August 8, 2021
This is not the end of the tour
Life on the lake
Vance and Laurie make life at the lake look pretty sweet - especially if it’s catered. Vance has many fine qualities, but high on the list is that he’s an outstanding chef. We half-heartedly offered to help prepare the meal, knowing and relieved that he would refuse. After hiding out in the kitchen for an hour he put together this wonderful spread:
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At sundown we walked with flashlights down to the waterfront to sit on their dock, stare at the pond, and wait for the show. Tonight is the annual Light Up the Lake event, when families living around the lake paddle around the pond in or on illuminated water craft. It’s all a bit surreal, watching these ghostly figures drifting slowly across the water.
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3 years ago
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So that was yesterday. Today there is some unenthusiastic talk of going out for a ride, but neither of us is into it. Rachael goes for a walk with Vance and Laurie, while the GBO and I stay behind, slaving away at packing the bikes for our upcoming flight.
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https://www.whatsthatbug.com/2016/09/18/tomentose-burying-beetle-2/
Interesting! Good photo helps find the ID.
3 years ago
3 years ago
This is the end / this is the beginning
Like Janus, we like to look back before looking forward to a new chapter in our vagabond lives. It’s time to close out this journal and move on to the second half of the larger journey. Before then, a brief recap. At nine weeks this was by far the longest domestic tour we’ve taken. Other than for a few short tours in the past, this is really the first time that either of us has spent any significant time in the the Midwest and northeast. There were many surprises for both of us, and I doubt either of us will think about this part of the country in the same way again. New York State in particular was a revelation to us. We’ve been here three times before, but really only on Manhattan Island. We were really surprised by how interesting and appealing parts of the state were, especially in the Finger Lakes region. It won’t be surprising if we make it back for another visit some year soon.
Some key metrics:
- Nine states!
- 66 days on the road.
- Miles by bicycle: 2,675.
- Travel by other means:
By Boat: from Maniwotoc to Luddington
By Taxi: from Douglas to Kalamazoo
By train: from Kalamazoo to Ann Arbor
By bus: from Dunkirk to Buffalo.
- Second breakfasts: 4
- CycleBlaze meetups: 2
- Flat tires: 2
- Dog bites: Zero!!
As always, thank you so much for following along and encouraging or entertaining us through your comments. We don’t see many folks we know on the road, and you feel like family to us. Please, do stay around after the intermission for The Road to Rome, Part Two: Europe.
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Holler when you come back through the Finger Lakes!
3 years ago
3 years ago
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3 years ago
Can't wait to see where you take GBO next. He's the luckiest bottle opener I know!
3 years ago
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