It was another "What a difference a day makes" type day. Yesterday I fried, this morning I almost turned back to get my long-sleeved shirt. It was also a tale of 2 rides: before lunch and after lunch. The morning's portion of the ride had good low-volume roads with decent shoulders, was basically flat, heavily wooded and dry.
I met Jeanna at Houghton Lake for lunch and then picked up MI-55 which I would take clear to Lake City, our day's destination. MI-55 is a very busy 2-lane road with lots of trucks. It also doesn't have much of a shoulder. Throw in a light rain for much of this segment, and this portion wasn't very pleasant. However, I made it without any incidents, so it's a case of "every ride is a good ride".
Marl Lake is a small lake situated between the much larger Higgins and Houghton Lakes.
3 miles outside of Houghton Lake, I entered Missaukee County and the shoulder changed dramatically for the better. I thought "Hot damn, I've got it made now!"
However, in less than 2 miles, the shoulder reverted back to this, and I thought "S**t". Just a mile or 2 on down the road it began to rain, and that became (Aw S**t!!)
Just outside Lake City, the rain stopped, so I went by our 35th courthouse of the trip to get a photo. Without a doubt, it is the plainest courthouse of the trip so far. I went in the building but court was in session so I couldn't get a photo. However, the hallways were as plain as the exterior, so I don't think I missed much.
