Lake Michigan Tour Day 16: Holland to Saint Joseph, MI

July 4, 2022

Happy 4th of July! Today was an ok day – bit of a headwind, and not a lot of great scenery. I decided to just enjoy the breeze, since it was keeping me cool as well as slowing me down a bit.

About 15 miles south of Holland, I passed through Saugatuck, seemingly RIGHT after the 4th of July parade had ended. Floats, police and firetrucks, families, kids, strollers everywhere! It took several minutes to get through a tiny town. I don’t think my routing software took holidays into account. But it was nice to see so many people out for an old fashioned small-town parade. Everyone was smiling, including the lady who wanted to be in my picture above (she only did that after I held up my phone).

This is looking back at Saugatuck from the other side of Kalamazoo Lake.

The rest of the day was pretty boring. I was on something called the Blue Star Highway. Not as much traffic as some, and usually decent shoulders, but there wasn’t much to look at, and I could hear an interstate nearby most of the time.

I found a waterfront place in South Haven for lunch, but it was super-busy. Another town that had a parade earlier and most people were still there.

I did get close enough to Lake Michigan to take a picture mid-afternoon, but it looks like every other lake picture, right?

As I got close to Benton Harbor/Saint Joseph I thought I was almost finished with my ride. When I checked where I was staying, it was another 6 miles, so that was disappointing. I think I changed my reservation to get a cheaper room several months ago and hadn’t updated the route. Nothing like being tired and thinking I’m done, only to find out I’m still 30 minutes away! The upside is it will make tomorrow’s ride 6 miles shorter, so there’s that.

I finally got to my hotel. After a shower (and laundry!) I had to ride my bike to a restaurant, as the only stuff around this hotel were lousy chain places like Cracker Barrel.

However, the effort was worth it, as I had a really good plate of jambalaya!

Three songs for you today: Living in America by James Brown, because it’s July 4th. Anyone who knows me well is probably aware of how I feel about the lurch to the right our country seems to be making, but I sometimes need to pause and remember that there are still a lot of good people, places and things here.

Then – Talking Reality Television Blues by Tom Jones – more reflective of my negative feelings about the US right now.

Finally – Everything is Borrowed by The Streets which always makes me ponder my place in the world.

Stats: 68 miles, 1603 vertical feet, 12.8mph average

Tomorrow takes me to the next state: Indiana as I make the curve around the bottom of the lake.

Today's ride: 68 miles (109 km)
Total: 991 miles (1,595 km)

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