Day 6: Blast Furnace

Bike Distance	Avg Speed	Total Ascent	Saddle Time	Calories
44.52 miles	11.03 mph	203 ft	04:02:13	2314 cal

No vacancy - take two:

The night before we decided that we would try to get a jump on the day with an early-ish start as it was going to be in the mid 90s!. We awoke around 8:00 AM and were ready to go by 8:45AM. Today we were heading to Illinois State Beach Campground where they have limited reservable sites and many walk ups. Swatz decided to give them a call to see what was available. Whamo! Booked solid! In fact, the reserved sites were booked in June and the last walk-up was taken two days ago. I suppose Labor day weekend isn't really a good time to cycle tour without reserving first... Sigh. So, we both immediate starting looking for alternate campgrounds and hotels. unfortunately, there are not any campgrounds within a reasonable distance from our selected route so we quickly dismissed the possibility of camping. We then switched gears and started looking for hotels within 4 miles (+/-) of Illinois Beach State Park. One after another were booked! finally, Swati located a hotel (Sun Inn) with vacancy in Winthrop Harbor which is a just few miles north of our initial destination. At $49.95 it was the cheapest hotel yet next to the Travel lodge at $65. At this point, we couldn't speculate on how crappy this place will be as we didn't have any other viable options other than stealth camping... I personally have never that and I don't think Swati is prepared to try it on her first outing! :-) Hotel booked we vacated our current hotel with one more touristy site left to visit before heading south! So much for our early start...

Steel Wings:

Before leaving Milwaukee we decided it would be worth while to stop and check out the exterior of the Milwaukee Art Museum. What makes this place special is the Quadracci Pavilion which was added to the original museum in 2001. The Museum’s signature wings, the Burke Brise Soleil, form a moveable sunscreen with a 217-foot wingspan. The brise soleil is made up of 72 steel fins, ranging in length from 26 to 105 feet. The entire structure weighs 90 tons. It takes 3.5 minutes for the wings to open or close. Sensors on the fins continually monitor wind speed and direction; whenever winds exceed 23 mph for more than 3 seconds, the wings close automatically. The “wings” open at 10 a.m. and unfortunately, we arrived right at 10:05AM! Just missed it! Dang! Overall, the structure is quite impressive and I can see why so many add this to their list of attractions while in Milwaukee. After snapping a few photos we decided it was time to head south.

Super market brunch:

The hot temps were out in full force this morning as my skull cap wasn't adequating keeping the downpour of sweat from entering my eyes. Rain was scheduled for this afternoon so I knew the heat wouldn't let up until after the storm... whenever it catches us. Since our hotel didn't offer free breakfast we decided we would stop at a supermarket ("Outpost Natural Foods") we rode by the day before near the pizza place. We figured we would purchase some groceries, find a nice park, and dine there to save on time. We rolled up and entered the climate controlled market to find that they actually have a small restaurant inside. SCORE! I ordered a breakfast sandwich, fresh squeezed OJ and a coffee. Swati ordered a tofu sandwich and OJ. We decided to forego eating outside and instead enjoyed some indoor seating where it was nice and cooooooool. :-) After about 1/2 hour we reluctantly trudged back into the heat to continue our migration south....

Rolling to Racine:

The next 20 or so miles to Racine were of the standard hot and humid riding variety. As long as you keep moving the hot air will cool you off. Believe me, hot air rushing across your face is better than no air! Before leaving the hotel I checked the weather and today we would encounter our first "real" headwinds. The forecast called for South, south-east winds from 10-15 MPH. I estimated a head wind of this magnitude will reduce our average speed of 11 to something like 8-9MPH. This would extend our time in beating sun by about an hour as well as make life miserable for Swatz. Before the trip started I discussed with Swati the concept of drafting. If she were able to tuck close behind I could pull her along at thus reduce her overall effort while maintaining a higher average speed. Up till now she had been hesitant to try this due to the close proximity of our bikes but with the winds knocking her back she gave it a go. Almost immediately, we went from 9MPH to 14MPH. SUCCESS! Once she realized how much easier it was for her effort wise she could then focus on just staying behind me instead of mashing the pedals. It was difficult for me to find the sweet spot for her as I tended to want to push to higher speeds (15-17MPH) thinking she would be pulled along without problems. However, one cross wind or small incline and the pulling vortex was lost. In the end, 14-15MPH on the flats was my target and Swati did an awesome job overcoming her fear of "close" riding. Before we knew it we arrived in downtown Racine!

