We woke early after camping behind a closed hotel/camping area, headed down the road for an hour before stopping at a gas station for a cup of coffee (we made oatmeal for breakfast). Many cyclists ride hard through their days, making miles in one go before stopping for the day around 4 or so. Ryan and I have a completely different method. You might wonder what we possibly do all day long. A typical day for us starts with the sun. We pack up and are on the road around 7am, riding around 20 miles before we stop for our first break. Always hungry, we often stop for pancakes and a big breakfast where we can also relax with the newspaper or a book for a good hour or two. We get back on the bikes for another 20+ miles before taking another break (again normally 1-2 hours), whether that be in a cafe or setting up our chairs for a snack and relaxation in the park under a tree in the shade. Our last leg, my personal favorite, is the later part of the day, the last two hours before sunset. The temperature drops, the wind slows and the traffic dies down. We ride until about 8 (or maybe 45 minutes before dark) before finding a spot to stash our tent for the night. We then break out our chairs and stove for dinner before setting up camp as the last bits of light disappear. Before we know it, it's 10pm, we are reading in our tents by the red light of our headlamps to not attract attention to our stealth spot, trying our best to keep our burning eyes open for a few pages of our books. It's surprisingly how quickly our days pass. And no, it is not a stressful life.
Having our coffee on this particular day, 4 guys in their mid 20's were on their first bicycle tour, starting in Milwaukee, WI and making their way to Traverse City, MI. They were pumped to be on their bikes and the energy they had with them with quite intense, much different than a solo cyclist or a couple. The stopped for a quick bathroom break before getting back on the bikes. We exchanged our routes quickly and they were on their way, all of us travelling in the same direction, toward Mackinac Island, MI. 45 minutes later, Ryan and I followed suit and started pedaling our way east.
A beautiful day, wind at our backs, blue skies and cool temperatures. It was a fantastic day of riding and we loved every second. The roads were off the main route filled with trucks and cars, riding along the farms and small clusters of homes. Riding along, Ryan breaks as he smiles and says, "Money!" as he turns his bike around. This has happened to us multiple times this trip. Riding along we will find money on the side of the road. It's quite amazing. He grabs the money which is actually $16, a bank card and a license held together by a rubber band. The license date of birth was 1986. It had to be one of those cyclists we had seen earlier in the morning. They looked to be in their 20's. Passing campgrounds on our route, we rode through a few in hopes of finding these guys to see if this was one of their "wallets". No luck.
The wind in our favor and the temperatures close to perfect, we rode until dark, covering 95 miles. In desperate need of a shower, we found a campground with a shower facility. Cleaned up and ready for bed, we made our way down to the camping area just as dark was setting in. Sure enough, there were the four guys from this morning. What are the chances? They walked up with beers in hand and started chatting, much more chatty than this morning. A few minutes in, Ryan says, "Are one of you by chance Jeremy?" The shorter guy says yes, that is him. Ryan's response, "I think I have something you are missing." He handed over his rubber band wallet and Jeremy's mouth fell to the ground. He could not believe it. I wish I had the exchange on video tape. It was pretty much awesome. He was very thankful and could not get over it.
A way for us to pay a bit forward! This was the beginning of the unbelievable luck and fortune we experienced for the following weeks. This exact experience solidifies my belief in karma and paying it forward. This one instance started a chain of kindness we received that has been unbelievable. We are two very lucky people.
The next morning we woke early to cloudy skies, making our way to the ferry to the Mackinac Island. There is a 5 miles long bridge, which is the longest suspension bridge in the world that connects the two bodies of land, but bicycles are not allowed. For a $5 fee a truck will throw the bikes in the back and drive you across, but we thought a day off on Mackinac would be a nice treat. We boarded the boat and spent the day on the bicycle and horse and buddy only island. No cars, a bit touristy and friendly people island.
Having our coffee on this particular day, 4 guys in their mid 20's were on their first bicycle tour, starting in Milwaukee, WI and making their way to Traverse City, MI. They were pumped to be on their bikes and the energy they had with them with quite intense, much different than a solo cyclist or a couple. The stopped for a quick bathroom break before getting back on the bikes. We exchanged our routes quickly and they were on their way, all of us travelling in the same direction, toward Mackinac Island, MI. 45 minutes later, Ryan and I followed suit and started pedaling our way east.
A beautiful day, wind at our backs, blue skies and cool temperatures. It was a fantastic day of riding and we loved every second. The roads were off the main route filled with trucks and cars, riding along the farms and small clusters of homes. Riding along, Ryan breaks as he smiles and says, "Money!" as he turns his bike around. This has happened to us multiple times this trip. Riding along we will find money on the side of the road. It's quite amazing. He grabs the money which is actually $16, a bank card and a license held together by a rubber band. The license date of birth was 1986. It had to be one of those cyclists we had seen earlier in the morning. They looked to be in their 20's. Passing campgrounds on our route, we rode through a few in hopes of finding these guys to see if this was one of their "wallets". No luck.
The wind in our favor and the temperatures close to perfect, we rode until dark, covering 95 miles. In desperate need of a shower, we found a campground with a shower facility. Cleaned up and ready for bed, we made our way down to the camping area just as dark was setting in. Sure enough, there were the four guys from this morning. What are the chances? They walked up with beers in hand and started chatting, much more chatty than this morning. A few minutes in, Ryan says, "Are one of you by chance Jeremy?" The shorter guy says yes, that is him. Ryan's response, "I think I have something you are missing." He handed over his rubber band wallet and Jeremy's mouth fell to the ground. He could not believe it. I wish I had the exchange on video tape. It was pretty much awesome. He was very thankful and could not get over it.
A way for us to pay a bit forward! This was the beginning of the unbelievable luck and fortune we experienced for the following weeks. This exact experience solidifies my belief in karma and paying it forward. This one instance started a chain of kindness we received that has been unbelievable. We are two very lucky people.
The next morning we woke early to cloudy skies, making our way to the ferry to the Mackinac Island. There is a 5 miles long bridge, which is the longest suspension bridge in the world that connects the two bodies of land, but bicycles are not allowed. For a $5 fee a truck will throw the bikes in the back and drive you across, but we thought a day off on Mackinac would be a nice treat. We boarded the boat and spent the day on the bicycle and horse and buddy only island. No cars, a bit touristy and friendly people island.
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