The next morning, we awoke to chilly 48 degree temperatures and no dew on the tent or ground. We would be in for some weather soon.

We were both surprised how warm it was in the tent. The crisp morning air might have motivated Matt to make hot coffee, me not so much. He brought Rosie and I a cup of hot coffee and a forgotten donut from my pantry pannier.🙂

Rosie reminded me that I promised to read her a story from her new book. So we drank coffee, shared the donut and read a chapter from her new favorite book (an old favorite of mine) The Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Andy.

Our camp neighbor Trish Dean stopped by to goodbye and learn more about our tour.  We shared with her as we packed up camp. We posed for pics, said goodbye and rolled away around 830am. Such a big day ahead of us.

Our first trail of the day was the Lakeshore trail. It offered a variety of hills and little rollers away from traffic. While we appreciate the separation from traffic, we had alot of miles to cover. So at times when the road with a great shoulder was flatter than the trail, we gladly jumped on it.  Making great time we arrived into Grand Haven just in time for our caffeine meter run low. Google took us to a coffee shop that was probably the corporate office of a coffee company. Not too sure, but either way we had a good conversation with a young lady named Mary who just moved from Oregon with her son and husband. Her non corporate coffee shop recommendation was Jumpin’ Java in downtown Grand Haven. So off we went! We arrived and got in line behind 7 kiddos. The line dispersed quickly and we obtained our coffee! Once outside, we fueled up on ham and cheese sandwiches I made the day before and our delicious iced coffee. Soon we were back on the road heading North.

https://www.jumpinjavami.com/

We rode on so many trails that I am 100% sure I cannot remember them all. A few of them were the Williams Field Hart Montague trail and the Fred Meijer Berry Junction trail.

At different times good old Google had taken us off the US Bike Route 35. We pondered this decision yet followed Googles instructions. Google may have directed us to the shortest route, but by no means was it the safest. Pot holes, litter, jaywalking pedestrians, broken glass and debris in the road made for a very rough ride on Hoyt Street in Muskegon, MI. We made it out of there unscathed to be rewarded with a stop at The Cheese Lady. Only 5 minutes I promised Matt. This is a promise I broke. Twenty to thirty minutes later, I came out with a few small wedges of cheese I thought we would enjoy and two birch beer sodas. I had taken the time to have good conversations with the employees about our tour and one in particular who was into mountain bike riding and wanted to see our gear set up.

Matt had been to the bakery next door and bought us some fresh garlic and herb bread as well as two donuts for the ride. We rolled over to the Muskegon Farmers Market and grabbed a picnic table. As I unwrapped the cheese, sunlight beamed down on the package and the heavenly angels sang.. joking.. It really was a delicious wedge of cheese. A gouda with veins of blue cheese. Delft Blue Cheese. Oh my goodness so amazing! We paired it with the garlic and herb bread from Morat’s bake shop and ham from the ice mule. Deliciousness!

https://thecheeselady.net/

https://moratsbakeshop.com/our-history

No lollygagging or horseplay was had on our breaks today. We were quickly packed up and back on the bikes.  We made our way outside of Muskegon and were in route to the Berry Junction trail.

We literally had only 37 more miles to go at this point. Coincidence, hmm.

As we approached the Berry Junction trail, I heard honking from a vehicle behind me. I looked in my mirror thinking something had happened Matt. Instead, I saw a little white dog chasing me. I stopped and called the dog over to me when the honking vehicle stopped and out jumped a woman who scooped up the scared little dog. I was not sure what was going on at that moment, so I asked her if it was her dog. She replied no, but she would take it. This was alarming to me, like kidnapping of a dog. Suddenly in the distance an emotional woman was running towards us. It was her dog, Hank Joe. She was out mowing the yard and Hank had run across traffic to say Hello. I ask Matt what his viewpoint was and he saw the dog cross the street and winced and prayed for him to make it across. Surely, he thought I wasn’t afraid of this little dog. Lol. I had a good cadence going and was in the groove. I hadn’t seen the dog until the driver of the vehicle started honking their horn.

Prayers works. Dog is alive and with his correct owner. Such an eventful afternoon.  Back to riding we go!

Soon we were cruising on the Berry Junction Trail. This led us to the Hart Montague Trail. So many nice trails today. Michigan is becoming one of my favorite states for cycling.

https://aquafeatures.net/

We made a quick stop at the market in Hart prior to making our final push to our Warmshowers host home. She literally lives less than a mile from the end of the trail. What a blessing it is to have the support of Warmshowers hosts. We had a wonderful and restful evening at her home after a long day in the saddle.

Today was truly a wonderful day of riding. 76 miles. Mostly trails. Cool breezes and temperatures in the mid seventies. Tailwinds and side winds pushed us forward to our destination. What a beautiful ride! We closed out our day with showers, a good meal and counting our blessings. Tomorrow we have a rest day!