Michigan, Ohio and Wonderful Friends

 Greetings from Upstate New York,

Our summer has been full of beautiful sunsets and incredible friends.  I feel so fortunate to have kind, adventurous, and interesting friends.

We were in Northern Wisconsin when I last wrote.  And I said I had a big surprise for you, didn't I?

I heard some guesses:  

Someone is pregnant!

You and Steve are getting married!

Sorry to disappoint, but no to both of those.  Ha ha.

After Wisconsin came the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (UP).  Our first stop after Ashland, was Ontonagon. We stayed at a town campground that doesn't take reservations, but if you call the day you arrive after seven a.m., they will put out an orange cone in an available spot of your choosing.  The cone will have your name taped on it.

It is a crazy system, the spots right on Lake Superior are the most popular.  We were not able to get one, but we had an easy walk to a spot on the beach to watch the sunset each night.  And the day we arrived it was very windy by the lake, so we were happy to be inland.

Ontonagon is on the Eastern edge of the Porcupine Mountains.  We took a couple hikes the first day and visited the visitors center.   The first falls, Bonanza Falls, was interesting, and must be quite dramatic in the spring.  But it was so low when we were there we could almost walk across the river.  

We drove to Nonesuch and hiked to and through an old ghost town where not much but the stone foundations remained.  It boomed for mining and a few years later it busted.

There were trails going every which way.  I turned off to explore a building and mine shaft, when I lost Steve.  I got back to where I left him and he was gone.  A quick text and he told me he left an arrow in the trail when he turned.

Easy peezy.  How did we ever manage without cell phones?   Paper maps, a compass, and meeting back at the car, I guess.

I think they were mining for iron.  

Our friend Diane, who summers in the UP and winters in Florida, came with her tent and joined us for a couple days in Ontonagon.  The first night Steve made us Ratatouille.  Yum!  Diane brought us some of her almond horn cookies she makes.  It is the only cookie in recent years that I have been inspired to make.  I reduce the sugar and add some almond flour so I feel less guilty eating them.  Yum!

We were lucky to discover that there was a music festival going on when we were there.  We went to the music festival on the ski hill in the Porkies.  The music was varied and fun.  One threesome band had a woman who sang, played cello and drums and symbols all at the same time!  What super human coordination and talent that is.

If you like to hike and get to the Porkies, I recommend the Escarpment Trail.  It is eight miles round trip, but we were able to park Diane's car at one end and then start our hike at the other end.  It was absolutely stunning... and quite an up and down and up and up hike.

After Ontonagon, we stayed in Tourist Park in Munising.  There we got to enjoy the veggie pasties that we had the first time we came to Munising.  It is seasoned so well, a great tradition for us.  You can only get these great Pasties at Miner's Pastie Shop.

We went for a hike one day with Diane.  We got to have a close encounter with a pileated wood pecker!  It was right next to the trail and was so interested in finding bugs in an old log, it didn't mind us.  We held very still and quiet for a while, but then we started talking and moving and it just kept hunting for bugs.

Diane had us to her lovely home.  We got to meet one of her Michigan friends, Linda.  Diane made us a lovely whitefish dinner (eating whitefish is another great tradition when visiting Munising).  And then we went to the beach to watch the sunset.  Thanks, Diane.  We had a wonderful visit, great conversations, and so good to see you.

Next we were heading to Ohio.  But first we camped a few days in Cadillac, Michigan.  I wanted to ride the North end of the White Pine Trail.  It is a 90+ mile paved trail going all the way to Grand Rapids.  We could have actually ridden trails all the way back to Madison, WI and beyond, with a short trip on the high-speed ferry across Lake Michigan, if we had the time.

The campground we were staying at was... different.  Lots of signs, and even a neon sign in the window saying "Trump 4 Ever".

It was easy to get to the trail and one evening we walked to a restaurant.

We used our trikes to ride the White Pine Trail.  Dang!  I heard a scraping and a rattling shortly after we took off.  We investigated and finally realized the right front brake on my 2008 Catrike had busted.  I can't complain, I stopped recording miles on the trike in 2017.  It had over 40,000 miles on it by then.  It's a good trike!  We removed the worn pads and broken spring, and I rode the trail with one brake.

