2023 Bear Hunt Day -0.5 - On the Road

I like summer.  There is always too much to do.  Summer means bicycle rides and cicadas and crickets and shorts and humidity and motorcycles and Queen Anne's lace.

I also hate summer.  The doldrums of work-eat-sleep-repeat.  There is always too much to do.  It doesn't get dark until long after I want to be asleep.  The heat and humidity.

David Foster Wallace may have said it best, "There happen to be whole large parts of adult American life that nobody talks about..."  Or maybe it was Hunter Thompson, "That maddening delusion that a man can lead a decent life without selling himself out as a Judas goat."

We're starting to turn; hints of those first oddly cool mornings that remind us the northern half of the earth is starting to tilt into its own shadow.  Sunset has pulled back to a more reasonable hour.  Sunrise waits to give me a few more minutes of blessed quiet on weekend mornings.  The time between the Perseids and Orinids is unquestionably magical.  That is ... until this past week which ended up being the hottest week of the year.  Possibly the hottest week of several years if the local news is to be believed.  This makes thinking about things like bear hunting and deer hunting (not that far away) much harder to think about.

But a vacation day allowed the lawn to be mowed - hoping that a wallop of rain on Thursday doesn't make it grow too too much.

And Friday finally came.  It was a blessedly slow day.  I'm not sure where my boss was most of the day but I finally ran into him about 20 minutes before I wanted to leave.  "I'll catch up with you later," he says.

"There is no later, I'm out of here by 1:00."

We caught up for a few minutes and after organizing things in the trucklette I was on the road.

I headed out and got around Indianapolis before rush hour.  That city is perpetually under massive construction.  I'm convinced it will never end.  Traffic thinned considerably as I motored along listening to podcasts.  Has RadioLab gone downhill?

There was one moderate construction slowdown around Bloomington and I was in Mendota - probably at the same hotel I stayed at in 2019.  It was still brutally hot, making unpacking a bit painful.  Temperatures were forecast to come down.  The Maverick was (hopefully) safely parked next to its big cousin.  

The day ended with a noodle bowl, Oreos The Most Stuf and gratitude that I can do this yet again.

2023 Combat Run Days 1&2 - Brits and Old Friends

This isn't smart.  I've only had 1 weekend home.  I've got another big adventure just around the corner.  The lawn is long enough I'm surprised one of the farmers around home haven't asked to bale it yet.  But sometimes life is more interesting if I choose to do the less-smart decision.  Besides, this is a good chance to see a bunch of cool people and cool stuff.

Why Combat run?  A few hundred miles north just to turn around and go home the next day is definitely a combat run...

North: 298.0 Miles

My target ETA was to get to Mark's at 10:00.  This meant leaving home around 4:00.  Thankfully I'm an early riser.  Temperatures were cold enough I decided not to wear my mesh jacket; this ended up being the right decision.  I was out the door shortly after 4:00 riding my Triumph through deer infested roads once again.  This time it was made worse by darkness and heavy fog.  I proceeded carefully.

Between the temperatures and the dampness it was cold.  I was just on the edge of shivering through much of the day.  Even once it started to warm up, I never really did feel warm.

Daylight did finally start to emerge as I continued north.  I stopped at my favorite bathroom, but found out its doors must be locked at night.  I had to make due.

Once well into Michigan the weather turned almost perfect with bluebird skies, low winds and pleasant temperatures.  I made it to Mark's at 10:01.  We only talked for a short bit before jumping in his MGB and heading out to the park.  Mark was most gracious and made a sandwich for me to take to the park.  Good people.  It felt exceedingly odd to be sitting in the passenger seat of an MGB; I do not remember the last time this happened.  His car was having clutch problems so it was an adventure in driving.  Some things never change.  We met Donna at a gas station and off we caravanned to the park.

Once at the park we were instantly met by former coworkers.  It was a reunion of sorts with lots of brief catching ups.  These were the more superficial kind that happen when we see people for the first time in many years and in a public setting, "How ya doing?"  "You still working for ???"  "How old is your kid?"  It was fun hearing what everyone was doing.  Chris was there with his two kids; I really enjoyed catching up with him and seeing his two kids - even if they didn't seem too thrilled to be there.

One former customer of the shop remembered I had built the engine in his MGA, "So is it still running?"  "Oh yeah!  Runs great.  And you built that in 19 ... 19 ... 19993?"  Some days I feel older than others.

