Day 42 - Charlotte to St. Johns - Two Far 2024 - Courthouse Tour

June 14, 2024

Day 42 - Charlotte to St. Johns

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Today's ride was good, but it was a mixed bag. From the hotel to Potterville, I was on great country roads. From Potterville to I-96, I was on MI-100 which was a busy 2 lane road with narrow or no shoulder. I never felt threatened, but I also didn't look around much nor did I take any photos as my attention was on the road. Shortly after crossing I-96, I made a turn and was back on quiet country roads and could relax and enjoy the ride once again. Even though I mostly enjoyed the ride, it wasn't particularly scenic - after a while all farm fields begin to look the same, and I think I've reached that point.

I haven't noticed many quilt barns this trip so I had to take a photo of this one

I thought this was a very pretty farmstead.

It even had a small pond with a fountain.

Bob is the owner of the farm, and I could tell while talking with him that he is very proud of the farm. He told me that it looked nothing like this when he bought it several years ago.

Shortly after going past Potterville, I saw a RR overpass and immediately recognized it. I called Jeanna and told her about it and how we stopped on one of our other trips and watched a train go by, but she didn't remember. The overpass brought back memories of pedaling through downtown Potterville in vivid detail, even though I didn't actually go through the town this year.

Before I started today's journal, I looked through our previous Cycleblaze journals to find the photo of the train. I looked and looked but couldn't find it. All the while I was talking to Jeanna about that previous ride and what we saw and how that we had stayed in the same hotel in St. Johns, etc. She remembered the hotel, but nothing much else and I was truly at a loss and began to think that I was delusional. It turns out that I was partly delusional - I found the photo, but it was in last year's journal when I was riding solo cross-country. Turns out that the train was real, but all my conversations with Jeanna about it were imaginary! The mind surely is strange!!

Bit there really was a train last year - just no Jeanna to share it with :-)

I could tell from afar that this was going to be a pretty farm.

The even had pretty wildflowers along the road

They incorporated the cornerstone of the old courthouse that was previously on the same site.

And the new cornerstone which isn't actually a cornerstone

Granite artwork incorporated into a knee-wall

View of St Johns as seen from the courthouse.

At the far end of the business district shown in the photo above is the St Johns Rotary Park

A closeup of the flowers in the photo above.

As I previously mentioned, we're staying in the same motel in St. Johns as we did last year. However, the room is much more crowded that we remembered it. A queen bed, no dresser and no desk. As a consequence, we spent the late afternoon / early evening in a Mcdonald's to write the journal and be more comfortable. Still LIFE IS GOOD!

Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 940 miles (1,513 km)

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