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Sep 21. Heading Home, Part 3

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  As predicted, we didn't get any rain last night and because of a little bit longer day, we got started a little sooner.                    Packing Up at Fort Custer  We had beautiful roads lined with hickory, maple, oak and walnut trees especially during the first part of our ride, which sometimes led to a challenge dodging all the nuts and acorns on the side of the road.  We had a bit more traffic today than many other days even though we tried to choose quieter roads.  We also had a moderate head wind so that slowed us down a bit.   Wouldn't you know it--we had a flat tire less than 10 miles from home!  We still arrived well before sunset. 

Sep 21 Home!

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   We are blessed by Dereck who stayed at our house and took care of it, and by Sue & Mike, our neighbors who read about our lost balloon and got us some more!  We are grateful to God for the health He gave us that made this trip possible, and for both our local community and for all the people we met along the way that contributed to our success.   

Sep 20. Heading Home, Part 2

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   Just a few miles into our ride, we went through the gate in the prison wall of the first state of Michigan prison, which was built in 1839 and the wall in 1841.  So it has been over 180 years that prisoners have been locked up at Jackson.    From Jackson to Concord we traveled on another rail trail, the Falling Waters Trail. Both yesterday's and today's trail and some shorter ones in the city of Jackson are going to be part of the Great Lake-to-Lake Trails Route #1 from South Haven to Port Huron when the gaps between trails are completed.  It went through what we thought was an impoundment, but someone along the trail told us it was where marl used to be quarried and now is known as Lime Lake.                                  Lime Lake                        Tunnel of Trees                                          Tree-Star               As we were coming into Marshall, we heard thunder so quick checked a map and found a park a

Sep 18-19 Heading Home, Part 1

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  To get back home, we had originally planned to take a rental van. However, Kay's sister and husband from southeastern Michigan ended up driving instead of flying.  So we were able to ride back to Michigan with them yesterday and stay at their house overnight.     We put our gear back on the bikes and this morning set out on a 3-day adventure back to Holland.  We had a thunderstorm and rain last night but by the time we left we had sunshine.    The first 15 to 20 miles were busy,  then we joined the Mike Levine Lakeland Trail.  This is a rail trail that is one of the linear Michigan State Parks.  This took us almost to Jackson which is where we are staying tonight.           The  first changing leaves we noticed   It was a good day for wildlife.  We saw a 12" snapping turtle, a 3-foot beautifully patterned snake, and a few frogs, one of which we were able to identify as a leopard frog.  We saw one bald eagle while still in the southeastern Michigan suburbs, and wh

Sep 16-18. Belle Isle State Park

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  We had a great time at Belle Isle State Park on the Rappahannock River with Kay's two stateside sisters and their spouses.  The house we were staying in included 4 bicycles, 2 canoes, and 2 crab traps.  It also had puzzles, games and an extensive library, which we didn't need as the weather couldn't have been better-- sunny and pleasantly warm in the daytime and pleasantly cool at night.  Since we had enough bicycles for the 6 of us counting ours, we went on several bicycle rides together on the park roads and trails, visiting little beaches and overlooks by the water, saw an eagle's nest and checked out the exhibit at the visitor center.  We put out the crab traps baited with chicken necks purchased at the camp store and eagerly checked the traps a couple times a day.  We had great meals, visited a beach on the Chesapeake side of the peninsula, and had great seafood for lunch at a local restaurant/pool hall. The poor person who waited on us was very busy

Sep15. "Paved Road" was a Two-Track

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https://ridewithgps.com/ routes/40936417      Originally we had hoped to have arrived at Tappahannock yesterday and continue on to Belle Isle State Park today. But as we were delayed by the runs, we were blessed with loving relatives who picked us up there to take us to Kay's sisters' get-together.      Our bicycling routing software took us from the hotel along what were mainly country roads for about 15 miles.  We played leapfrog with a school bus that would almost catch up to us, then stop to pick up more kids.  Finally it passed us.  It must have gone down a side road as we noticed it behind us again. We had fun saying, "Have a good day at school!" to the waiting children. After this morning traffic, the roads quieted down. We did have a logging  truck come up behind us and with no room for them to pass us, as the road was only about 1 1/2 lanes wide there, we got off at a driveway to let them pass.   We then crossed Highway 17 to continue

Sep 14. Finished!! And Now a Few More Pedal Strokes...

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               Yorktown Victory Monument   Yippee! Kay slept well and no more frequent trips to the bathroom. Her energy was not quite back to normal but good enough that we could ride 33 miles comfortably today.  Yesterday we rode on the Colonial National Historical Parkway from where the Capital Trail ends near Jamestown to Williamsburg. Today, we got back on to take it to Yorktown.  Because of its deliberate design to give some of the effect of traveling long ago, it is more isolated, quieter, tree-lined to block sight lines of commercial development and has limited access and lower speed limits to discourage routine traffic. So it was very pleasant to ride.  Yesterday we traveled for quite a while along the James River, today once we were beyond the Williamsburg area, we traveled along the York River. It's amazing how big the estuary is as it approaches Chesapeake Bay.  We saw a large naval ship, a small working craft (setting crab tracks?) and a tall sh