Brian and Jim didn't recognize me and Jim didn't remember my name.  So it goes.  It is unquestionably true that I was at a more impressionable age when I was working with them than they were.  And I'm sure I look like nothing like the "kid" they remember.

The meet was a lot of the same people and the same cars, but also a few oddities that kept it interesting.  My favorite had to be an MGTB that was running and driving, but with a patina that screamed old school.  20-something year old me would have been more enamored with the MGB V8s and maybe I still was - just not in the same way.

After a couple hours I was pretty much done.  There were a little less than 100 cars there, so a fraction of what it was 30 years ago.  I was just thrilled I could be there.

Back at Mark's, Susan was up so we talked for quite a bit.  We both had dog sagas last year - it is amazing how much those little guys end up dominating our lives.  Marty knew I was a dog people.  

Mark and I went out to take a bike ride after being reprimanded by his neighbor for walking 10 feet across private property.  So it goes.  I do truly love being able to ride these rail-to-bike paths, but it isn't worth driving to ride them near home.  I'll continue to suffer on my hills.

Dinner was mostly from their garden and was phenomenal.  The evening ended with garden blueberries and ice cream.  Fat-me was trying to make a comeback.

___________________________

South: 302.7

I slept well, but woke up a lot.  I was worried that my questionable hydration would bring on a migraine and make the trip home excruciating, but thankfully that didn't happen.  Eventually I couldn't stand it and got up; Mark happened to be getting up at the same time.  I had no reason to leave in the dark, so we sat in his gazebo by the fire and solved all the world's problems.  The tree frogs were grunting, crickets making their racket, other insects buzzing.  It was, quite frankly, an amazing morning.  

Soon enough it started to get light.  I finished packing and left shortly before sunrise.  A deer in the woods right by the driveway had me veer to the right and I ended up in the soft stuff, almost dumping the triumph.  Almost...

Once on the road it was a motorcyclist's dream morning.  Cool, dry conditions.  Gorgeous sunrise.  No one on the road.  This just continued the magic of the morning.

I easily settled into the drive.  Once near Fort Wayne, I decided to take the Ohio route home instead of Indiana to avoid the two ugly construction zones.  This was probably the right decision, but I may have evolved into a too-strong go-home mode.  There were many cars which demanded to be passed.  

Soon enough I was near home.  Thankfully the heat and humidity waited until I was almost home.

It has definitely been one of those week-long weekends.  I loved the time on the road - thinking time.  I love catching up with old friends.  And I treasure that I still have some old friends to catch up with.

We're just two lost souls

Swimming in a fish bowl

Year after year

Running over the same old ground

What have we found?

The same old fears

Wish you were here

2023 Family 350 Day 5 - Home Again

VRBO House to Home:  517.3 Miles

(oddly exactly 1 mile difference than the northbound trip - which is about the same as the extra distance traveled to get gas at one stop on the way up).

I woke up at my usual too-early hour.  I tried to get back to sleep, but it was hopeless.  I thought about making coffee and putzing around, but decided I was already in go-home mode.  I packed up and cleaned up and got ready to leave.

The garage our VRBO host was kind enough to let me use had a light - or at least a light bulb in the ceiling, but I couldn't figure out how to turn it on.  The garage door opener light was inoperable.  So all my packing was done by braille.  This made me a bit nervous that I would leave something behind.

Almost convinced I had everything, I was on the bike making my way through deer-infested roads by 4:00AM.

Temperatures were in the lower 50s which was too cool for my mesh jacket.  I was wearing my rain liner which helped, but it also made everything feel clammy.  Between that, the dark, intermittent fog and not knowing the area very well, the first few miles were uncomfortable.  But I was the only vehicle on the road so I was able to take my time.

Once on the larger roads I settled in much quicker than I had for the ride north.  There was one heinous construction zone in Alanson, but I found a quick way around that and was on my way for the easy routing for the rest of the day.

Because it was dark I missed the best scenery of the moosey, boggy North.  But the pay-off (in addition to getting home earlier) was a beautiful sunrise as I motored on.

I spent a lot of time thinking about siblings and how great it was to see them for a few days.  I suppose we are all getting older, but I still end up feeling like a little kid around them and my mom.  Maybe that is true for everyone?

Traffic hadn't picked up by Lansing yet so it was easy to get around it.  Then a straight shot south.

Once off the interstate in Indiana the Amish were exceedingly busy.  I had never seen so many buggies out buggying around.  No harm though - just slow down and pass on by.  Sometimes rear-facing kids even wave at me.

