America One Spoke At a Time: Turning South

Welcome to Michigan sign

In our last blog we were on the eastern side of Wisconsin. As we completed our crossing we had dinner with Jay’s cousin Bob Khouri in Appleton. It was a happy occasion punctuated by laughter, reflection and many stories.

We are now on the eastern side of Michigan (see our route map below). Our crossing of Wisconsin ended in Manitowoc, WI where we did two things. One, we visited the location where a piece of a 1962 Soviet Sputnik crashed onto the sidewalk outside the Rahr-West Art Museum. Secondly, we boarded the S.S. Badger, a four-hour ferry to cross Lake Michigan.

Nando in car going onto the ferry

The biggest adventure of the ferry ride belonged to Nando, our 70-pound Polish hound. He and all other large dogs were required to remain in their cars for the crossing. The ferry service, however, handled everything well. Cars with pets were loaded last and offloaded first, allowing good airflow. Nando was a real trooper. He was well behaved (as usual) as a ferry staff member backed the Prius onboard. Needless to say, he was happy when we rejoined him at the end of our lake cruise.

After landing in Ludington, MI we drove 30 miles to Baldwin and spent the night with

Pere Marquette Trail Sign

Helen’s brother Rick and his wife Linda. The next day Jay started his ride across Michigan. Jay was really pleased to see that the Pere Marquette rails-to-trail started in Baldwin and ran all the way to Midland. Unfortunately, the first 17-miles was just loose gravel, so Jay opted for the nearby Route 10. After that it was smooth sailing on the rails-to-trail path. After riding 82 miles on Monday, Jay’s 55-mile Tuesday ride was envisioned to be a “piece-o-cake.” However, the route on Michigan’s rutted back roads resulting in a really tough ride.

Jay and his bike

His ride ended in Montrose, MI where we are staying with another one of Helen’s brothers, Charlie and his wife Amber.

We sorted through our clothing and gear and shipped home the unused dishes and warm clothing needed during our chilly crossing in Washington state.

From Montrose we finally turn south to start our journey home. We estimate Jay has about 900 miles to ride to reach our home in Roswell, GA. We anticipate the journey will take about 15 - 18 days.

As a member of our church’s Ministerial Search Committee, Helen needs to attend a weekend retreat at the end of August. Once in Roswell, Jay will ride solo to Savannah (he’s done that before) to complete the full Seattle to Savannah cycling adventure. Helen will then drive to Savannah to join in the final celebration and bring Jay home.

More Photos (click to enlarge)