Day 38 - Angola, IN to Coldwater, MI - Two Far 2024 - Courthouse Tour

June 10, 2024

Day 38 - Angola, IN to Coldwater, MI

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I hung around the hotel today until noon to allow it to warm up, but even then, I ended putting on long pants and a long sleeve shirt. After I left the hotel it was just a couple of miles before I was back on quiet country roads. Unlike the last few days, however, these roads weren't flat, and my legs were soon telling me I wasn't in FL or NW Ohio anymore. After about 8 miles, the hills got easier, even if the headwind didn't. It wasn't until I reached Bronson and turned east that I picked up a tailwind, which helped the last miles just melt away.

Next to the barn was this structure, which I believe was some kind of storage pit for grain or hay. Does anyone have a better explanation?

Most of the ride was spent on roads similar to this one.

I finally came along a short stretch of wildflowers. The lack of wildflowers had been noticeable to me for the last several days.

Just outside Orland we visited the Fawn River State Fish Hatchery. I believe this is the first hatchery that we have visited that did not have indoor tanks. Instead, there are 16 ponds. I found out that the ponds are filled in the spring and then fingerlings from another hatchery are brought in. A wildlife officer I talked to said that they had just stocked the ponds about three weeks ago. This hatchery mainly raises walleye, but they also raise small quantities of pike, muskies, trout and salmon. They keep the fish over the summer until they are about 6-8" long. In the fall they drain the ponds to collect the fish and then transplant them to glacial lakes in northern Indiana. I asked about why glacial lakes and was told that other lakes and reservoirs were too murky for the fish to do well.

We saw several ducks and geese on the ponds, and I asked if they didn't eat all the fish. I was told that the ducks and geese weren't a problem, that herons and egrets were a concern, but the real problem was otters from the nearby river. The officer I was talking to said otters considered the ponds a smorgasbord and could eat dozens of fish at a time. He also told me that the otters were too smart to be caught in a live trap, so they have had to resort to more permanent removal methods.

Inspecting the Fawn River State Fish Hatchery. I had to take the wildlife officer's word that there were walleye in the pond, because I never spotted any.

At first, I thought this silo was not straight and in the early stages of collapse, but it was an optical illusion - the photo just makes the silo look crooked.

A large farm rig sitting in the corner of a field.

Just a few miles from Coldwater, my Garmin indicated a right turn onto a road just named "ROAD". Within a hundred yards of making the turn I came upon this barrier, for which there was no way of getting around. Luckily, I noticed a man standing in his back yard just a short distance away. I walked over and asked him about the closure and if he could give me directions to Coldwater.

Dustin laughed and said this road was closed in 1984 and he still gets truckers stopping all the time, because their GPS had directed them to the same turn as my Garmin did. He gave me new directions and wished me well. It turns out this glitch did not cost me anything - I just went on down the road I had been on for about a mile, made a right, and I was back on track - No Harm, No Foul.

As I entered Coldwater I stopped at the Little River Railroad, hoping to tour the depot. Unfortunately, it was closed just as it had been last year when I stopped by.

The railroad runs steam excursions several times a year using these passenger cars.

They also have converted two stock cars for those that want to enjoy the ride while sitting outside.

It was just a short distance from the Little River RR to the Branch County Courthouse, our 28th of the trip.

Clock tower on the corner of the courthouse grounds

Right next to the courthouse was an interesting looking library.

Because of my late start, it was almost 6PM before I reached our hotel. After a short rest, I walked across the street to the DQ, where I got 2 large Turtle Pecan Blizzards, which was our dinner - LIFE IS SO SWEET!

Today's ride: 41 miles (66 km)
Total: 822 miles (1,323 km)

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