Once again I had misconceptions of how Racine would be. I've always heard this place was a complete shit-hole. How wrong I was! The downtown area was completely revitalized and the main street was flanked on either side with shops and restaurants. It FAR exceeded my expectations. We found a quaint cafe "Divino Gelato Cafe" where we decided to stop for a break from the sun. The cafe was in an old historic building with high ornate ceilings and vintage mill work. The oroma was wonderful and the staff was hopped up on caffeine! So much so that she actually apologized for being so talkative! It was pretty hilarious actually! :-) I ordered an iced team while Swatz got an iced decaf mocha something... We parked our butts at a nice seat near the window overlooking main street and more importantly our bikes. While enjoying our beverages we discussed our plan for Kenosha. The sun has been brutal all day and I proposed that perhaps we stay at a hotel in Kenosha rather than some random tiny town hotel in Winthrop Harbor. It would only add 7 miles to tomorrow's route home but would perhaps offer us more to do this evening. Swati seemed to warm up to the idea so we quickly brought up Google maps and searched for hotels along our route. To our amazement only one "Best Western Harborside Inn" came up. Seriously? Only one hotel? We decided to check the availability and they had vacancy but at a price... a steep price of $189.99! Swati was actually the voice of reason by stating "nah, lets stick with the plan". I pushed for it stating "why not we are on vacation" and "There will be more for us to do in Kenosha". In the end, the decision was hers so we decided Winthrop Harbor or bust! By this time we could see the storm clouds approaching off in the distance from the NW so we weren't sure if we could outrun the storm but we figured let's give it a go as it's still sunny here!

Stormy Skies:

We made quick work of the next 12 miles into Kenosha thanks to Swati's newly found drafting skills! I was a bit disappointed in the town as it wasn't as nice as I was expecting. Racine seemed more vibrant and welcoming while Kenosha appeared tired and in need of refreshing. Perhaps we weren't on the best street and "cooler" stuff was further east? Either way, we decided we needed to stop for a break before our last 7 mile push to Winthrop Harbor. Unfortunately, there weren't any coffee shops or cafes on Sheridan road so fearing I would roll through the entire town I pulled off into a Citgo station and not a moment too soon as the clouds finally caught up to us and unloaded. We quickly ducked under the roods overhang where there happened to be a nice bench and a power outlet! How convenient! I ran inside for some cold Gatorade and Snickers ice cream. We sat, broke out our snacks and waited out the storm. I could see in the radar (NOAA) that we were catching the tail end of a large storm cell. It certainly packed a punch with high winds and lighting streaking across the sky. I would occasionally walk into the parking lot for a nice rain shower which felt amazing! 30 minutes later clear skies trailed in from the north as the storm continued south, south-west while lowering the temps by about 10 degrees! WOO HOO!

Hōṭala:

We seemed to keep pace with the storm as we rolled south and even caught a few drizzles along the way. The cooler temps made the ride super enjoyable and we rolled into Illinois and Winthrop Harbor feeling good about ourselves. We found the hotel (an old 2-story Best Western) which was "under new management" and ventured inside. It was obvious many smokers had stayed here in the past as the smell was simply overwhelming. We strolled over the counter and to my amazement it was completely enclosed with bullet proof glass. It looked just like a Currency Exchange! HaHa! :-) Is crime that bad in this tiny town that you need this kind of protection? Maybe the neighboring gun shop scared the "new" owners? I dunno... We pressed the doorbell and out came an Indian couple. Swati immediately transitioned into Indian-english and secured the room. It was comical because we asked for the room for one night and he insisted we could only have it for one as it was reserved for tomorrow. We were like "yeah, we only want it for tonight dude so no worries". He was then emphatic about us not smoking in the room. We laughed and said "we requested a non-smoking room because we don't smoke!". He mentioned that breakfast was between 6AM and 10AM and would be served in the "dining area". The "dining area" was pretty sad and in real need of a gut-job but what the hell it is more than that fancy place in Milwaukee was offering and like 7 times cheaper too! :-)

