56.69 Miles today. I really wanted to go a bit further, but it was getting late in the day and I didn’t want to be caught out there in those open fields far from anything and no place to sleep. The next area that helps prospects was around Marysville, MI and with no phone communications, it was just chancy.
On the way to Yale, I was riding through and stopped in North Branch for Gatorade. As I was leaving town I spied a machine fast approaching from the rear in my mirror. These days it is quite common to see bicycles with electric motors attached and they race along the city streets. They’re dangerous and usually violate a long list of laws, but they’re everywhere.
As the rider pulled up next to me he slowed to say hello. It was a recumbent and he was really moving. No electric motor, just human power. The recumbent bicycle can really fly, although, they can be slower up-hill. They are heavy and the rider can’t get up out of the saddle to force more pressure on the pedals. That said, they do cover serious ground.
Further along the way, we stopped to chat for a few minutes. James is also headed for the east coast. He is traveling about 3-4 MPH (5-7 km/h) faster than I and should arrive there many days before I do. He mentioned that his brother works for the company that made the recumbent and that his brother had welded the frame. I poked around on the Web and found his blog at http://www.ransbikes.com/category/blog/ For more on the bike, see: http://shop.ransbikes.com/product-p/mabk0100.htm
James is doing considerably higher mileage each day than I. In some cases, almost twice as much. The recumbent speaks for itself.
I stayed in Yale Motel for the evening. The listing on Google said something about it being “quaint.” Little did they know. It was a very old hotel, no elevator and shared bathrooms. For $25.00 a night, I gave it a try.
The staff let me put the bicycle in a first-floor pool table room to save carrying it up the stairs. I was assured that the door would be locked; just in case, I put my bike lock on it and attached it to the fireplace. (in the morning, the bike was still there, but the door wasn’t locked).
The staff was nice enough and I slept well, but I felt like I was on the set of an old Alfred Hitchcock movie. A traveling bicyclist might do better at the Sweet Dreams Motel, about a mile north. Carrying everything up and down three flights was trying when tired. There were very few electrical outlets in the walls, and they were so old that nothing stayed plugged in. There must be smoke alarms somewhere, but I didn’t spot any. Several times someone banged on the door when I was in the bathroom showering, yelling for “Leech,” or something like that. I think it was their dog, a large mutt. I answered them several times, but they must think Leech can talk, they were convinced he was in there.
I did sleep well and was up early and ready to go.
