Day 38--Mt. Pleasant MI to Birch Run MI--July 28th
Miles Ridden 74.5
Avg. Speed 17.4 MPH
Climbing 625 Ft.
Total Miles 2759
Miles To Go 870
Today's ride didn't cross the most scenic part of Michigan. It was the flattest ride of the trip and went through small towns and farms without much to distinguish it. The forecast called for strong thunderstorms by mid-morning so we all pushed the pace in hopes of beating the rain. We had to go about thirty miles south and forty miles east to get to Birch Run so, following the square grid of Michigan's country roads, we would go several miles into the strong southwest winds as we headed south and then get a strong push as we turned east. We got to Birch Run ahead of any rain and, in fact, this area missed the strong storms that hit the Detroit area to the south.
We got to Birch Run in time for lunch and I talked the group into going to Tony's, a restaurant renowned for gigantic servings. Nothing I told them prepared them for what they saw (see pictures below). When Joe from Georgia saw the size of his BLT with over a pound of cooked bacon he started laughing uncontrollably, then started crying and took several minutes to get control. Mark went around the restaurant taking pictures of peoples dishes including the twelve egg omelets with a pound of bacon (cooked) and banana splits. After Joe was done eating and had given away parts of his sandwich he still counted fourteen thick slices of bacon left over. I had a large but conquerable reuben.
I had been looking forward to the afternoon of July 28th for the past month. This is the closest we get to Ann Arbor and Kathie, Dave, Kristy and of course Meaghan were coming to Birch Run for a visit. They got here about five o'clock and we went to dinner in Frankenmuth which is just down the road. This is a great trip but that fact that I've been voluntarily separated from the people I love for the past five weeks makes the separation even more difficult to deal with. Just two weeks to go.
Tomorrow we finish Michigan by traversing the Thumb and arriving in Port Huron prior to the crossing of the Blue Water Bridge into Canada on Friday. 87 miles now seems like a reasonably easy distance to cover based on our new standards but it is still a lot of riding.
Avg. Speed 17.4 MPH
Climbing 625 Ft.
Total Miles 2759
Miles To Go 870
Today's ride didn't cross the most scenic part of Michigan. It was the flattest ride of the trip and went through small towns and farms without much to distinguish it. The forecast called for strong thunderstorms by mid-morning so we all pushed the pace in hopes of beating the rain. We had to go about thirty miles south and forty miles east to get to Birch Run so, following the square grid of Michigan's country roads, we would go several miles into the strong southwest winds as we headed south and then get a strong push as we turned east. We got to Birch Run ahead of any rain and, in fact, this area missed the strong storms that hit the Detroit area to the south.
We got to Birch Run in time for lunch and I talked the group into going to Tony's, a restaurant renowned for gigantic servings. Nothing I told them prepared them for what they saw (see pictures below). When Joe from Georgia saw the size of his BLT with over a pound of cooked bacon he started laughing uncontrollably, then started crying and took several minutes to get control. Mark went around the restaurant taking pictures of peoples dishes including the twelve egg omelets with a pound of bacon (cooked) and banana splits. After Joe was done eating and had given away parts of his sandwich he still counted fourteen thick slices of bacon left over. I had a large but conquerable reuben.
I had been looking forward to the afternoon of July 28th for the past month. This is the closest we get to Ann Arbor and Kathie, Dave, Kristy and of course Meaghan were coming to Birch Run for a visit. They got here about five o'clock and we went to dinner in Frankenmuth which is just down the road. This is a great trip but that fact that I've been voluntarily separated from the people I love for the past five weeks makes the separation even more difficult to deal with. Just two weeks to go.
Tomorrow we finish Michigan by traversing the Thumb and arriving in Port Huron prior to the crossing of the Blue Water Bridge into Canada on Friday. 87 miles now seems like a reasonably easy distance to cover based on our new standards but it is still a lot of riding.
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| Early morning sky from the motel parking lot in Mt. Pleasant |
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| Tony's take on an omelet with bacon |
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| Joe's BLT |
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| One of the ingredients in a banana split is half a gallon of ice cream |
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| In the hotel lobby just before they left me |
when do you get to new hampshire?
ReplyDeleteRemembered!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe three 'Ls' - Liz (Brater), Lana(Pollack) and Lynn (Rivers). Can't stand any of them.
We arrive in Manchester NH on Aug. 8 and finish the ride in Portsmouth on Aug. 9. We get shuttled to Boston on the morning of Aug. 10.
ReplyDelete