The room was indeed better than the Travel Lodge in Muskegon with one exception. The light in the bathroom was combination light and exhaust fan. So, when you switched on the light the exhaust fan would run. The problem was the exhaust fan EXTREMELY loud. I swear this thing was going to explode with shrapnel flying everywhere. I've never heard a fan this loud! LOL! :-) In order to make bathroom visits/showering tolerable we would instead use the heat lamp as a light. Not ideal but better than going deaf! :-)

Delicious Dinner:

We ventured to the only walkable restaurant which was literally across the street. Stone Creek Grill was actually quite nice and was decorated to resemble a lodge found in Montana or Wyoming. It offer covered porch outdoor seating and hard a massive stone fireplace in the center flanked by a nice lounge/bar area. We opted to sit inside as the mosquitoes were out in droves. We started with chips/salsa and guac which were delicious. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE Mexican food so this was up my alley in a BIG way! I ordered a 22oz PBR while Swatz stuck with her boring water with no ice! C'mon damn it live a little! :-) For our main course Swati and I both ordered salads. Her's was a garden while mine was a steak salad. I was impressed with how large the salads actually were for the price! We left no scraps behind and I had a 16oz PBR night cap before heading back to our room for a much needed nights sleep!

Day 5: The early bird gets the worm!

Bike Distance	Avg Speed	Total Ascent	Saddle Time	Calories
8.49 miles	10.47 mph	67 ft	00:48:39	495 cal

Dash to the dock:

The 6:45am alarm jolted us out of bed and we quickly got ourselves together and were on the road by 7:20am. We had a relatively short 4.5 mile ride to the ferry station so getting there before they open at 8 shouldn't be an issue. The air was cool but the humidity was high that my glasses fogged up after the first mile. After snaking our way through Western Muskegon we arrived at the dock at 7:45. We noticed an abundance of Harley Davidson motorcycles already queued up outside and a small group inside the terminal. We tried to enter but the doors were locked so an employee came over, opened the door and mentioned that they weren't open yet but we could come in. The four motorcyclists in front of us were also trying to make the 10:30 ferry ride and were pleading their case to the attendant. Another agent took care of us. Apparently there was one ticket remaining in the premiere section so we bought that for swati while I waited on standby. The clerk said it was highly unlikely that I would make it but that we could transfer Swati's ticket for free for the next boat. I then asked if they always had so many motorcycles. It turns out that Harley Davidson, head quartered in Milwaukee, is celebrating their 110th anniversary this Thursday through Sunday so every motorcycle in the area was heading that way.

We, rolled our bikes inside, sat down at a table and awaited our fate. It was only 8:10 and the boat wasn't scheduled to arrive until 9:45 so I decided to get some coffee and catch up on my blob posts. Before I knew it the boat pulled up, passengers de-boarded, and they immediately started loading the motorcycles (terribly loud!). Suddenly a clerk rushed over and said they were ready for us right now. Unprepared we quickly stuffed our belongings into our panniers and walked the bikes onto the ferry. We were aboard! Woo hoo! We made our way to the premiere cabin, found some seats and relaxed knowing all was well within "our" world. That is until we over heard a lady biker sitting across from us casually mention how all the hotels in Milwaukee were booked and they were staying 40 miles north! Damn! We quickly got on our smart phones and began hotel searching (using edge data service = slow as hell). I figured it would have been easily to find a hotel on a Thursday. Damn these bikers for ruining my plans! :-) We were in a race with boat as it was still loading as surely we would lose connection once we departed. i tried 6 but all were completely booked. Swati's 7th (Aloft) turned up golden! Our stomachs sank once we saw the price of $339+tax for a room! Talk about markups... I suppose this is the classic supply versus demand econ stuff. We bit the bullet as we didn't have any other option. Bike touring is supposed to be cheap! NOT.

Lunch Time!

Before you knew it the ferry was pulling into the Milwaukee right on schedule at 11:30 AM CST. Other than the hoards of bikers the ferry ride itself was rather uneventful. We de-boarded and made our way to a parking lot to plan our next move as check in wasn't until 3pm. Swati was hungry and "Classic Slice" pizza was the destination she had planned well before our trip began in Chicago. They are well known in the area for delicious vegan as well as regular pizza pies. A short ride later and we arrived. The guy at the counter was super friendly and was able to suggest as well as answer Swati's numerous questions.

