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DAY 37

♪Raindrops keep falling on my head . . .♫ ♪

ROUTE: Ludington to Mount Pleasant, MI	DISTANCE: 116 miles--120 after the detour	WINDS: Southwest providing tailwinds and crosswinds
WEATHER: Overcast but warm with sifting rain off and on all day	TERRAIN: Rolling in places but mostly flat	TOTAL CLIMBING: 3,260 feet

RIDE OVERVIEW: Here we are in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, our second day in our 7th state. Mount Pleasant is an interesting little city. It is home to the largest casino in the midwest, run by the Chippewa Indian Tribe; the Chippewa River runs through town; and the Zibiwing Cultural Center, a state of the art facility built by the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe, displays the history of the Anishinabe People. Mount Pleasant also offers the tourist the Mountain Town Limited Dinner Train, an art deco style dining car that serves a four-course gourmet meal while passengers relax and enjoy viewing the countryside of central Michigan. (We would have had to get in much earlier than most of us did to enjoy this tourist attraction, but we've made note of it in case we're back in this area some time.)

Today we had a wonderful ride and plenty of it! This was the last of our 100-mile days, and we made the most of it by stretching it to about 120 miles before we were through. We encountered one detour that we navigated with ease, but it added a wee 4 miles to the day. We had a thunderstorm in the night and on the route today we saw many uprooted and felled trees because of the wind that accompanied the storm, also limbs, leaves and debris in the road in places. It was brisk, darkly overcast, and sifting rain when we departed (I was riding Float) after breakfast at the motel. We tried to get riders out as early as possible because of the long distance, but we couldn't leave until daylight, so loaded at 6:30. We are now on Eastern time, so riders were groggy with the missed hour of sleep this morning also.

On departure, we rode along Lakeshore Drive which allowed us to see some of the Lake Michigan shoreline and some of the big waterfront houses perched along the bluffs. Despite the rain, it was a tranquil morning with cows enjoying their morning graze and roosters crowing in the new day. The farms on today's route were much smaller than the ones in Wisconsin, and although we would see small plots of corn and soybeans, many can't compete in the big markets, so they grow squash, pumpkins, carrots, asparagus, beans, pears, cherries, apples, sugar beets, and cucumbers. Also, if we weren't riding past small farms, many of the roads were tree lined, and some even tree tunneled, so riders felt almost as though they were riding a very wide trail.

There's always a down side to everything: Because we rode in such rural areas, there weren't many facilities for our SAG stops. It was almost as bad as when we were in the desert. Our first SAG was at a crossroads with a small abandoned log cabin being the only building in sight. It was surrounded by asparagus fields, and nothing else.

About midway between SS#1 and SS#2, I switched duties with Josh and pulled Sweep until the third SS (Sweep is released at the last SS.) Josh's dad was going to meet him this evening and I knew that with such a long day, he would have to hustle to get to Mechanic's Hour and to get ready to greet his dad. If truth be told, I was also ramping along at a pace I would not be able to hold for 122 miles, so ratcheted back and decided to "smell the roses."

Despite the detours, the long day, and the rain, everyone was in by 4:30. We found time to clean the mud and rain grime off our bikes, and found time for Mechanic's Hour, Route Rap, and dinner at a Shoney's. Those who got in super early even ate lunch in Mt. Pleasant, and several found time for a swim in the motel pool. There was only one washer and the laundry list was long, but most got their clothes clean also. Life is good.

HEARD ON THE ROAD TODAY:

	"Ahhh! Nothing like the smell of bag balm to start the day off right."
	"Good Gosh, a picture perfect paceline [bikes and riders lined up to board the ferry] -- the first time Team Life is Good was ever in perfect formation."
	[On The Badger] "I could smell Fabric Soft and knew the crew must be doing its laundry. Made me homesick for all the biting and kicking in the laundry line.
	We go faster on our bikes than The Badger went across Lake Michigan. (The Badger cruised at 18 mph).
	"My sit down wanted to get down at about mile 85."
	"What a great route."
	"She makes even Linda look grumpy" (Opie on the very bright cheerful waitress who served them at Shoneys last night.)

DUH! OF THE DAY: Cliff pulled in to SS#2 and was quick to fill his water bottle and mix himself up a bottle of Gatorade. Picked up his bike and muttered "Oh oh. Something's wrong." Turned out he'd filled Carol's water bottles (they don't look a bit like his) and was about to ride off on her bike, which is much smaller than his and black while his is white. Sounds to me like all the grey cells went to his hair today.

P.S. On the way to SS#3, Carol got lost and earned 4 bonus miles. When she got to the SS, the Dairy Queens and I helped her exorcise Cliff out of her bike. So far it seems to be a successful exorcism because she found her way to the motel without getting lost again.

PHOTOS OF THE DAY
Fearing his bike would be crushed, Bill stepped in and saved the day when the luggage truck started to tip over after we loaded all the pink ribbon bags.	SS#2 was at The Senior Center. Here is its artistic trellis made of unneeded crutches.
Somehow we had to distinguish the "lady's room" from the "men's room," but before we could put up signs, the riders had already sorted it all out. There should be some sweet asparagus from this field.	Cleaning bikes after a rainy day.
After debarking The Badger, riders posed for a photo with the "Welcome to Michigan" sign. (They'd missed a sign on entering the state yesterday.) Michigan is our 7th state.	Boarding The Badger for our cruise across Lake Michigan.

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