Day 39 - Coldwater to Marshall - Two Far 2024 - Courthouse Tour

June 11, 2024

Day 39 - Coldwater to Marshall

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It should have been a good ride today. The weather was warmer, I had a slight tailwind, the terrain was flatter, and I had less than 40 miles to ride. Somehow, it didn't turn out that way.

The day started off on the wrong foot when I lost all of the commentary that I had added to yesterday's journal entry because the internet crashed, and I hadn't been doing intermediate saves. That ended up being a wasted hour.

Then at mile 13.5, I discovered that Ride-with-GPS lied to me and had routed me onto 2.5 miles of unpaved road, when the map showed 0 miles (I guess I need to start checking my routes closer, because I know Michigan has lots of unpaved country roads)

Things didn't get any better when I got to Union City at mile 16. Jeanna was waiting to meet up with me at a Family Dollar, but my route had me make a turn a block shy of where she was, and I didn't see the store because of a bend in the road. By the time I realized I had missed her, I was out of town and didn't feel like turning around. Instead, I called her and told her I would meet her at the C-Store at mile 22.

We did meet there, but when I asked where the restroom was, the clerk said that they didn't have a public restroom. I refuse to give my business to a business that won't let a customer use their restroom, so I put my items back and left.

The final micro-annoyance happened less than a block from our motel - the road was closed (I didn't think to get a photo). A construction worker told me I could walk around the gas station that was next to the closure and then through the grass to get to the motel, so that's what I did. Jeanna didn't have it so lucky. She had a multi-block detour, got turned around, and had to stop and ask directions.

Things did get much better when we walked (back through the construction zone) to a nearby Subway and had an enjoyable lunch. We also have a very nice room for our 2 (or maybe 3) day stay here in Marshall.

Yesterday, the cornfields were much smaller because of the hilly terrain and the woods. Today, the land flattened out and the fields were much larger.

Again, I didn't see an abundance of wildflowers, but I did get these.

I saw corn fields, bean fields, and electron fields today.

Another reason the ride wasn't so great today. The unpaved road was smoother than this multi-mile section of pavement (12-Mile Rd. & 12 1/2 Mile Rd. for those that must know)

A final note: It's deja-vu all over again tonight as I lost this entire entry due to an internet crash. I love having to write things twice. :-)

Having said all the above, we are truly enjoying ourselves and can't think of a better way to spend a summer. LIFE IS GOOD!!

Today's ride: 37 miles (60 km)
Total: 859 miles (1,382 km)

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