Speaking of which.... Dining with Swatz can be challenging at times due to her vegan diet. Either she forgets to tell them certain details about her diet and is surprised when the food comes with cheese sprinkled on top or the wait staff doesn't know the difference between vegan and vegetarian. I too am surprised because I would think she would have her speech all ready to go when we arrive at restaurants but that isn't the case. She takes a different approach each time which I just don't understand why she deviates. I suppose I love that quirkiness about her... Anywho, I didn't mean to digress but thought I would share. :-)

The staff at "Classic Slice" are well versed in vegan foods so this wasn't an issue which made ordering go sooooo much faster! We enjoyed some pizza WI style as we discussed how to spend the rest of our day here in sunny WI.

Basilica Bound:

Aloft hotel was on the northern side of town so we decided to find interesting sites to stop at along the way. The first was The Basilica of St. Josaphat located in the Lincoln Village neighborhood of Milwaukee. This place was quite impressive from the outside and very reminiscent of a small European church. What is interesting is that historically a basilica is actually an ancient shopping mall and had nothing to do with religion! Basilica architecture was the style of the building. The Christians of the Roman empire took over these amazing buildings and they became centers of the faith. The place was virtually empty so we essentially had free reign. The interior was impressive but deceptive. From a distance the walls appeared to have very ornate woodworking but when up close one could see that this fancy "mill" work was actually a 2d painted illusion. In fact, much of the details like stained glass and marble in the place were just paint. It would have been interesting to see how it looked in its original state when it was a shopping mall.

Harley-Davidson Hotties:

We knew that heading directly north for 1.5 miles would get us to the craziness of the 110th anniversary party of Harley Davidson. Everywhere you look (or listen) you could see bikers zipping up and down the road. We decided it was time to see what this was all about. We dashed our way north on 6th ave and to our amazement the street in front of the museum was closed to automobile traffic. They allowed us through and we had the road and these really cool bridges all to ourselves. We took the opportunity to shoot some photos and then made our way to the parking lot. The grassy field in front of the museum was completely packed with parked motorcycles. I have never seen so many in one place! There was beer tents and food vendors everywhere. We worked our way through the mobs of people and ultimately to the museum. We figured we may as well check it out right!? We bought two tickets and in we went. Te museum basically details the history of the Harley Davidson company and its products. In the early days they actually made bicycles! In the seventies they briefly produced snowmobiles (hopefully they were quieter than their bikes). For every year of existence they had a motorcycle from that year on display. I personally liked the 1920s  through1940s styles of bikes. Something about them just speaks to me. After at least an hour and 100 photos later we exited the museum, got a Miller High Life and relaxed at a bench. They have an awesome deal on beer here. If you buy a wrist band for $5 ALL High Life cans are $1! Swatz doesn't do beer so I was unable to convince her to stick around a while longer... drats!

Chillin Out:

After enjoying my brew we got back on the saddle and headed towards our hotel. It was now after 3PM so check in should be available. I rolled up first and as I was walking my bike into the hotel the bell boy, in a snooty voice, asked "Are you staying here?". I was like "Yup, you wanna walk my bike in for me?". I followed that with a smile and "just kidding". Swati would have slapped me had she been there! :-) Moments later Swati appeared in the door and we checked in. I was a bit peeved that this place didn't have free breakfast. I mean c'mon... for the price we are paying you can at least throw in a damn bowl of cereal! They did however have a free pitcher of fruit infused water with a sign that said "please enjoy a sip". Really? "a sip"? Cheap bastards! :-) We wound up with a top floor (5th) room overlooking the river walk. The room was small and adorn with modern decorating elements. We both showered and snacked and then Swati wanted to nap until 6PM. I decided to knock out a blog while enjoying my over priced downtown view of Milwaukee.

