Shortest Distance Between 2 Points

June 22, 2019

Bay City to Otter Lake Village

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Jackie’s avg speed: 9.4 mph
Scott’s avg speed: 10.2
Weather: 63-75 degrees, breezy

“Oh jeez, it’s almost eight o’clock!” 07:52 to be exact. Scott had been up drinking coffee for a while but let me sleep in. A nice surprise and somewhat out of sync with the shortest night of the year. By the time breakfast was done (the granola with blueberries and yoghurt) and the gear stuffed into the panniers, it was 09:08. Not too bad.

The heavy rains that delayed planting season raised the level of the Saginaw River. The Bay City bike path was about eight inches under water where we had to cross.

The sun was warm and strong as we moved leisurely through the Bay City bike path along the Saginaw River. It was really high and a couple places on the path were under water. On a different path that led out of town, Scott stopped a guy out walking his dog. Had Bay City bounced back after the economic downturn a few years back ago? Yes, thanks to the high tech industry and recreation. Several boating and water sports events were planned for the warm weeks ahead. (Maybe something was going on this weekend, which was why most motels were full). Scott made a sweeping gesture with his arm, and the dog thought he was threatening his master. Or maybe he was just ready to resume his walk. It wouldn’t shut up, so that brought the chat to an end. The man gave us a hearty goodbye, he seemed pleased that we appreciated his town. We continued on our way.

This retro “wind turbine” on Highway M81 southeast of Bay City still works.

We rode a couple hours on two-lane back roads, which were pretty empty on Saturday morning. Then the state of Michigan presented us with another treat, 10 miles of paved bike trail. The Adventure Cycling route turned off the bike path after eight miles to lead into a town called Frankenmuth (which means “courage of the Franks” in German). But we noticed on the map that the bike path merged into M15 a few miles west of the town of Vassar, which was also on Adventure Cycling’s route. The more direct way cut out about five miles. Scott’s sore knee was better, but no point in riding more than necessary. Plenty of longer days ahead.

We got to Vassar about noon and ate our Nutella bagels. (I’m glad it’s a small jar, it’s a little sweet even for me).

At Millington, with no spigot available, we cadged some bottled water from a group in the local ball field pavilion. They were celebrating their 65th class reunion. Asked how they were getting along with each other after all that time, one fellow said "these are some good people here".

After just four or five miles on M15, we came to another paved bike path that brought us all the way to Otter Lake Village.

We paid $25 cash at the Otter Lake Village Campground registration building for a tent site at the far edge of the compound. Almost all the RV spaces were taken, it was a popular place. We rode up to a lovely grassy strip full in the sun. No shade. We would make do. We set up the tent, always work before pleasure, then went for a nice cool swim in the lake. Here on the sandy beach we found tables in the shade where we could dry off and get out of the sun for a while.

We showered then made our first dinner course from the rest of the cheese and Triscuits, plus guacamole and chips. A bar near the beach offered beer and burgers, so we shared a half pounder. A café next door had ice cream, so that was dessert.

Strange and wonderful sounds came out of the lagoon where we camped.

It was still light out, dinner was over, so I opened up the iPad. I was going to turn on the Verizon cellular connection to access the internet when the campground WiFi fan popped up. We hadn’t thought WiFi possible in the campground, but it was one of the better signals we’ve had on the trip. (That makes the $25 more worth it, since the portable toilet was gross and the shower facility a hundred yards away.) Before falling asleep, we listened to a strange sound like that we thought were RV pumps. No disturbance from other campers, they were nice and quiet.

Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 1,831 miles (2,947 km)

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Lori RabyPure Michigan! WIFI is more important than other services.
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