Our next stop was Lansing, Michigan.  By then I was getting anxious to get settled in Ohio because I had some paperwork to deal with.  Important paperwork.  

Here is the surprise which isn't related to pregnancy or marriage.  While traveling, I was going through the process of buying a condo back in the Windermere neighborhood where George and I lived 2016 to 2021 or 22.  I loved that neighborhood, it is right on the Withlacoochee Trail and an easy walking distance to downtown Inverness.  Plus I know so many friendly folks there!

I found out it was available early in our travels.  But I just wasn't ready to make that decision.  It is a pricier condo than the one I have.  But I have been longing to get back there since I sold my too-big townhouse there.

I then learned that the place was under contract from Mark and Julie (the friends we visited in Madison, WI and met up with by the Cuyahoga River in Ohio in July) that were looking for a place along the Withlacoochee Trail too.  

But then Mark let us know that the contract on the condo I was thirsting after (owned by biking friends Dave and Marsha) was back on the market.  Their buyer backed out.

I used to watch over their condo during the summers when I was caring for George.  I know the condo and the improvements they had made.  I asked Mark if they would hate me if I made an offer on the place.  They were still in Wisconsin and would not get down to see it for another week.  So I made and offer, a bit higher than the asking price.  I got it!   The realtor told me there was also another offer on the table at the same time as mine.  But my offer would close faster.   That made me feel better about making an offer in front of Mark and Julie getting there to view it.  It probably would not have been on the market another week.

I am excited.  It feels right.  The deal is done.  Here is the listing on Zillow.

So that is the big news.  No one is pregnant, no one is getting married.  I just bought a place I have been dreaming about for a few years.

Do you know anyone who might what to buy my former condo?  Here is the listing from two years ago.  It isn't my listing, so don't click to reach that realtor. 

The trail around Lansing was nice.  We had some pretty views.  I rode my e-bike.

We had brunch downtown.

There was something I had never seen before.  The antidote to an opioid overdose was in old news boxes for free.

We rode to the capital to see it, but it was a Sunday and everything was closed.

We made it to the fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio.  There I was able to have good cell service to transfer money and close on my new condo.   Xenia is a location east of Dayton where several rail trails come together at the Xenia Station.  We can ride in many directions from Xenia.

Our original plan was to stay through Cycle-Con.  This is when manufacturers and distributors of everything to do with recumbent bikes and trikes gather to show off their goods to bike shop owners and managers.  Then, the last day of the event is open to the public so people can try out all the different kinds of bicycles.  I was excited to be there for the event because I would get to see people I don't normally get to see.  Gary Simon who does a podcast/youtube show on recumbents was going to be there.

Dan Zimmerman, who suffered a stroke at an early age and went for three years without being able to speak or walk, discovered recumbent trikes.  Now he can speak, and walk a bit.  He doesn't have use of one arm but was able to modify a huge utility trailer.  He now travels all over the country teaching bike shops how to modify trikes for persons with disabilities.  He founded Spokes Fighting Strokes.

Dan was there for Cycle-con.  He was making up his bed for his friend, May.  He told us, it is challenging to put on a pillowcase with one arm.  He has a great sense of fascination and humor about his situation.

We didn't attend Cycle-con because we were talking with Christy and Mark about going to Europe for a bike and boat with them.  We picked a tour that would require us to the leave the area before Cycle-Con.  So we missed it this year for something much better this time.  Hopefully there will be another opportunity to go to Cycle-Con in the future.

Our first night we drove up to Yellow Springs.  I call it a hippy town.  It is small but has art and lots of restaurants.  In the 1800s it was a refuge for escaped and freed slaves.

Several stores had these signs refusing entry to ICE agents.

We broke down and had ice cream.  We went traditional and didn't try the dill pickle flavor or even the pistachio flavor.  "Next time," I said.  But I think I will try the Pistachio Gelato in Italy.  Smiles.

We had a rainy day to go to the Air Force Museum in Dayton.

That was cool.  We got to walk through different Air Force One planes.

And see the plane that dropped an Atomic Bomb.