Downtown Dinner:

I eventually woke Swatz from her slumber and we walked the streets of Milwaukee looking for dinner. After strolling for some time we decided on Water Street Brewery. We were fortunate enough to score some outdoor seating as the place was packed with bikers both inside and out. I tried the beer sampler to which the Oktoberfest brew was my favorite (Swati agreed). I then thoroughly enjoyed rosemary chicken, mashed potatoes and spinach. I don't usually order chicken when out so this was a pleasant surprise. Swati got some vegi dish that unfortunately I cannot remember! (9 beer sampler worked its magic!). At around 10:00 pm we decided to call it a night and had a carefree hand in hand walk back to the hotel.

Day 4: Lazy days of summer

Bike Distance	Avg Speed	Total Ascent	Saddle Time	Calories
38.38 miles	10.58 mph	317 ft	03:36:51	1982 cal

Best sleep Ever!:

All I can say is wow! This was the most comfy mattress and bedding set I've ever slept on! Granted, the cool room and darkening curtains were also a plus. :-) we quickly got dressed and headed to the lobby for our free continental breakfast. It was 9:30 so we only had a half hour to dine! Swatz got two bowls of chex cereal, fruit and oj. I ate one bowl of fiber one cereal, fruit, small Danish, oj, grapefruit juice and coffee! We finished right at 10 so prefect timing! We only have about 35 miles today so we can take our time and enjoy! We checked out, let our panniers at the hotel and headed to our main attraction.

Windmill Island Gardens:

The morning was actually quite nice weather wise as there was an overcast protecting us from the sun. We made quick work of the paltry 1 mile to get to the island. On the island is street made to look like one you would find in the Netherlands. The was about 4 shoppes each selling imported products and a small scale city scene depicting life back in the day. It was mainly geared for children but was still educational for us!

As we headed to the main attraction we got distracted by a huge antique music making machine. I don't recall the Dutch name for it but you feed it sheets of music and the machine plays it. It was pretty impressive sounding and looking!

The Windmill tour was quite informative as they led us up to each floor where they explained what occurred there. Essentially, this Windmill was used to produce flour from raw gain. The farmer would pull his horse cart through the lower level where the operator would lift his raw gain up to the grinding level (I believe the 4th floor). Here the Windmill would turn a giant stone which would grind the grain into a powder and force it through a chute to the packing floor below. There, the fresh flour was "bagged" and lowered down directly into the farmers cart. It was literally the first real drive thru! The town of Holland still produces flour in this way as the Dutch government would only allow the export of the Windmill if it's main function was preserved indefinitely. In fact, this was the last Windmill to ever be exported as the Netherlands declared the remaining as historical sites.

Good Earth:

Swatz was informed by a friend that she should visit a local vegetarian sandwich shop while in Holland. By this time it was after noon so we decided to pay it a visit. It was easy to find as it was literally across the street from the hotel. Swatz got a vegan wrap and I, all not very hungry, got a bagel with cream cheese. I must admit Swati's wrap was delicious (I had a nice a nibble). We collected our bags and waved goodbye to Holland.

Coffee. Tea. Or me?:

We had a relatively uneventful 22 mile ride to Grand Haven. I believe 8 of which were on a paved path parallel to the road. This nature filled path took us off the street and out of harms way. However, it wasn't as flat as the street and thus we had more of a rolling Hill type of route to deal with. I would have been on the street in no time had I been alone but Swati was enjoying it too much for me to suggest a change. Ultimately our average speed suffered as a result. The things I do for my wife! ;-)

Once in town we decided to explore a bit for a coffee shop snack. The town is a cleaner version of new Haven which may explain why they call it "grand"? Like Holland it too bad that college town feel only a bit more touristy. We found a nice coffee shop on the main strip which also had vegan treats so Swatz could" fuel" up. We enjoyed some free Wi-Fi but kept the visit short as it was approaching 6pm and we still had 12 or so miles to Muskegon.

Meh... Muskegon:

We chewed up the miles and found ourselves entering the not so awesome town of Muskegon. Earlier, in grand haven, we searched for hotels within 5 miles of the ferry and the Travelodge was the only one with a review greater than 3.5 which, based on the photos, wasn't very promising. I'm not really sure how to describe the sections we rode to get to the hotel other than it was reminiscent of the South side of Chicago. Boarded up houses and vacant strip malls. Gary Indiana looked like Lincoln Park compared to this.

