Karla: There is one thing I am definitely going to miss when this is over and that is early morning in a lakeside campground. This morning’s in Harrison, MI, was typical. The pale pinks and lavenders of the sky before the sun rises, then the burnt orange ball on the horizon which transforms the slate gray water into silver, and finally the gold light that slowly washes over the towering summer-green trees. Flashes of glittering water dazzle through the leafy boughs that filter the view down the slope to the lake. Crows caw as they make the rounds in the trees circling the campsites; some geese honk as they fly overhead. Soon the woodpeckers start their knocking on the trunks and the squirrels run and jump from tree to tree. It’s amazing how they fly and grab the most delicate branches making quick work of crossing the mini-forest of the campground. There are no human sounds, no doors opening and closing, no tent zippers, no parents calling to kids, no motorized anything. Just bird calls and the breeze in the trees as the day and I wake up.
Another thing I will miss greatly is the anticipation of what the day might bring. Everything is possible as you roll out of camp onto the road ahead! You might…
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| run into Barbie in your campground… |
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| meet Cindy and Regis who own a bike shop in Florida that specializes in recumbents… |
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| need to problem solve equipment failure and velcro your seat back to your trailer… |
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| see a flock of Sandhill Cranes doing a ritual dance…. |
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| get a cupcake from Marsha who bakes them herself and gives them away for free on Thursdays… |
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| have your father-in-law pop up from Chicago to pay you a visit en route… |
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| discover you can design your own tennis shoes online just like these… |
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| see bachelor buttons growing along side an Amish barn… |
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| ride 30 miles along the best bike trail ever… |
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| enjoy the omnipresent black-eyed-susans along your route… |
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| hear the boards of a decades old railroad trestle rattle beneath your tires… |
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| be photographed and interviewed by the Midland Daily News… |
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| pass by a herd of horses in all sizes… |
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| sleep through the bear who wandered through camp and awake to see the resident deer family… |
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| eat the most delicious grapes growing along side your route… |
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| wake up the next day and start all over again… |
Another wonderful post! Yesterday Jackie and I did Eagle Creek. Great fun and weather. We both said we look forward to your return and hearing more but really JUST SEEING YOU BOTH IN PERSON! We miss you ! But, carry on for now and we will enjoy all the posts. Love, Sharon
Let my Nomads in Tandem reading slip, thought it'd be just a few days (it may have been) but I lost track entirely of where I'd left off. So, with pleasure, I backed way up in the chronicle and began reading numerous entries again. I'm back up to July 18, so I've a ways to go (not like you guys, but thanks to you guys, I get to enjoy some of the scenery). Your trip rocks, your blog entries rock, you two rock, the scenery (some of it IS rocks) rocks. I'm so happy to read your blog, so happy you're on this great trip, so envious of where you are and where you've been and where you're going…and soooo comfortable in my chair in front of my computer. Oh, and so envious of your eating. I've considered going on a Nomads in Tandem diet, but since I'm not bicycling cross country, I'd probably weigh 9000 lbs. by the time you two return home. Jabba the Mark.
sounds like life…unfiltered, uncluttered, and all natural.
Mick
Great post
To tandem or not to tandem…that is THE question?
Would love to see a map of route as well.
Are you biking or flying back?
We're flying back Carol. We're riding the Adventure Cycling Northern Tier + North Lakes + Lake Erie Connector route. You can view it here: http://www.adventurecycling.org/store/index.cfm/category/107/northern-tier–lakes-route.cfm?CFID=65508399&CFTOKEN=308a01060e031326-A74B6971-0E40-AD7B-EE58B2170F464FF3&jsessionid=84305401e1e43d77ad6176115f521672627d
Very nice post, as usual. Great shot of a Red-headed Woodpecker. I haven't seen one of those in years. Gerard
Karla and Scott,
I always relied on Isaac to keep me up to speed on your trip. Then Jill said I could just read them all and catch up which is what I just did. I especially loved the photo journal of September 2nd eventhough it had less suffering, and fortitude, and ice cream. What did Barbie's bike look like? Pink?
I hear a note of existential angst, that this will end. Believe me, life goes on, and it's not all laundry.
You are the biking philosophers and can handle it all. Thanks for blogging.
Marilyn