TODAY'S TALES: 

Something about the eastern time zone...I hate it.  Because of the late sunrise, we get on the road an hour later by the clock...of course that makes us get in an hour later and then it doesn't get dark until about 9:30...makes for a long day and little sleep.  I was really dragging this morning and several of the riders were too.  Many were on the road as soon as they loaded their luggage...like their day would be ruined if they didn't get out first...but there were also some who were more laid back in anticipation of an easy day.  We are beginning to see some new faces near the back of the pack, but I think some of them were wanting to get in to check out the outlet stores by the motel...that is enough to get Barbara in early...did I hide her credit card?  I'll bet the luggage truck will be packed full tomorrow. 

Aside from the fact I hate this time zone, I love this riding area.  We get on a road or two for a short while that I wouldn't want to ride for a whole diet, but there are many good country roads in Michigan to ride and they are easy to navigate as they all run basically north and south, east and west, and they are pretty straight...best of all to some in our group, they are flat.  We are going to be on gentle terrain for the next few days and I'm sure everyone will be looking for a hill just to get out of the saddle a bit.  But fear not, we'll get plenty of climbing on the last couple of days...and I do mean plenty.

Karen and I didn't get on the road until after the last rider and we weren't sweep today.  I hadn't eaten when everyone left and also needed to take care of a couple odds and ends so it was play catch up all morning.  By about 20 miles we started to pick off a few of the back end and felt we could now take a little time to ease off a bit.  We knew we'd start passing a lot of folks especially since we knew what lurked in Alma (left). 

Every year when we get to Baldwin Road just out side of Alma, Karen and I stop by and say hello to the Reeves family.  In 2002, Karen and I saw an old tractor sitting in their front yard and wanted a photo.  As a result of that chance stop, Clarence spent the better part of an hour showing us his prized restored tractors...and he had a slew of them.  From that day we developed a nice friendship with Clarence and Sandra Reeves and make a point to stop every time we come through just to say hello.  Sadly, Clarence passed away last spring succumbing to Lou Gehrig's disease, but Sandra still welcomes us with open arms every year and is always eager to catch up on what's been going on in Michigan and Alabama and show us their latest restoration projects.  Last year her son and a neighbor were restoring an old disc plow they picked up from Tennessee and she also wanted us to see a 1942 Chevy farm truck they'd procured...they sure have a knack for restoring old stuff...a lost art in most of this fast paced world.  Until Clarence passed away, their prize tractor collection, dating all the way back to 1934, was stored away in the sheds behind the house.  He had over 20 Allis Chalmers, Case, International Harvester, and Oliver tractors that he had restored to mint condition!  During one visit he fired up an old '36 Allis that hummed better than it did when it was new I'll bet.  I got to relive some of my childhood memories as I sat on his old Farmall Super M model which was the first tractor I used when I lived on a farm...I was 12 again!  I'll always remember Clarence and Sandra on Baldwin Rd and feel blessed for making their acquaintance.  They surely didn't have to take the time to chat with us and share their passion for old tractors, but they did.  This year Sandra had a media person to interview us for the local paper.  When we rode up she was sitting on the porch counting the riders as they passed and patiently waiting for her yearly visit from Karen and me.  Barb also got to stop this year and meet Sandra.  It's things like this that make these trips worthwhile and memorable...when you unexpectedly meet the nicest people on the road.  Our visit today was over an hour and it all started in 2002 because I needed a photo of their lawn art tractor!

Our terrain today was mostly flat...we only climbed around 300 feet all day today.  That's hardly worth getting up for, but they are enjoying the flat stages for awhile.  Our next real climbing won't be until the last two days when we'll have to really work to get to the beach.  But today, flat and quiet country highways were the road of the day. 

As I've said before, sometimes I have too much time on my hands or I've been on the road too long.  Today we came into the small town of Alma...another proud, small Michigan town.  Everywhere you looked there were signs indicating the high school's mascot...they were the Alma Panthers.  I think they should have used a tomato as their mascot.  Then they could have been called the Alma Maters.  Just a thought.  Sorry for that one.

All in all, it was a pretty short day...everyone was in by 2:00 and trying to relax, go outlet shopping, or get laundry done.  It's amazing how soon everyone gets in when they don't have to figure out how to get around construction or climb a mountain to get to the motel.  Because of our late departure and the visit with Sandra Reeves, we never saw too many people on the road to day so I didn't get many photos for the website...sorry.  So much for today, I'm headed for the outlet mall to warn them about Barbara coming later.  They don't close until 9:00 so it may be late before we get to bed.  Tomorrow is our last day in Michigan...gee, the states are flying by now.  It won't be long before we will start to smell the Atlantic.  I hope you will join us again tomorrow for more adventures.

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