As we rolled up to the hotel I was a bit alarmed at the number of people loitering in the hotel parking lot. Especially considering we just past an empty looking ginormous red roof Inn 1 block earlier. I envisioned it as some sort of crack dealer distribution center/hotel. Troy, the friendly hotel clerk, initially recommended the room with a hot tub stating "why not enjoy some time together in the 'tub'?" I kindly declined and he gave us a discounted rate for a floor level room. Our accommodations were musty but adequate. Hey, it had a working a/c unit, a shower that wouldn't drain and an old 25" SD TV! The free Wi-Fi was a shocking bonus... ;-) Despite, the rather drab hotel we were a mere 1 mile away from the highest rated restaurant in Muskegon "Hearthstone Bistro". We switched on our lights and off we went.

Fine dining - take two:

Typically I don't lock my bike when it is in view but after tonight's ride through town I figured why risk it. I even took my helmet with me just to be sure. The restaurant was fairly busy for 9pm but we managed a nice outdoor table. The staff was very knowledgeable and were able to assist Swati in creating a vegan dish. We ultimately decided on the two pasta dinners for $22 Wednesday special. She had spinach pasta with grilled Vegis while I had the local favorite Mamma's meatballs and spaghetti. In honor of my Dutch peeps I washed that down with some Heineken.

As we were wrapping up dinner we decided to double check the ferry times and purchase the tickets using their on line system. Turns out the 10:30am ferry has sold out! WTF! The restaurant staff said they usually sell out Thursday mornings. The next available ferry was 4:30pm! (insert slang word here). No way we want to spend Thursday in Muskegon! We decided to wake up at the crack of dawn Thursday morning and get to the ticket office ASAP to see if we could pull some strings... Fingers crossed!

Day 3: Hallo from Holland

Bike Distance	Avg Speed	Total Ascent	Saddle Time	Calories
51.02 miles	11.15 mph	475 ft	04:38:25	2606 cal

Alternate Plan:

OMG. Falling asleep last night was nearly impossible due to the ridiculous level of humidity. The sweat poured from pores as I tried to contort my body into positions that would minimize skin to anything contact. It was miserable... I must have eventually dozed off cause the next time I opened my eyes it was day light. I reached for my phone to see what time it was and to my horror it was already 9am!  We should have left by now! Fortunately Swatz was just waking up as well. My voice had a sense of urgency as I told her the time. Swati was clearly suffering from her allergies as her eyes were bright red and from the look of it she didn't get much sleep either. We pulled ourselves out of the tent and over to the picnic table to plan today's strategy.

We were scheduled to cycle about 58 miles through the town of Holland and ultimately to Lake Macatawa campground in Holland State Park. The town of Holland was one of the highlights of this trip given our past history with a past employer Philips.  Furthermore, it had the only working Dutch Windmill in the United States which would be cool to visit. Given Swati's allergy problem, the number of miles and lack of available time to spend in Holland I suggested we stay at a hotel smack dab in the heart of Holland. This would reduce the total miles by 7, allow us to get a nice dinner in town, and most importantly get a good night's sleep in a climate controlled room (allergens be damned) !  I called and secured a room at "Cityflats" hotel in downtown Holland thanks to Google maps!

As a bonus, we would also be shaving off some miles from tomorrow's route as well since the campground was kind of out of the way.  I estimate that reduces tomorrow by about 5 or so miles. This should afford us more "Smellin the roses" time. Even with this new plan we needed to get out of dodge and fast.

Morning "Mad"ness:

New plan put in place Swati headed to the bathroom to get ready and clear out her sinuses with her neti pot while I began packing up the camp site. I packed up as much as I could and headed to the bathroom to get ready. I returned and swati still wasn't back so I waited. And waited. Eventually she returned but was still wearing her sleeping clothes. Huh!? Apparently she forgot her cycle clothes. I was a bit shocked at how long she was gone and was expecting her to grab her clothes and head straight back to the bathroom. Especially considering how behind schedule we were. Without any sense of urgency she slowly went through her things and seemed to lolly gag.  Mind you, all my stuff is packed and my bike is fully loaded ready to go. I am just waiting for her. Without thinking of the fallout I mentioned this to her. Whoa! She did not like that at all. I tried to explain that the more time spent here reduces the amount of time spent checking out the site along the way. Sorry, but the KOA isn't really all that exciting! She grabbed her clothes and stomped off to the bathroom.