As I got closer to home, I went past the land I hunt deer on, then onto the roads I bicycle on, then onto my dog-walking roads.  Soon enough, I was home with enough time to get some things done.  It had felt like Sunday all day, so it was good to know I had a day to unwind before returning to ... that other thing.

2023 Family 350 Day 4 - Fish and Fish

Once we all got going my sisters and I headed down towards Petoskey and went to Spring Lake Park.  The plan was to take my nephew fishing, but first we headed out on a moderate hike.  Traffic can be bonkers around Petoskey, but it was early.  The area around the state park and the smaller (county? township?) park was relatively quiet.  The path we were on was paved and there was a mix of walkers and bicycles, but nowhere near the mayhem of Mackinac Island.  It was all very pleasant.  Various small lakes and ponds kept things interesting.

Back at Spring Lake, my brother and I helped my nephew catch several bluegills.  It was a great location for him to do so since there were a lot of fish and it was really easy to fish right off the dock.  He was able to bring in around 7 small bluegills and sunfish.  There were always fish biting, but many were too small to use even the smaller hooks we were using.  We used a mix of casting a short ways and fishing right off the dock.  The fish out a bit more did seem to be a bit bigger but not significantly so.  Our VRBO hosts suggestion was perfect for what we were looking for.  My nephew seemed to have a lot of fun and did much better than his previous fishing.

We had a bit more time so we went up to the Ogden Fish Hatchery.  We weren't able to hit the actual tour, but we were able to see what I assume to be almost the same things.  A short walk from where we parked was the "Big Fish Pond."  I wasn't sure if it was a pond with big fish or a big pond with fish, but it appeared to be both.  Many species of trout were swimming around and there were lots of good size fish.  Throwing in the available fish food caused a feeding frenzy.

A short walk further brought us to the stream viewing area followed by the visitor center.  I was a bit confused by the train car at first, but it had some exhibits about the market fishing from the early days of European influence in Northern Michigan.

A walk back brought us to the car.  But after all the walking and hiking over the previous days, my legs were feeling it.  The fish hatchery was well worth the short diversion.

Back at home we got Mom and went out to the Legs Inn for dinner.  We went early to avoid the rush which was probably the right thing to do since it was already quite busy.  The food was good as was the atmosphere.  On my best days I'm somewhat neutral on restaurants, so it was a little unusual for me.  But the food was good.

After dinner we went out behind the restaurant where there was a gorgeous view of Lake Michigan.  The weather was almost perfect.  Oddly, there was a bit of an off-smell which hinted at sewage which was a little off-putting?

Back at our rental house the key got stuck in the door.  Thankfully - if stupidly - we had left another door open.  I did find the situation more aggravating than it really should have been.  Our host did come and fix in quickly which gave me a chance to thank him for the excellent suggestion on the kid-fishing.  But perhaps this was also a sign that it was time to head home.

2023 Family 350 Day 3 - Bugs Blueberries and Worms

After morning coffee I headed out with my sisters to the Wilderness State Park.  My phone GPS routed us to the south end of the park, which wasn't the original plan, but we went with it.  

We parked at the trail head and headed north on one of the trails.  It was a narrow trail but with a little bit of everything.  Lots of elevation changes, quiet wooded areas and much greenery - including tons of ferns.

In a few cases, we found company.  These guys have much work to do since the bugs were quite bad.

There was also quite the crop of wild blueberries growing.  I expected to see bears, but didn't see any evidence of large mammals, even deer.

We eventually made our way to the Sturgeon Bay Trail and walked it.  We didn't get much in the way of views of the lake, but it was still pretty.  We briefly interrupted a couple in one of the cabins, until making our way down to the bay.  By this point the wind was blowing and the shallow bay was on the wavy side.

Since we started at the south end, it wasn't realistic to do a loop and the hiking ended up being out and back.  It was long enough that it didn't really seem like it was it was an out-n-back hike.

As we made it past one of the swampy ponds a great blue heron flew very close - almost like it was showing off.

When we left, we were the only car at the trail head.  Once we returned there were several other cars, but we had seen almost no one on the trail with the exception of right near the cabins.

We headed to O'Neal Lake since it looked like a good option to allow my nephew to fish.  It definitely appeared to be a good lake as I saw several bluegills swimming right near the dam.  Unfortunately, the road to get to O'Neal Lake was probably not best for a Prius.  It wasn't terrible, but I suspect my brother would not have liked it.

The lake itself was both deserted and gorgeous.