We biked with some of the Impromptu Ohio Trike Riders.  Bernie and Roger drove all the way from Cincinnati to join us for the ride.  You may remember Bernie and Roger who we met up with when we went through Cincinnati earlier this year and rode the southern part of the Little Miami Trail.

Amy, who we expected to see was actually down in Florida floating in a pool while we were in Xenia.

We happened to bike toward Dayton on 9/11 and one of the rest areas was next to a 9/11 memorial with a big chunk of the twin towers on display.  There were several people and groups visiting the memorial.

We lunched at Brixx in Dayton.  We had great conversations.  Walter has done RAGBRAI (bike across Iowa with 10,000 plus other bikers) for many years.  One year he biked from the Wright Brother's first flight field in Ohio to the Wright Brother's first controlled flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.  Walter is the guy in the yellow shirt.

While in Xenia, we made a trip to the county recycling center!  Yay!  The shower floor was empty for a day.

Steve and I drove over on another rainy day to Wilberforce where there is the National African American Museum.

 

I learned that there was a fundraising ride for a trail north of Xenia, the Simon Kenton Pathway.  Jim Cook told me about it on Facebook.  He has headed up the ride for 30 years and this was his last go.  While chatting with him he asked how we got together because I had indicated I was all done with having a man in my life.  I told him how I had met Steve biking with the Withlacoochee Bicycle Riders, how he was married when we met.  That his wife died suddenly and we started texting about her death and their life together.  Steve piped in here, "We found out we have a lot in common."

It made me think for a moment about all the things we do have in common.  We like to bike, bike tour, hike and kayak.  We like to listen to music and podcasts.  Neither of us watch TV.  We both eat a pescatarian diet.  We both are on the same side politically too.  AND of course, we both like to travel.  Yes, Steve is right, as we were texting back and forth as he was trying to survive the huge grief after Margaret died, we were also discovering we had a lot in common and we just started doing things together when we got back to Florida.

On the Simon Kenton Pathway bike ride we saw a bike rack that lifted, so you can roll your bikes onto it and then it raises up.  We took a picture because it is just a matter of time when we will no longer be able to lift our bikes.  In fact, it is time for me not to be able to lift my e-bike.  Steve does all the heavy lifting these days.  Thank goodness for Steve!

We saw a family with four small children getting ready to ride.  Wow!  Such energy!

The fog made all the spiderwebs visible.

There were a LOT of spiderwebs!

OMG!  We got home one evening and Steve came into the trailer and said, "Regis and Cindy just pulled up!"  I was so happy to see them.

They had been down in the heat of Kansas all summer taking care of her dad who is over 90.  We went on rides with them every day.  I told her, Mary Ann is coming to visit!

Mary Ann had to stop being a snowbird, so we had not seen her for a couple years.  Cindy said, don't tell her, I want to surprise her.  What a great surprise!

We went on two rides with Mary Ann.  She drove all the way from Toledo to see us.  I was thrilled and humbled that she would come all that way to see us.  She had a friend accompany her, he was 90.

Our last day in Xenia we got Ice Cream and Young's Dairy (a destination place that has a petting zoo and now a Carousell.  We also stopped to get some apples.  

Our last night in Xenia I saw this praying mantis land on a van door.  Look at her looking at me as I took the picture.

Now we have raced back to NY to Steve's house.  His daughter is living in the house and we are parked in the yard.  The weather has turned cool.  We are getting packed for Croatia.  We fly out from Syracuse on Monday.

Remember to educate yourself on the candidates and issues in the upcoming elections in November.  So many people sit out the mid-term elections.  We are very aware now that even the county boards and school boards and election officers and judges are all very important to keeping us free from an Autocracy.

I found that going to my local League of Women Voters website was helpful in finding out about candidates and amendments that we will be voting on in Florida.  I also asked some of the folks I met at the No Kings Protest about the County seats to find out who supported the Data Centers and who didn't.

I hope this information is helpful to you.  Let me know of other places you have gone to get information about candidates and things that will be on the ballot.

Oh!  I forgot to tell you.  I got a new phone. It probably tracks me better, because Verizon gave it to me for free.  Now, maybe you will see better pictures coming from me.  We will see.

Until next time, stay well.  I miss you already.