This was intended as a "rest day," and it was, and very enjoyable.
From Clare, there is a 30 mile bike trail that goes to Midland. When I got to the start of the trail I met Debbie and Jim (see photo), who had just ridden over from Midland and were about to return to complete the 60 mile round trip. We rode together to Midland, and the miles sure passed quickly as we talked.
They are from Birch Run, Michigan, and drive to Midland each Saturday in order to do their 60 mile roundtrip. They also take a somewhat shorter ride on Sundays, on a trail near Bay City. They are regulars on this bike path, and knew a lot of the other bicyclsts whom we encountered along the way.
When we got to Midland they showed me around a little, and recommended a restaurant that had great hamburgers and milkshakes. I poked around there for more than an hour, and as I was leaving to head for a motel I heard someone shout my name. It was Debbie and Jim again, who had returned to tell me their "small world" story. After leaving me they had loaded their bikes on their truck and had gone to visit friends, Russ and Carla, who live nearby. When they mentioned to them that they had ridden from Clare with a guy who was bicycling from the West Coast to New York City, Russ said something to the effect of "Was he riding a green Co-Motion with black, waterproof panniers? We talked to him last week, on the Upper Peninsula!" I did remember having had a brief conversation with them.
Midland, incidentally, is an upscale little town with a lot of nice parks and bike trails. These have been provided largly by Dow Chemical, which got its start here and whose world headquarters are still located here. Below is a picture of the towns "tridge," a bridge with three-spans that is part of the trail system.
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