Hemlock Crossing Park to Kirk Park

The mileage from Hemlock Crossing Park to Kirk park is  about 5.5 miles.  If you ride into the park, down to the big lake at the end of the walkway in Kirk, then return to Hemlock Crossing via Hiawatha and Croswell, the round trip is about 12 miles.  It was a perfect day for a bike ride, with sunshine, warm air and light winds.  Sometime earlier -- I don't remember exactly when -- I had a hitch installed on the back of my truck and purchased a hitch mounted bike rack.  It's quite easy to load it, and it seems to handle two bikes with ease.  The second bike was for LH, who was taking her first bike ride of the year, on my old Bianchi hybrid.  We have a few things to learn about getting organized for this kind of bike ride.  She forgot the Ibu, and I left my camera on the table next to the couch.  So there are no other photos to share.

The rack seems to be working out fine -- both loading and unloading of bikes is a breeze.  Installing the rack involves some kneeling and bending to tighten the appropriate bolt like things, so budgeting time to recover from that is also required.  I like riding north of the Pigeon River, but it's too far for it to be a regular thing, starting from home.  Starting from the south bank of the Pigeon River, right next to a bridge crossing the river,  made it a lead pipe cinch.

Seven minus five is two. Just two.

The Smiths departed at a civilized hour this morning, and as is nearly always the case, the house seems strangely empty now.  It was a full house this weekend, and now it's just JB and me.  Due to the magic of text messaging, I have heard that they made good progress on their journey home today.  Before they left there was time for one more photo opportunity on the deck.  There was a little lake fog behind them, but otherwise it was a nice enough morning.  A little cool, a little windy, but not too bad for mid May here.

We hope to see them here again, they are quite excellent guests.  Thanks for stopping by.

Winding Down

Our guests are only here for a short visit, but we have truly enjoyed having them around.  The Grands were here for the weekend, filling the house with their youthful energy.  They also helped GZ and me retrieve his Michigan bicycle from its winter storage location so that he and I could take a bike ride to the PSPS.   We returned knackered, but pleased with the effort.  Other than that, we spent a lot of time on the deck today, with Mother Nature's cooperation.  It was a soupy day, but the rain stayed to the west of us, and there was another unique sunset about 9:02 this evening.  This was shot with the dawn/dusk mode on my camera, which comes fairly close to showing the colors as I perceive them.

Tomorrow is a work day for OSLO and a school day for the COTU, so we hugged them good-bye after supper as they headed for home.  Tomorrow the Smiths will do the same on the last leg of their epic road trip.  It's been fun to be a part of it.  

It's a Tradition

Regular visitors know the drill.  Feta fish, followed by a walk to Tunnel Park.  It must be okay -- the four people in this photo look like they're having a good time.

The fish was good, too.

They Always Make My Day

A cautionary tale.

The ambulance pulled up alongside this little bridge as I approached it.  Two bikers had crashed out on the slippery surface of the boardwalk, and one of them was still down.  She'd landed on her hip and couldn't move, I was told by her riding companion, so she'd called 911.  I watched as they loaded her on the stretcher, then I continued on, bypassing the slippery bridge.

This was about a mile from the Port Sheldon Party store -- I took the photo on my return trip.  It really was too wet to ride today.

It was quite a bit warmer and sunnier a couple of days ago when I biked into downtown Holland to check out the Tulip Time festivities.  The trees and the tulips attract a lot of tourists, most of them with cameras.

I understand that there are a couple of tourists crossing Michigan today -- and the 5 mile long bridge that connects the UP with the Mitten.  On their way to the Hockey Hall of Fame, I believe.  In Canada.  I look forward to some fresh bloggable material.

May Days

Saturday evening and Sunday morning the boy grandchild put in some time doing some practice driving in my truck. He just got his "level one" license. AKA his driver's permit. So far, so good.

Monday was pretty chilly here near the lake. 74 in Grand Rapids, 45 at the beach.  I took a bike ride anyway, ending up at the old bridge on the Pigeon River.

It rained all day on Tuesday, but today dawned sunny and dry. With Tulip Time underway, any and all bike rides head north, away from the crowds.

As I left the PSPS, the cashier cautioned me to be careful. "Lots of tourists out there."  The Volksparade, or street scrubbing parade, took place this afternoon, and probably most of the tourists were downtown.