We drove south a little farther for gas and to ask for other options for nephew fishing.  We got some leads, but nothing really stuck out as a good option except the fish hatchery.  That would have been a good option, but the catch-and-release only happens on certain days.

After a bit more driving, we headed back to the house where I was able to corner our Host who gave some additional advice on where to fish.  This led to worm hunting which was far more difficult than it should have been.  But Big Sis and I were able to find at least a starting group of worms.

2023 Family 350 Day 2 - Those Poor Horses

I was up early drinking coffee enjoying the quiet of the morning.  The plan was to go to Mackinac Island so I read a bit about the history.  Much like the rest of the US the world, its history is one which starts with military conquest in the form of both French and English forts - the great lakes being an important water system to control.  The name, originally Michilimackinac, must have been a mouthful so it was shortened to Mackinac - still a mouthful.  I'd prefer it just be called The Place of the Great Turtle.  So The Island of the Great Turtle.

Mackinac Island is synonymous with two things - fudge and the absence of cars.  The whole fudge thing started in the 1920s, and there are many stories about its origins on the island.  Suffice to say, weight gain is not prominent in any of the stories.  The lack of cars goes back to July of 1898 when villagers petitioned the city council to prohibit these new reckless horseless carriages since they scared the horses (must be weenie horses?).  It stuck and continues to this day.

Big Sis and I headed out relatively early to take the ferry to the Island.  After parking and getting our tickets, we had some time to kill since the ferry didn't go out for another hour.  We walked along Mackinac City coastline.  The Big Mac bridge dominates the skyline as an impressive and very pretty bridge.  The spots in the photograph are bugs, which are neither impressive or pretty.

I've driven across the bridge several times, but I had the chance to get a totally new perspective by going under it.  Frankly, it was one of the coolest things I've seen in recent memory.

Soon enough the ferry came and we boated across the water.  Approaching the island it looks like any other coastal area with tourist tendencies with the imposing Grand Hotel.  Getting off the ferry, the main street was quaint enough, if a bit busy.  It was early ... it got worse.

We walked around a bit before heading out to walk the entire perimeter of the island.  We walked counterclockwise, thus setting in motion only one future based on that direction.  Walking was a lot of fun.  Early on there were not that many people on bicycles and we talked many of the world problems.  Views of the water were stunning in places.

We hoofed up the stairs to see the Arch which was neat enough (I guess), but this exact same picture is probably taken hundreds of times every day.  So it goes.  Compared to Utah, it is a bit anticlimactic, but the same picture phenomenon exists there as well.  I was glad that we were early so we could see it without hordes of people.

The entire perimeter is 8.2 miles.  Both of us walk a lot so it wasn't strenuous at all.  Traffic picked up and made the last couple miles not quite as pleasant.  Mackinac Island may be car free, but the bicycles piloted by inexperienced riders made it feel nearly as deadly.

There was one dude who is my hero for the day - pedaling along he was carrying both his kid and his kid's bike on his back.  These are the heroes we need more of in this world.

There must be a route where people can "drive" their own horse carts since there were dazed looking people in smaller carts with the saddest looking horses trudging along a shorter section of the perimeter road.  The "drivers" all must have been given the same instructions, although I strongly suspect the well-trained horses are actually in charge with the people playing a more ceremonial role.

Back in the main downtown area, it was an ugly reptile zoo filled with people, horses, people, carts, people, bikes, people, fudge, people, but no cars.  We had met up with Brother and family along the walk (they were on bikes), but we ended up doing our own separate things.

Sis and I walked up to Fort Mackinac, but decided not to pay the tax to get in.  This was the right decision since later we could see it was filled with a similar subset of kids and people.  We continued on to Fort Holmes which was nearly deserted by comparison.  The view from the top and highest point on the island was gorgeous.  

We had walked well over 11 miles at this time and were ready to be done.  I did buy some obligatory fudge, but wasn't sure if it was sweet enough - they should sell it with a glass of maple syrup (yes, I am being quite sarcastic).  Every time I saw these tragically horrid horse carts, I couldn't help but think they looked like Fellini in the movie A Boy and His Dog.  And while I realize they are draft animals, it seems a rather sad existence.

Back on the ferry we headed back across the water and to the (relative) quiet of our rented 350 acres.  

Little Sis was there by that time, and it was good to see her as well.

