Fond du Lac

I stopped in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin to see my Aunt Mary.  She had a meeting in the morning so I detached my bike from the back of the car & rode around town for a little over an hour until she was done.   After her meeting, she gave me a tour of town.  She is a member of the Sisters of Saint Agnes.  They run a hospital and college in town.  They've been busy since my last visit, building new facilities and rearranging locations.  We had lunch at a downtown restaurant before she had to go back to work.

Road Trip West

Attached is the album I'll use for pictures on the coming trip. I set this up ahead of time so I know it works.

69. Road Trip West

A few parting words

I'm almost packed and ready to start driving west. The computer is the next thing to pack up. It's a little sad to be leaving, but I always knew this was only a temporary stop, my last summer vacation as I've been calling it recently.

Since getting back from Alaska/Hawaii, I've been busy seeking out old haunts around town. It's hard to cram 18 years worth of memories into a few weeks, but I've been able to see & do just about all big things that I wanted and then some. I attended a Notre Dame home game (well...half of one any way); went to Saint Joe the for fireworks albeit on the wrong night for the man-made variety, but saw some of a different sort in the after-effects of a divine sunset; helped my mom clear some brush at a family property; played cribbage with my dad and the Grathwohls; and spent an afternoon poking around downtown South Bend, seeing some changes, amazed at a few things that hadn't.

I wasn't able to get a ticket to spectacular ND-Michigan game, but enjoyed watching it with some family & friends (all ND fans, I might add). Staying in Niles on Saturday also allowed me to tag along on a special visit to the Niles Fire Department, even ride up the bucket in the ladder truck, and enough time on Sunday for the half-day bike ride to Saint Joe.

I've still got a couple weeks on the road as I cover as much ground as possible on my way to Denver. I'm really looking forward to this part of the journey, the romance of following the open road westward to the sunset. My mom is going to join me for 10 days during which well see Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and plenty of scenic wonders in between. I'll keep posting as I go.

Creek Property before Clearing

Creek Property after Clearing

Century Center

East Race

BW-3s

Niles Fire Department

Up in the bucket

One Last Spin around Berrien County

I'm packing up and shipping out tomorrow to continue my slow migration west. Before leaving, I was able to complete one last bike ride around my hometown. At 70 miles it was the longest of the four rides since I got here back in June. It also came on the nicest of days, with perfect riding weather. I rode to Saint Joe, a town I've visited a couple times in the last couple months. The route was similar to a ride I recall from my high school years. Then, this was a full-day ride & I'm pretty sure my mom had to pick me up in Berrien Springs on the way back. Yesterday, I left around 1:00 and returned about a half-hour after sunset, about an 8:00 hour ride in all. Along the way up, I scoped out Eaton Park. About once a summer, we would go to this park to watch little league playoffs. I remember always being more interested in the fitness trail (now gone) than the game.

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In Saint Joe, I picked up lunch at Wendy's and rode to Bluff park to eat. I found a bench overlooking the river. Lots of boat traffic. I rode around town for a little bit and stopped to see my brother before heading south again. I left his house a little too late, but made good time. I went a little bit out of my way to ride through the villages of Stevensville & Baroda. This route also allowed my to ride a good portion along Hills Road, in my estimation one of the prettier drives in the county. It passes a lot of vineyards, which are just starting to permeate the air with the aroma of ripening grapes, on of my favorite smells.

Trip Statistics
Length: 71.3 miles
Ride Time: 5 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
Avg. Speed: 11.6 MPH
Max. Speed: 25.9 MPH
Total Ascent: 2,300 ft.
Max Elev.: 817 ft.

Elevation Profile

Grapevines

Linco Road

Saint Joe River

Downtown Stevensville

Love Creek

Yesterday, I got my bike out for the first time since July. I started my ride with some random ramblings through residential neighborhoods of Niles, primarily west of the river. After about two miles, I left town along the newly re-signed M-139. I stopped at a historic marker I'd not see before. It marked a cemetery that was established 10 years before Michigan gained statehood. The most interesting headstone I found belonged to a 16 year old killed in the battle of Petersburg.

I continued riding north passed some houses of a couple high school friends and eventually turned north on to Jones Road, a natural beauty road. I remember the unusual sign from at 20 years ago & wanted to see if it was still there. It is at the beginning of a very pleasant dirt road that weaves around a couple small lakes through thick woods.

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At the end of Jones Road, I was about ready to head back, but went just a little further north to Love Creek County Park. It doesn't claim quite the same quantity of memories as Madeline Bertrand, but I have some vague recollections of visiting as a child, at least once with my mom and another on a class trip. At first, I rode passed the entrance, but reconsidered and came back around to investigate the park. I'm glad I did. They recently blazed a 4.5 mile mountain bike trail. They admit it's not a technically challenging route, but it was a good path for me on my hybrid. I don't seek out off-road routes, but it was a great way to get in to the park and experience a different type of ride. It also gave me a good destination for the larger ride.

It was late by the time I completed the Love Creek Trail. Still, I rode a spur in to Berrien Springs and stopped for dinner at a small pizza restaurant. By the time I finished eating, I was really running out of daylight. I pressed pretty hard the last leg of the trip. Luckily, I had the assistance of a strong wind out of the north. I got back home about a half-hour after sunset.

Trip Statistics
Length: 42.4 miles
Ride Time: 4 hours 16 minutes
Total Time: 5 hours 13 minutes
Avg. Speed: 9.9 MPH
Max. Speed: 28.6 MPH
Total Ascent: 1,900 ft.
Max Elev.: 817 ft.



No Pictures because I forgot to charge my camera battery.