Family and Friends

Unlike my last bike trip, this time around I have not met any others doing a similar trek. That was to be expected. The TransAmerica Trail is one of the most popular cross-country bike routes, so every season there are dozens of people traveling the route. It's great to encounter people having a similar experience and with whom you can share information about the places up or down the road. Yesterday, I did run into bikers on a tour -- several hundred of them. A large annual ride, the DALMAC, from Lansing to Mackinac was wrapping up its final day.

As I ate breakfast at a cafe in Petoskey, I met a few of the riders. One told me that the day before had been the toughest day of riding he had ever had. They were fighting high winds and subject to sporadic rain. Another in the group is planning a cross-country ride with his daughter, so we talked routes and logistics for an hour. Another couple in the cafe overheard our conversation and told me later that they had been sailing for the last 60 days. They were currently docked in the Petoskey Harbor, the waters too rough to sail. They offered that they would rather be on a bike than a boat these days. When I headed off into the Southwest winds, I wasn't so sure.

While I haven't encountered as many bikers on the road during this trip, I have had the pleasure of seeing friends and family along the way. After a shorter, but tougher day of riding on hilly backroads and against strong headwinds, I arrived in Traverse City, where my parents and my niece Bea met me for dinner. Bea, who lives in Spain, is a true adventurer. She's living in northern Michigan for the next several months to do her first semester of ninth grade at a local high school. Good luck, Bea! After catching up with my parents. I met up with friends, Joe and Carly, who were on vacation from Chicago. Carly, a Traverse City native, took us to some of the local haunts.


A late night has led to a late morning. Fortunately, today is going to be a light day. I'm headed to Sleeping Bear Dunes. With the summer vacation season officially over, I'm hoping it will be a quiet retreat.