Grand Rapids.

We tried for an earlier start today. Grand Rapids was our destination and somehow that was 68 miles away! I say somehow because two days ago at Walkup Lake Campground it was only 84 miles. We biked 38 miles on Monday so that should of left us 47 to ride today. I guess we did not follow the Google directions! Getting to Grand Rapids was very important. Tomorrow Rose is scheduled to fly back to Tallahassee for her infusion treatment for ulcerative colitis. Several weeks ago she changed her flight from Minneapolis to Grand Rapids. At the time she changed her flight we were still struggling with bigger mile days and to reach Minneapolis we would of had to do over 50 miles every day or change our route. I really didn’t want to change the route, were both excited about going north around the Upper Peninsula. Thankfully she got her flight changed at no extra cost and that freed up a lot of time. We both have absolutely loved Michigan!

We left camp around 8:30. I had slept pretty well but Rose hadn’t. A guy at the campsite next to us was on his phone until well into the morning. He was on speaker phone and would often walk away from his phone and just speak louder so the other party could hear. He was a very talkative fellow and rambled on and on. We nicknamed him the Midnight Rambler. I awoke many times but always went right back to sleep. Rose could not sleep through the talking and had to endure every minute of the conversation. At least with it being on speaker she could hear both sides of the conversation! We always enjoy campgrounds and usually the other campers are always really friendly and really courteous. Lol this guy was neither! Definitely not a reflection of the campground though, Gray’s Riverside Bluffs was a very nice place. I had the coffee made before Rose got up. After a quick cup of coffee we headed out. Quietly slipping out of the campground, we congratulated ourselves on being so mature. We both resisted the very strong urge to bang pots and pans together when we heard snores coming from the Midnight Rambler’s tent.

We had around 30 miles of rough trail until it became paved. Unfortunately a lot of it was grass and dirt. Riding on that is always slower. Since we so many miles to go we jumped back and forth between the trail and the road. Traffic wasn’t too bad on the road but the trail was a lot more enjoyable. It’s a great trail that is still being developed. On a different day we would not of minded the slow sections.

Rose was all smiles when I caught up to her at an intersection. We had reached the pavement! The next 30 miles were wonderful.

We stopped at a picnic pavilion ramada for an extended break. After eating sandwiches that we had packed Rose laid down in the grass for a nap. I used the time to start writing my blog and to Google a word. The word was ramada. Rose has always called pavilions ramadas. I have never heard that in my life and would always say no, they are pavilions. It was always good natured and in fun. I think we all have a few words we tend to use wrong. I have read the dictionary cover to cover twice in my life and thought I was right. However after googling it I realized that she was in fact,using the word correctly. Merriam-Webster says it is a roofed shelter with open sides. As often as she wins at scrabble I shouldn’t of doubted her. And in case you are wondering yes we do have a scrabble game with us. It is a small one made for traveling and only weighs 11 ounces. We both enjoy playing and we get pretty competitive. At home our games would last hours sometimes even multiple evenings. That’s not possible on tour. We both spend a lot of our evening blogging going through the days pictures, looking at maps and trails etc. So we have a ten play limit. We each take ten turns and that’s the end. Highest score wins. Even at just ten plays the game can last an hour. We don’t play as often as we thought we would, but it’s fun when we do.

After our 1.5 hour break we headed out again. The day was getting pretty hot but the trail was nice and shaded. We had a Warm Shower host lined up on the outskirts of Grand Rapids in Kentwood. After the trail ended we had around 17 miles of city riding. It was a bit tough. We were both tired by then. I felt bad for Rose. She started out tired and I knew by now she had to be exhausted. There were lots of bike paths and bike lanes through Grand Rapids but we still had our share of road and sidewalk riding. Rose continued to ride strong through it all and if it weren’t for her choice of words used every time we approached one of the many hills, I would not of known she was exhausted. I’m pretty sure a lot of them are not allowed in scrabble! Haha. But we made it! We arrived a little before 8pm and were greeted warmly by our kind host. She was an avid cyclist and had biked coast to coast several times. She showed us to our room and I immediately ordered a pizza. Actually two large pizzas and breadsticks. Then I took my shoes off. Food was top priority. I had two sandwiches and 3 hardboiled eggs all day and had ridden 68 miles. 4 breadsticks and 2 slices of pizza was all that was left when we were done eating. We sat out on the deck to eat. It was a nice evening and it felt good to sit down.

Rose flies out at 2pm tomorrow. Our WS host is keeping her bike until Saturday when she returns. I will be on my own for the next couple days.

My blog is a day behind. Rose flew out today, Wednesday. I'll try to get caught up tomorrow. She is in Miami switching flights right now and I am camped at Yankee Creek. But I'll post all the details tomorrow! Also my service is poor and I can't upload pictures.