Michigan just won't let us go...

Jul 20 - Glidden lake MI to Ottawa lake MI: 45.72 miles (36.25 on route + 9.5 to retrieve water bottle)

Courthouse in Crystal Falls, not far from where we camped the night before  

After the long hard day yesterday we needed something shorter today.   This was reinforced also by not getting out of camp until noon.

Our target: USFS Brule River campground, under 40 miles. This is the first campground on our route that is over the border into Wisconsin.

The view from Crystal Falls courthouse

Once I reach the nearby hilltop Crystal Falls, I search for services in the next town, Alpha, while I enjoy the view and wait for Heather.  A "Village Inn" in Alpha catches my eye; I picture a chain restaurant offering pancake breakfasts.  Heather is also keen for pancakes when she arrives and we set off on the rolling terrain.

On this day we coin the phrase "going uphill, on a crappy road, into a headwind, while a deer fly is biting you" , because it happened here on this hill

I realize about 7 miles out that I've left behind my water bottle at the courthouse.  Sadly, this was after quite a lot of up and down, including one big hill on a lousy road that I could only climb in the lowest gear out of the saddle at about 7 mph.  Can't be helped, I'm not leaving it there. It's been a long ways with me already, and I don't want to litter.  

When I do reach Alpha, now with both water bottles, I baulk at the "Village Inn", a very tired looking bar.  I find a grocery store just up the road where Heathers bike is waiting.  She fils me in on the Village Inn experience, which did not include pancakes on the menu, and was otherwise unwelcoming.  The grocery store was much better, and included a covered picnic area not far from the front door. 

At the store, we also meet Carol, who is traveling eastbound on her bike.  She is heavily loaded, with very similar gear to our own, but everything bigger and heavier.  She is on her own, and we swap tales of how concerned everyone is about cycling alone. We also swap recommendations for our favorites spots to stay the night or places to see along each other's upcoming routes.

Over lunch, Heather and I spend some more time researching our planned camp destination of for tonight, and discover that it is closed due to budget cuts and lack of popularity.  We end up spending a considerable time trying to find another campground, and finally end up selecting one pretty far off-route, but at least it is in the right direction.  Our new target is still in Michigan - we won't be crossing into Wisconsin today.

There's a reasonable sized town, Iron River, along the way too, with a real grocery store where we can find food for dinner.  I plot the direct route to the grocery store. 

Interestingly, once we get on the road again, we see a couple more eastbound cyclists now.  UP until now, we've seen the occasional touring cyclist, always going the other direction. We are on one of the main ACA "Northern Tier" routes now, and likely those that left in late spring have had time to arrive here in Michigan. 

My route to the grocery store is along a really poor road, and seems to be unnecessarily straight up and down.  I warn Heather via text message that perhaps she might want to find an alternate path through the town.  Once stocked up on groceries, I make for Ottawa Lake, again I seem to have picked the hilliest option to get out of town, but eventually reach Ottawa Lake road, our only option to reach our destination, and it too is gratuitously hilly.  

It feels much much further than 45 miles over the last wooded miles to reach the campground. Once we reach camp, it too is on a hillside, and we opt for one of the available lakeside sites next to an RV.  We meet Bob in the RV when we need to borrow something to pound in our tent stakes, and he invites us to share his fire later. 

Cooling my feet in Ottawa Lake

There is time after dinner for me to hang out with Bob by his fire, and he shares tales of his love of camping, the outdoors, and bear hunting. With no prompting, he explains his view of the dichotomy of loving and respecting wildlife and loving to hunt. Bob is local but spends as much time as he can camping with his RV at nearby lakes, always in Michigan, and often here at Ottawa Lake.  "Only a non-camper would ever steal stuff from a campsite."

Eventually I must leave the warm fireside.  Heather is already settled in our tent with her Kindle; I curl up in my sleeping bag.