Day 30 - 7/7/16 South Bend to Michigan City, IN

I liked riding through the city of South Bend on the way to Bob and Patty's place.  I liked the coffee place I stopped in – a take on a cafe you'd find in the French Quarter of New Orleans.  I've never been there before so I can't comment on how accurate this coffee shop was to what you'd find in NOLA.  There's something about South Bend that I like but I'm not sure what.  Maybe because it's small.  Maybe I just really like small cities that don't have an overwhelming amount of places to go and spend money.  On the West side of South Bend, Bob and Patty live right next to a small lake.  The 2 of them are pretty laid back.  We just chatted in the garage while Bob was figuring out some adjustments on his new bike and then ended up doing some work on mine: lubing my pedals, adjusting my brakes and my wheels.  Both Bob and Patty rode with me to Michigan City today.  We woke up real early, about 5:30am, so we could eat some breakfast and start riding before it got too hot and humid and so they could make it back home before the rain hit.  It's nice when someone else is leading the way.  I just had to ride, not think about anything else.  We rode through some very quiet country roads while the sky threatened us with some heavy weather.  It never rained on the way here but I don't know if they got caught in anything on the way back.

Day 27 - 7/4/16 Angola to Elkhart, IN

I was real happy when Neil asked me if I was interested in watching fireworks before I even got to his place.  Him and his girlfriend and his 2 kids had plans to drive to Silver Beach in St. Joseph, Michigan to watch the show with hundreds, maybe a thousand other folks huddled close on the beach.  I'm sure some of the families had gotten to the beach and claimed their spots very early in the day.

 

 We still managed to get a good spot a couple hours before the fireworks were scheduled to start.  We dug out some seats in the sand, covered them in a blanket and waited for it to begin.  Neil's kids played in the water while Neil, Erin and I made some dinner on the beach.  With our sandy seats aimed at the pier jutting out into the water, we watched the sun set as the lake filled up with boats to get the best view.  

By the time the sun has disappeared, the surface of the water looked like a reflected city with all the lights from the boats so clustered together.  It's amazing how much waiting and anticipation leads up to 20 minutes of colors and explosions but, it was all worth it.  The fireworks brought back so many memories and happy feelings of 4th of Julys in the past.  I remember when I used to be afraid of these things, running from the seawall back to our beach house where my Papa was sitting quietly.

  

He knew I was afraid and reassured me there was nothing to be scared of.  A few years later and you would find me on the beach lighting off my own fireworks, putting on a smal show for whoever was watching on the seawall that night.  4th of July is like Christmas in th Summer time.  It's a wonderful opportunity to spend time with friends and family and stay up late and party.  I've done a few different things the last few years since my family sold our beach house.  I've visited friends in Maine, had barbecues at home and found places to hang out and drink and not worry about anything.  I'm glad I found some friends for the night this year and some fireworks to watch with them so far away from home.

Day 14 - 6/21/16 Scottsville to Rapids, NY

And I'm back on the road.  It's incredible how much these days vary.  The last 2 nights, I stayed in a warm, loving home in a quiet neighborhood, and tonight I'm in a town that appears to have one gas station and one restaurant which both share the same building.  I'm up the street from there now at a small baseball field with a park.  I think I'll be okay here but, I'm going tobbe waiting a while to set up my tent.  Of course it has to be the longest day of the year today so I'll probably get settled around 9:30.  It's fine though, I'm warm and happy and there's even a port-o-pottie right here so I can change out of my sweaty bike clothes.  The landscape is changing for the better.  The last 3 days of riding have been primarily flat.  There's still lots of wide, open spaces dotted with farms but, that will go away tomorrow and for a few days after that. 

 

But those farms and fields will come back with a vengeance once I get to Ohio and beyond.  Until then, I'm looking forward to seeing Niagara Falls and one of the great lakes.  I'm even curious about Buffalo and other towns along Lake Erie.  Although it doesn't seem ideal to be riding into a city on this trip, I can't pass up seeing Niagara Falls.