A granny without a granny gear

Lake Huron. n the first day we biked back and forth along the shore

Tawas Point lighthouse

WELL I'm not an outboard

Classic cars paraded by as we drank our beer one evening

in the morning around Oscoda

Lumberman's monument  Michigan was covered with trees once though they are finally planting new ones as they cut. Still numerous logtrucks lumbered by us

Went down then up 300 steps to see a series of springs and waterfalls in the deep forest 

Au Sable River

those steps

Spent a rainy afternoon in a winery in Rose City

Higgen's Lake

Naomi

Late in the day

Lake Cadillac

path to the town

Before our ride yesterday. I rode a lot with the other woman in yellow last year and a lot with the couple here

I am back from  my bike up north bike ride. 276 miles: I have ridden more than 800 miles since I got back from Belgium. I was nervous because my bike lacked the 8 lowest gears, useful for hill climbing but I managed to power through some of the big ones. When I was young, I rode even steeper hills on a road bike that didn't have granny gears either but I was young. Still I passed a lot of people going up.  At one point this ride attracted as many as 500 riders but only 160 of us showed up for the 6 day ride. Bad advertising? Disorganization? People don't like the east side? Even the woman who said she would ride  it with me was a no show.

We had to leave our cars 150 miles from where we started. We would be bused but for our bikes to fit on the truck, they said our pedals had to be removed. The bike store person said it would be very hard. Although after much searching, I found the right sized allen wrench but lacked muscle though later, three big men with better tools and penetrating oil couldn't get them off either. Turned out they didn't care if the pedals were on. We camped for three nights at the same place which meant less tent set ups, always good. Naomi was around when I had to set up the tent in the next two places. She had come up to a rather remote area where we were supposed to go tubing but that was cancelled due to a thunderstorm at the last minute so she stayed an extra day where we would be next to a beautiful lake.

Also I was nervous having hurt my hip the week before while running. It was painful to hurt or walk though it didn't seem to hurt while I biked. I sleep on that hip. I would try to sleep on the other side but would roll over to the bad side and wake in pain. The day I walked up and down all those stairs didn't help but by the end of the ride, it didn't seem to hurt anymore. I haven't run yet in part as the heat index is through the roof as it will be tomorrow but I will try Sunday. I will be forced to be inactive after Monday, which scares me. The reasons I will explain in another post.

As the week progressed, it became hotter and hotter. 61 miles one day while 86 with unrelenting sun. I train in the morning to avoid heat and traffic. A more difficult day was against 20 mph headwinds and mostly up hills, some quite steep though it was only 50 miles.  Lots of forests. I didn't see many animals except a dead porcupine and a rattlesnake. Not much deer either. I see more on my usual runs near my house. I was told that deer need cornfields, which are few up there. I did hear loons again but I have yet to see one.

At least the food was much better with plenty of fruit, vegetables and salads. I ate much more healthily than I have on other bike rides and except the day in the winery, I did very little drinking.

Lots of poverty on that side of the state. Yards full of discarded appliances and car parts. Churches that looked like pole barns. Definitely no cute villages as found in Holland and Belgium. Bars except in Tawas and Cadillac didn't have any good beers just tasteless swill. We did go through the little town that Burt Reynolds came from. The residents are quite proud of that. The local store welcomed us with iced paper towels to wrap around our necks and a place to sit in the shade on our very hot day.

Naomi had a good time for the two nights she was there. The male bikers were especially welcoming to her. She now has long black and blue hair. Since our tubing trip was cancelled, we went to a wine tasting that was part of the bike tour. She doesn't drink much and does not appreciate wine but she stuck to the sweet stuff, which she had plenty of options and I bought a bottle of one we could both stand for the campsite. The next day she took down the campsite and set up at the next place so I could have an early start against those hills and headwinds. She met me for lunch  10 miles short of our camp. We spent the afternoon on Higgens Lake. Very pretty but paddleboarding was out due to strong winds. She remained on the lake before driving the long way home whereas I had my long ride to Cadillac and then a shorted ride to where my car was.

Lots of griping from fellow bikers. I am afraid  the ride won't survive. It is the chief fundraiser for the bike trails in Michigan but needs a critical mass of riders.

Home to more flowers in bloom and heat. o more orioles. Steve claimed to have been feeding them but probably wasn't as diligent as me