Columbus, OH -> Grand Haven, MI

Casey and I rolled out of bed and hit Starbucks. The man gets a free drink and a sandwich every day, why wouldn't we? I loaded up the bike and set off for Grand Haven. When I got about a half hour out of town another high school marching band friend, Maddie, shot me a message. She is up in Toledo and we thought that she would be on her way to Cleveland for the weekend by the time I got up but it turned out she was free all day! A pleasant surprise. I changed my course for Sylvania, Ohio to meet with her for lunch at a cafe. My route took me through some highways in rural parts of the state. Somewhere on the way, maybe around Arlington, a sign caught my eye. "Biker break, all bikes welcome!" Don't mind if I do. I pulled in to a stranger's driveway and by the time I had shut my bike off an older man with a prodigious Miller Muscle peeking out from his unbuttoned vest greeted me. He kindly welcomed me to wander his property or enjoy his bench and offered me a libation and salty snacks. This man knows how it feels to ride. We chatted for a bit and found a common wish that more sidecar hacks hit the road and an appreciation for biker camaraderie. I took my leave as I needed to get to Toledo for lunch. He gave me a piece of parting advice, "Go to Hell! It's near Flint."

I got to Sylvania right at one. Not bad timing considering everything. I had not seen Maddie in about five years so we had some catching up to do. I'm noticing that I am getting quite good at this sort of conversation and not everyone is. I guess I've been rehearsing the 'life updates chat' for the last month. Maddie wrapped up her bio undergrad and is already working on a PhD. Wow! She had to be out at two which was just as well for me. I had to go to Hell. After a post lunch hobo nap at a park in Ypsilanti, I arrived in Hell. Hell is an offbeat tourist attraction for offbeat tourists. There is a mini-golf course, a bar, a distillery, and an ice cream shop. Between the name of the place and availability of alcohol, this attracts motorcyclists. Hell was overrun by bikers due to the holiday weekend and I made some friends in the ice cream line. The three of them (two riding and one pillion) had come in from northern Michigan on their ride for the day. We talked bikes and enjoyed the ice cream. Once my cup was empty it was onward to Grand Haven.

The Girl From Hell

The ride from hell was temperate and quite pleasant until the sun began to set. Being that I am heading East, the sun now sets into my eyes. Luckily the season means that I don't have to deal with this until after seven or so but I guess this is something I need to think about now. I pulled into my Daniel's garage in Grand Haven and settled in. Daniel and I are friends from high school, I suckered him into letting me service my bike at his garage. His family owned all the land in the area before it was subdivided. All the remaining relatives congregate on the family's vacation houses out her for holidays to enjoy the chaos together. After dinner, we met up with the rest of them on the shore of Lake Michigan. We drank beers and watched the younger men strike up a fire and set off last year's leftover bottle rockets. An appetizer for tomorrow's main course.

Today's Distance: 355 Miles

Total Distance: 5120 Miles