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Exactly freezing. It was exactly 32 degrees when I set out this morning right before 10am. Weather reporter last night said it was 15-20 degrees below normal for this time of year. Well, I guess I can take some solace in that.
By 11am, it was 33. By noon, a balmy 34. The cold compelled me forward so I didn’t stop and take many pictures today.
But here’s the Walled Lake, that I passed just 2 miles into the ride. Central Michigan is chock full of beautiful lakes. Here’s another one.
Even as I was trudging on through the cold, I couldn’t help but feel grateful. I passed several construction crews and thought, I’m out here by choice, it’s not my job. I thought about how grateful I was that my panniers kept everything dry on that first rainy day, grateful that local and state governments had preserved the trails I was riding on (like the Huron Valley Trail, below), grateful I had the support of family and friends as I embarked on this ride.
Shortly after noon, small patches of blue skies appeared amidst the steel gray clouds. By two, I was actually riding in sunshine, a first for this trip. You can see shadows in the picture below.
This was my longest day: 61+ miles. For the first time, my body was seriously feeling it, particularly after mile 45. I spent most of the day on the Mike Levine Lakelands Trail. It is a lovely trail but also traverses horse country and farmland, pretty in its own way but not particularly photogenic. Here’s an example.
Right at the end of the trail there was a massive area of reedy wetland and herons were all over the place, and they weren’t so skittish so I got a couple good pics. The one below shows one prominent in the foreground and another one further back.
At the trail’s end, I was just 4 miles from my motel outside Jackson Michigan where mostly I collapsed. Sleeping in tomorrow before tackling a more rational 40 miles.
“Feel the Fog” is one of the books in April’s “Weather Walks” series, which is just a genius idea for something to focus a collection on. I picked it for today because, regardless of the weather, there are times when your mind gets a little foggy when you’re covering as much territory as I did today. There’s a great line in this book, “Fog limits what you can see, but it can expand what you imagine.” This book, like all the ones in the series, delivers answers to intriguing questions (e.g., “Why does fog feel cold?”) with lyrical language. April really was a one of kind talent.
Sent from my iPhone
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