FT +4

Her rental went back today but before she had to give it back to the bike shop she had a specified number of miles she wanted to ride.  The goal was to have ridden one more mile this year than was ridden on last year's visit.

The Michigan residents had important shopping to do so we were on our own to get the requisite mileage.  We also had to arrive at the bike shop in time for the FT to be scooped up by the returning shoppers for a return delivery to the mountain.

I have a lot of miles ridden in Michigan, especially for a non-resident, but sometimes I am sorta looking at the grid of streets and guessing.  I believe that is how we ended up on a piece of pavement which is well  within the circle of miles we usually ride but is still a piece of pavement I do not recall ever being on before.

Certainly if we had ever ridden before we would not have been as startled as we were by the appearance of the Scruff Face Baptist Church.

We spent some time disucssing whether or not the former WWF TV host was a Baptist.  FT suggested that he might be without god but I remain quite convinced that if nothing else he believes strongly in the god of Jesse.

We were making the downhill on 160th and making good time so we paused briefly for the semi-traditional Bowerman's side entrance photo.

We made it to the bike shop in a timely manner and the FT was pleased to discover that her total number of miles ridden actually exceeds last year's total by four, FT +4.

Here's someplace we didn't go this year.

Actually, since accommodations became available on the mountain the FT had only been there a small handful of times anyway.  As for myself, until very recently I made at least two trips there per visit.  That was where Michigan Blue wintered (and falled, and springed, and actually most of summered) and went there to  pick it up and to drop it off.

Now there is an unfamiliar car parked in an unfamiliar spot up there towards the end of the driveway.  I stayed out on the street.

Today in France FC Nantes has opened the new Ligue 1 season hosting promoted side RC Lens.  FC Nantes was not permitted to participate in the transfer market during the summer open transfer window due to use in a game last season of a player whose transfer had not actually been completed.  Not being able to add any players to a side whose best player from last year will be playing in Italy this season is probably not a good thing.  RC Lens has its own problems as they were nearly had its on the pitch earned promotion denied due to business reasons when its principal owner failed to provide ligue required financial guarantees.  Until the very last minute, that is, and RC Lens took the pitch this evening in Nantes.

FC Nantes prevailed 1-0 on a second half goal by Yacine Bammou.  Bammou is new to the top team, having previously been a member of the FC Nantes "B" team which plays at the fourth level of French football.  Today was Bammou's first ever appearance for the top squad and his first appearance at the top level.  Bammou came on as a substitute in the 63rd minute and scored the goal in the 65th minute on what seems likely to have been his first ever touch in Ligue 1.  That's sort of like but probably even better than Hrbek hitting a home run in his first major league at bat.

I took this one tonight with my pocket camera.  The Gatsbys were having another Saturday night party, this week's party was on the beach and featured live music, a keyboard player/singer.  He said, "What a beautiful sunset."

It wasn't actually that dark but with a pocket camera you end up with what you end up with.  If we get similar conditions tomorrow, I will be out there with my good camera.

Kirk Park

Today we got to the last "required" stop on the FT's destination list, Kirk Park.  And a good thing too, because her rental goes back tomorrow.  They have a sort of pavilion there kind of like the one at Tunnel Park albeit considerably smaller and less grand.

That's a longish ride but one we were pleased to complete as it was our hostess's first time out there this year.  It was, she reports, also her longest ride of the year (it was also the FT's longest ride of the year).

There were actually quite a few more people out there than show up in the photo, in fact it was the largest crowd we have ever seen there.  The people, though are down the path just off frame camera right.  By just panning to the left there I have copletely rendered thenm for the pruposes of photography non-existent.  I can feel the power going to my head.

The horizon hugging cloud bank this evening was thick again and extended further up than the last couple of nights.  I noticed a gaggle of expensive looking gear with long lenses hanging out at the association south access.  I can report that they probably didn't get a decent shot either.

But this is the same computer I have brought to Michigan in other years.  I have to download the photos from my camera to the computer before I can upload them to blogger.  Therefore I have access to some archival material.

Sunset from 2011.

I can feel the power going to my head.

One guess

It appears that the big Kirk Park expedition is being lined up for tomorrow.  I ride, like, a lot, so I headed out again today, this time solo.

Middle of the day midweek in Western Michigan is quite similar to what it is like where I  live.  The major difference is that there are a lot more people where I live so when you winnow down the number of people here who are out and about you can find yourself out in the middle of nowhere with not a soul and sometimes not even a house anywhere within sight.

Cool.

OK, then.  I am going to give a clue and then everyone will get one guess what was the destination of today's ride.  Here's the clue:

Overpass aka "Hill" for scale.

Just looking around not a single person seems to be having the slightest difficulty with this one, I guess I made it too easy.

OK, hands down now, everyone got it right.  100 percent.

That place is well known to be a little sketchy and I briefly wondered whether it was wise to photograph these individuals coming out the door.  Then when the fellow off behind the store drove away and those other two took a good long look at me before going back inside, I decided that it was time to mosey along.

The white tee shirt guy came back outside and watched me ride away.

But all  is well and it was another perfect day for a perfect ride in scenic West Michigan.  I do not actually have my bike log here which introduces at least the possibility of error but I am pretty sure that today's mileage moves me past 2,000 miles for the year.  Also, Michigan Blue has moved into second place for bicycles with most miles ridden this year.

