storm to Vicksburg.

On the outskirts of the town was the Vicksburg high school. The school building had a large roof with benches by the front door. We pulled in there just in the nick of time. It started raining almost immediately! Surprisingly it turned out to just be a small downpour with a little bit of wind. It had blown over by the time we had finished eating.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. A few more brief showers got us but we welcomed the coolness.

It was quiet roads until we got into Kalamazoo. Then there was lots of traffic. We were headed for the Kal-Haven Rail to Trail and couldn’t wait to get out of the city. We mostly rode on the sidewalk unless there was a designated bike lane. Bike lanes are always nice but I sure was happy to get to the trail!

We had been 48 miles by the time we got to the trail head. There was a map that showed camping a few miles down the trail. We headed there for the night. The first two miles were down hill and so awesome! The down hill was not steep but enough to keep us rolling around 10 mph. It was a great break. At the town of Gobles we could not find the campground. To make matters worse the posted map at that trail head did not show it. We pushed on down the trail and figured we would stealth camp. As long as we werent headed back to the city I was happy and started singing the Show Ponies song about how I ain’t going back to Kalamazoo. I use the term sing very loosely. I really can’t sing or even hardly whistle. To be completely honest I don’t even think I could carry a tune in my biggest pannier. Anyway, a bit bummed by no campground but rejuvenated from the easy miles we headed out. It was 6:30 and we were both hungry. We got into the town of Bloomingdale around 7:15. A 62 mile day! There was a city park and according to Google it allowed people to camp for free. I think that is why we missed the camp spot back in Gobles. I didn’t realize the campground and city park were the same thing. It is awesome when a town allows free camping. It was a nice park with a big picnic pavilion,play ground and ball field. Unfortunately there was not one tree to hang a hammock. We looked around a bit but then decided to just hang up in the pavilion.

That worked out well for us, it was hot and humid. We would of had to use our rain flys and the cut down on the airflow. Being under the roof of the Pavillion we left them off.

For dinner we went with fast and easy. Both of us were ready for our hammocks. I did manage to stay awake long enough to finish my book but I was sound asleep by 10:30.

Here are some screen shots of the last few days of traveling. I’ll try to start including them again

For Rose’s perspective go to her blog. https://wildrosepedals.com/