I spent quite a bit of time trying to put some perspective on Mackinac Island.  It is much like any other touristy place, but the lack of cars seems to be an additional draw.  It may bring a bit of quaintness compared to other places, but with all the people and bikes, that quaintness gets erased quickly.  It isn't a bad place and I was glad I went.  The mostly undeveloped areas are treasures.  It wasn't a place I feel some irresistible draw to ever go back to.

2023 Family 350 Day 1 - The House Next To Evil Dead House

My fishing trip a couple weeks ago not withstanding, I'm due for a break - longer than a day.  The fuse to aggravation is a bit shorter than it normally is while my sense of humor insists on going in a less humorous direction.  Working from home helps; at least there, I can step back and pause before doing the wrong thing.

The weather hasn't helped - with the dog days of summer heat (so hot the dogs go mad) and some brutal thunderstorms.  It's not the heat and it's not the humidity - it's all the people bitchin' about the heat and humidity - Wayne R (RIP).

"When are you gone?" asks my boss.

"Tuesday through Friday ... next week."

"Are you around home?"

"Getting together with my family in Northern Michigan."

"And how are you getting there?" 

"?"

"Can you call in Tuesday to a meeting if needed?"

"I'll be on my motorcycle.  It's a long drive."

I do feel a bit bad that I'm getting an award at work and won't be there to be recognized.  I thought about trying to reschedule, but the complications quickly begin to multiply.  

The gods are fallen and all safety gone. And there is one sure thing about the fall of gods: they do not fall a little; they crash and shatter or sink deeply into green muck. It is a tedious job to build them up again; they never quite shine. - John Steinbeck

Monday ended with a typical level of angst about all that can go wrong at work, but things were in a relatively good place.

Tuesday morning did eventually arrive.  I walked outside well before dawn.  The air was cool and still; I love the magical early morning moments.  Frogs were contentedly gurping in the ponds to the north.  An owl was hooting off to the northeast.  Part of me didn't want to leave.

Home to VRBO House: 518.3 Miles

I left and drove through the roads I frequently walk the dogs on, then on to my bicycle roads, then past the land I hunt on and onwards north.

I had a hard time settling in to the ride.  The last time I did anything like a motorcycle road trip was the previous year in May.  I definitely felt out of practice.

I let my mind wander wherever it wanted to go.  Surprisingly (and happily) it rarely sunk to work.  When it did, I let it linger before moving on to other things.

Temperatures were cool - I was wearing my mesh jacket and wished I had my "real" touring jacket.  But I made do.  Traffic wasn't too bad and the construction zones were easy to get around.

I made my way around Fort Wayne and onto the interstate.  Brainless...

Making my way into Michigan and around Lansing, I headed north on US127.  I expected US127 to go to two lanes quickly, but it stayed four-lane divided the entire way with speed limits of 75MPH.  I happily putzed along.

As the afternoon progressed, the area started to get very Northy-looking with birch trees and boggy areas.  It reminded me a lot of the area around Kenora, Ontario.  In places, the roads were almost as bad.

It became evident once I entered the touristy area as the number of billboards increased.  These things have their place and can (rarely) be helpful, but the shear number was utterly vulgar.

I was the first person to arrive at the house.  I wore ear plugs all day, but my head was still buzzing.  The house looked good enough if a bit weathered outside.  The house sits on 350 acres and for the price I wasn't expecting anything too amazing; comfortable will work.

My older sister and Mom showed up a few minutes later, followed by our host.  We talked for a few minutes before exploring the house.

There were lots of rooms but the house showed its age with wrinkly floors and bathrooms that were definitely an afterthought.  The smell was a bit odd, but not in a totally disagreeable way - perhaps just a lingering question mark.  Overall - a win for sure though.

After unpacking we claimed bedrooms.  I took the room with the air conditioner - not because it was hot, but I wanted the white noise.

Big Sis and I took a short walk (maybe it qualifies as a hike?).  The property was gorgeous with deer everywhere.  At one point we exited some heavy woods into a big pretty valley.

A broken windmill sat near a hilltop with a shed - this reminded me of the beginning of the Bruce Campbell movie Evil Dead.

We got turned around a bit before heading back to the house.  The invasive wild Mullein was a bit much in places.  It looked almost listless - like it was biding its time before eliminating humanity.  It still seems far less objectionable than bush honeysuckle.

Back at the house, Brother and Family showed up a bit later.  Everyone was in good spirits as we talked - my nephew was a hoot, sharing his frog game that he had invented.  My brother even had cards printed up, making it look like a "real" game.

Pizza and salad dinner ended the day followed by everyone catching up a bit.