June 20, 2019
Not Made of Sugar
Sunrise Lake to Clare
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Jackie’s avg speed: 10.8 mph
Scott’s avg speed: 12.2 mph
Weather: 60-65 degrees, light rain
Imagine our surprise when we heard rain drumming on the tent about 03:00. So loud, even Scott could hear it without his hearing aids. On the plus side, there were no mosquitoes. My sleep was over as my attention focused on the rain I kept hoping to diminish. The sky lightened on the new day, and the rain kept on.
I had finally fallen back asleep and was deep into a dream when I heard a voice outside the tent, “JACKIE, do you want some tea?” Even on a cool rainy morning, Scott had the fortitude to brave the elements and do what was necessary to start the day. It wasn’t raining as hard as the day before, but was light and steady. We ate the last of the oatmeal, packed up the gear, and pedaled away at 09:00. We were not in a hurry, thinking the rain might quit any minute. Wishful thinking. We thought of the Russian proverb, “We aren’t made of sugar, we won’t melt in the rain.” No point in dreading the weather, just deal with it.
Long story short, we rode through a spitting rain all the way up until we arrived at our destination, Clare, about 14:00. We stopped at a diner after the first hour, hoping the rain would lessen while we had coffee, tea, pancakes, and a magnificent caramel roll. When conditions are less than favorable, we count our blessings. It was cool, but not cold. The light rain made us clammy, but not soaked through to the skin like the day before. We had all back roads, no zoom-zoom highways. Best of all, some roads had been recently resurfaced and were nice and smooth, helping us make good time. The terrain was more level than the day before.
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When deciding where to stay, Scott had one requirement. I walked up to the desk at the Doherty Hotel, a local landmark built in 1924 by a friend of Henry Ford in anticipation of guests driving automobiles.
“Do you have a whirlpool?”
The clerk gave me a quizzical look. “Yes, we do.”
“Is it operational?”
“Uh, yeah. Do you want to book a room?”
“Yes, please. Sometimes hotels claim that as an amenity, but then it doesn’t work. I just wanted to be sure, because that’s our only requirement.”
The place was almost full, with some kind of golfing convention and a Michigan Cattlegrower’s Association. We got a room in the top (third) floor, all the way in the back, and a place to store our bikes securely on the ground floor. Our panniers were covered in fine gravel from riding in the rain all day. We set them on a bellman’s brass luggage cart and wheeled it to the elevator. Once inside, I took them into the shower stall and brushed the sand off. It was embarrassing how grubby they were. We unpacked everything and draped our sleeping bags over furniture so they could dry properly. Most of our clothes were damp went into the dirty clothes bag.
After we each showered, Scott soaked in the whirlpool while I went to the laundromat a couple blocks down the street. Just one moment of chagrin as I waited for the wash cycle to finish. A young couple walked in with, no kidding, 15 bags of laundered, wet clothes. They needed to dry the clothes for 30 minutes in a hot dryer to kill any lice or larva. They left a couple dryers free for other customers, like me.
Dinner was burgers at the tiny “White House” diner across the street from the hotel, Scott had the classic cheeseburger, I opted for “nouvelle” with grilled cherries, jalapeños, and Swiss cheese, an interesting combo. Scott took another soak and another dose of Advil while and I worked on the blog. While he slept, I treated myself to Chapter 5 of “The Widow Nash,” a novel set in turn of the 20th century Seattle and Butte. A wonderful escape and memento of home.
Today's ride: 44 miles (71 km)
Total: 1,731 miles (2,786 km)
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