73 miles

Last night was fun—a great meal and a relaxing day. I wrote some postcards, read my book, and Max came by with Xena. It was nice to see them and catch up. We went out on the boat for a brief ride after dinner, and Max and I went to Cap’n Frosty for ice cream.

This morning I overslept, but only a little. I started out on some busy roads, and then Google Maps told me to take a left on an unmarked dirt road. It had a gate and a sign that said “Authorized Vehicles Only”, but I was feeling bold, and there was an area where I could lift the bike over a railing if I took off the bags. The map looked promising, so I went for it…and about .2 miles in, it opened onto…a BIKE PATH. Like, a really nice, smooth, winding bike path that was paved, with nice wooden bridges, through a beautiful nature park. Eventually I emerged in front of a gas station (perfect) so I stopped to fill my hydration pack with some ice.

A lady outside with only a few teeth asked me if I wanted “a pop or a donut”, without any preamble. Still in the mindset of say-yes-to-adventure that led me to the world’s most perfect bike path a moment ago, I gratefully accepted a Diet Dr Pepper out of the backseat of her car without hesitation. We chatted for a few minutes before I took off again, heading to the REI in Ann Arbor for my new front tire, which arrived yesterday.

At REI I bought a new spork, because I left mine back at the cottage. I also bought some more sleeping pad patches, a tent stake, and a cookie. I ate lunch on the bench outside the store before heading onward.

Tonight, I’m staying with a warmshowers host named Larry in Toledo. According to Larry’s scale, I weigh 124.8 lbs. His son has a large sword collection.