Spring 1997 - Cincinnati to Yukon
Journals - 2 May 1997
Day 32 - Muskegon, MI
2 May 1997 (rainy/benevolent wind; mileage = 81) -- X - We woke up to
relatively still, dry weather. We did a hurry-up tear down and hit the
sandy road which wasn't so dusty after all the rain. We soon came to a
place called Fallasburg. We read the historical markers about John Fallas
with a snicker. It was colder here. After crossing a covered bridge, we hit
some rolling hill terrain. Lots of orchards with warning signs on them of
pesticides, etc. We went through Rockford and I sent Steve a postcard
reminding him where Wolverine boots (which he sells) are made. It was very
cutsey there and we would have to backtrack to hit the grocery store. So we
pressed on to Sparta where we did find an enormous grocery store. I noticed
a couple of drops of rain while April was food shopping. It was a bit later
that we had to stop and break out full rain battle gear. An amazing fact is
this is the FIRST time on our trip that we ran into prolonged real rain! We
managed to stay fairly dry and I felt that the rain gear was relatively
successful, although with all gear, improvements evolve. So we rode in the
rain. April was having a hard time staying on my wheel, so I drafted her
most of the way, at the same pace I was leading. I don't think she was
ready to draft me in the rain anyway. The terrain eventually rolled down
toward THE lake. We were looking for a place to stop and rest, but we could
find nothing, so we rode a very long time straight (15-20 miles). Finally I
saw a place labeled Fruitport Conservation Club. We turned in. As I looked
for a shelter, I noticed that it was merely a gun club with skeet and
target shooting facilities. We rested under the awning of one of the
shooting stations. No one was there. Next, we headed for Muskegon. We went
straight for the state park symbol on our map, which took us miles out of
our way. The park was on the other side of the park area. And it was very
disappointing. They wanted $15 for a site which still seems pretty bogus to
me. I was convinced that we would find someone who would let us camp on
their property. We came to a park after riding through the city. It was
cold, windy, and rainy. We waited there for a while wondering what to do.
We decided to not eat there and press on. As we were leaving, a couple (in
a Toyota) drove up and asked if we needed help. I asked if we could camp in
their yard and we drove to their house so that we could follow them. They
had an awesome house on Lake Michigan. We camped by their house. They
kindly let us use the showers. Very, very good karma. A - They gave us
awesome hot tea also! X - Other things today: 1) found 5/8-inch 11/16 box
wrench 2) caused a dog to get hit when he chased us into traffic. He seemed
not severely hurt.
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