Traverse City, Michigan beckons; we’re heeding

Paul says the lakes, dunes and towns of Michigan along the Lake Michigan shoreline are worth seeing.  Becky and I have decided to see for ourselves.

We loaded our bicycles for a two-month journey that will take us to Traverse City and back - about 1,000 miles each way. At 0615 Saturday morning, with rain falling but the temperature pleasant, we headed west. Out Savannah Road from Lewes, across Five Points, we carried the shoulder to Dairy Farm Road and then cut over to Log Cabin Hill Road.  Then to Hudson Road, then to Carpenter road, then to Rt. 5 and then west on Sand Hill Road.  On Burton Road we passed waist-high soybean fields, saw a few deer grazing in the distance, and then merged onto East Redden Road and stopped for a break from the rain in the pavilion at Redden State Forest.  Redden Road turns into Deer Forest Road on the other side of Route 13 and it’s one of the prettiest roads in Sussex.  

In the rain, Sussex smelled good. Cut swaths of corn along edges with that sweet smell of silage. And on slick roads between hardwood forests, the day smelled earthy, of the forest floor thick with accumulated leaves.

Deer Forest Road took us almost all the way to Greenwood where we stopped at tented picnic tables outside Venderwende’s to eat pieces of Casspulla’s Italian subs before heading into the ice cream shop for more fuel.  We were the first customers of the day. Dawn, Lexi and Kaleb were very nice and told us Aug. 12 was the first-year anniversary for the Greenwood operation.  Venderwende Farms also has an ice cream shop on their Route 404 home farm and another in Dewey Beach. Wonderful ice cream and I recommend their homemade waffle cones.

Properly fortified and sweetened, we then followed a number of smaller roads, guided by Google Maps’ excellent bicycle mode, to Denton and Martinak State Park for the night.

We logged 50 miles on the first day of our trek. Averages about eight miles per hour.  We’re carrying about 60 pounds of gear and water. 

Tomorrow will be a shorter day as we head for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge where Larry and Allison will meet us and carry us and our bicycles over the water. They plan to meet us later in September with Tom and Chris where we all plan to rendezvous with Paul at his Paradise Cabins. 

People have been very nice, wishing us a good and safe journey.  Outside the Food Lion in Denton, where we stopped to pick up some chicken wings and grapes for dinner, Terri - blonde, perky and friendly - asked us about our trip, and bid us a safe passage.  She started to walk away and then she turned:

“What are your first names? I’d like to mention you in our prayers at church tomorrow.”

We were honored to oblige and thanked Terri for her thoughtfulness.