It seems as though there is going to be a horizon hugging bank of clouds over the lake every single night at sundown.  That was the case again tonight.

That's about the best I have been able to do.

Red pop with caffeine

Today we explored the Gold Barn blueberry situation.  Alas, we arrived probably a couple of hours too late.  All of the blue crop were sold out and they were retailing the Drapers.

Drapers?

More new information.  What happened to the Eliots?

Afternoon rolled around and we three had another nice ride.  We got all the way to the PSPS where my FT was positively brilliant.

Brilliantly colored.

Who doesn't like red pop with caffeine?

We eventually got some blue crop berries at the farmers' market.  Verdict?  Better than what we had maybe but not up to previous years' standards.  The hostess suggests that it depends on which berry you sample, some of the berries are sweeter than others.  We have sorta settled on the idea that the biggest problem is the horrible weather and the  disruption to the growing season.

I'd still like to get to the Gold Barn before the blue crop has run out and they begin to turn to the dreaded Drapers?

Power plant

I rode solo today but still managed to locate several of the important landmarks.  I rode the inland route to the north, first heading away from the lake all the way to 160th because they have some really nice pretty new pavement over there.  Everyone loves a smooth road.

Even a smooth road ends somewhere, however, and here is the end of the road.

You can tell that is true because the sign says "Road Ends".

I have been to the PSPS twice now, this is my first photograph of that hallowed spot for this calendar year.

I rode up the highway across the Pigeon River to the power plant.  They have a giant industrial sized pile of coal behind the building.  I sorta caught a glimpse of it through the trees at an angle before you actually get to the building.  Once you draw even with the building the coal is obscured.

What you cannot see cannot hurt you, I guess.

Here's the turn around point.

The wind was fairly strong off the lake so I chose to ride home along the path on Lakeshore.  I was hoping to shelter from lake breeze behind the dunes.  It worked fairly well and I was able to get a this year's photo of Stonehenge.

We came the closest we have come yet to having a sunset.  Here is a picture of my FT sitting on the deck while we wait expectantly.  What we are waiting for is best seen in the reflection in the window behind her.

Alas, the low lying clouds obscured the magic moment but on the other hand it is the most scenic we have yet seen this season.

We are having a fun and relaxing time, the weather has been peachy, the company outstanding.

In search of

We have been discussing the state of the blueberries.  All concerned agree that the blue crop this year is just not as sweet as in years past.  One possible explanation is the horrible spring weather and the disruption to the growing season.

Another possibility is that our favorite blueberry vendor has become too successful.  We have noticed that all blueberries purchased at Bowerman's are cool to the touch.  They have clearly spent some time in a refrigerator.  Well time spent in a refrigerator is time between  picking and consumption.  As with most produce, the fresher the fruit, the fresher and more appealing the taste.

Santini and GRider for perspective.

When we first started going there the stand was an open shed with a gravel parking area sufficient for maybe four or five cars and a couple of overheated teenagers making change out of a metal cash box. It looks a bit different today. In addition to the paved parking lot with a capacity of a couple of dozen cars the current "stand" includes air conditioning, a refrigerated cooler, ice cream and an electronic cash register.

Maybe a bit too successful.

They even have an artsy new bike rack.

Blueberry bushes for perspective.

So we have decided to investigate the state of blueberries down the street a couple of miles at an establishment called the Gold Barn.

We visited today but they were fresh out of berries.  A couple of overheated teenagers standing inside the overhead door on the completely not air conditioned metal building behind the house said they expected to get more berries soon from their pickers.

They had sold what they had had in stock earlier in the day and from looking at the table from which they were working when sales were actually occurring the staff was making change out of a metal cash box.

Stay tuned.

We rode over to Quincy Park were we discovered milkweed.

It's pretty cool actually, as those spots on the back of the leaves are all future monarchs.

So the way this has been working is the two or three of us take a bit of a ride and when we get back near the mountain they head on up to go on  with their lives while I peel  off to do another loop to get the miles I want.  So far I have been riding the loop in Waukazoo Woods.  This is pretty much today's turn back  point.

Oaks of the lake, I believe.

We have been coming out here for a long time.  For example, I can remember when the underbrush and smaller trees in this grove of trees was cleared and construction began on those houses.

It is still strikingly pretty.

Guests riding

I rode down to the local bike shop with my FT following along a few minutes later with the hostess in the truck.  I had a fabulous tail wind and set a new PR for trips from the mountain to Cross Country Cycles.  At the shop the FT rented a bicycle and out we went for a ride on roads we have ridden some before but fairly obviously roads with which we are less familiar than our normal rides.

For instance, we do not have any trees whatsoever where we live that produce this display.  Those are yellow flowers.

We road along at first stopping fairly regularly.  The gear she wanted to ride produced noises from the rear of the bike.  She watched me attempt the adjustment the first three or four times and then started turning the barrel adjuster on the rear derailer for herself.  Scott recommends when messing with the barrel adjusters to start with extremely small adjustments.  So we first tried a quarter turn away (facing the rear of the bicycle) from the frame, then another eighth turn or so, with limited success.  Eventually we went back to the original adjustment spot and started trying quarter turns in the other direction. Eventually she got it quiet enough that she was able to ride without complaint.

Until we rode past scruff face cemetery, that is.

I better be careful, I could find myself in court defending a libel lawsuit.