Minutes later she returned eyes welled up with tears. I immediately reached out and gave her a ginormous hug and apologized for how I handled the situation. She too apologized and stated that she was likely just dreading all the physical work ahead her. I told her she was doing great and that we could take our time since we already had the hotel booked.  Another hug and kiss later and we were off.

Cancelled at Clementines:

The 22 mile ride to South Haven, where we intend to stop for lunch, encapsulated virtually every terrain/situation a touring cyclist could encounter. We had paved roads, gravel roads, dirt roads, muddy paths, sandy paths, 2 miles of grass path and to top it off were chased by three dogs from the same house! A giant St Bernard, a yapping beagle and a pint sized ferocious chihuahua!  It was pretty awesome and I think Swati enjoyed it as well.  We ultimately reached our destination and asked a few locals for lunch venue recommendations. Clementines was the unanimous winner so we headed there.

The restaurant was in the center of town which, to my amazement, was full of hustle and bustle. We walked in and were immediately seated. Swati was excited to see they had a special vegetarian menu. The only problem was the menu wasn't vegan friendly. In fact they had a hell of time coming up with something for her to eat. Ultimately it got sorted and they conjured up sauté vegetables with cajun seasoning. She thoroughly enjoyed it. I had the "famous" perch sandwich. It wasn't all that great but I still managed to clean my plate. :)

We wrapped up and I handed my amazon credit card to the waitress. She came back and told me it was declined. What? I apologized and swati took care of the bill while I immediately phoned Chase. Turns out they canceled my card due to potential fraudulence. Apparently they thought I lost my card because of my recent charges in Indiana and Michigan. They are issuing me a new card which could be delivered directly to me tomorrow.  That really doesn't help me as I am traveling by bike! The kind Indian gentleman from the call center was sympathetic to my situation and authorized the use of my existing card through Sunday only if it is hand swiped through a card reader. In other words, no online transactions. Crisis averted!

We are not alone:

We were once again back on the road and heading towards Holland. The roads were pretty good but the temps were hot. Fortunately there were occasional patches of clouds that would provide relief from the beating sun. Throughout the afternoon I could see Swati improving with every pedal stroke. She was chugging up bridges with up to 7% grades with a mildly loaded bike! No complaining and an occasional "woo hoo" at the top! That's my girl!

At some point in the afternoon we pulled aside for a water break in a nice shady spot along the road when off in the distance we could see another touring cyclist approaching from the opposite direction. He was solo and decided to stop and have a chat with us. Terry is a retired gentleman from Minnesota who started from his home, cane across the ferry to Muskegon and we'll work his way around the lake before heading back to Minnesota. Amazingly, He mentioned that we were the first touring cyclists he had seen since he began his trip. He had some artery troubles (stints) a few years back and decided he needed to so something about it. He borrowed a bike and started riding. He immediately loved it and now has a swanky soma with all the bells and whistles. He had amassed over 4000 miles this year alone!  Unfortunately his wife doesn't share his passion and decided to leave the cycling to him.

The perfect cure for the heat:

After our nice chat we continued towards our destination. The heat was still an issue and the air was heavy. We could fit one more break in before the final 8 mile push to Holland. Up ahead we saw a Dairy Queen imposter called Dairy Days. We pulled off and got some much deserved icy treats. Swatz got a mango and pineapple slushy and I ordered a cherry and vanilla ice cream Glacier. This place didn't have an indoor area so we sat at one of the many picnic tables outside and enjoyed. I never had a Glacier before and Damn was it delicious!

Smellin the roses:

We knocked out the remaining miles and entered Dutch country! You could immediately tell by all the Dutch street names that we were indeed getting close.   Holland MI is a modern yet quaint college town teeming with a mix of people on her streets. We checked in, showered, ditched the bikes and hit the streets. It was about 9pm so most shops were closed as we meandered up and down the Ave. Ultimately we found our way to New Holland Brewing Company for dinner and more importantly Beer!

Swatz had a yummy portobello burger while I had a delicious steak salad.  I enjoyed two of of the three craft beers before retiring for the evening. Despite the rocky start this turned out to be the best day yet!