54 miles

Today felt great. Leisurely. I stopped at Sunnyside Cafe in Williamston, and had a delicious veggie scramble. I found a Redwall book at a tiny free library, and sat reading it in nostalgic glee while I ate my eggs and coffee. 

A few miles later, I stopped at a little gazebo in Webberville, and the tiny library there had a complete guide to stretching, so I was able to lay out my tent to dry in the sun while I flipped through it and stretched in the relative privacy of the gazebo.

Next, I found a mediocre slice of pie at a nearby diner, and ate while charting my course to my next stop at Max’s family cabin. I plan to check out the Howell Nature Center on the way, which is an animal rehab facility that looks kind of interesting. Most of the animals housed there are rescued from illegal ownership and, since they are habituated, can’t be released. It seems like an okay solution, but it’s a little sad to think about the human impact on these poor creatures.

I dealt with a few dirt roads and a lot of potholes today, but the dirt roads are mostly hard packed in this area, which is still pretty navigable compared to loose sand or washboard.

I took a quick detour to the town of Hell, hoping to eat a pound of ice cream and earn a death certificate, but I guess they don’t do that anymore. I ate a normal amount of ice cream and bought some postcards to send. I took my items to the counter to pay for them, and after the cashier handed me the receipt, she picked up my postcards and proceeded to set them on fire. I guess they char the edges for you, which was hilariously unexpected, and a very nice touch. 

After I left Hell I went to Busch’s and got a huge bag of groceries for my rest day at the cabin. I arrived at around 7:30 pm and met Emmy and Mark and their daughter Jordan. They made pork kebabs, sweet potatoes, salad, and a delicious blueberry dessert. It felt SO GOOD to eat real food. I feel very warmly accepted here. They have an 11-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback named Van, who is very sweet and docile.