Stop inhaling all the pepper spray so we can pack

After a long school year, it's time to slow things down again. To about 12mph on average, to be exact. So we planned out a new adventure, the longest we've attempted so far. We're traveling from Ludington, MI to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. In the interest of science, Alex began the trip clean-shaven today and will not shave until the end. He has taken a before picture for comparison. Also in the interest of science, David inhaled a bit of pepper spray while preparing for the trip. Perhaps this is why we seem to have forgotten so many important items we intended to bring.

Speaking of which, Alex has the daunting task of towing the trailer with camping equipment. It's about 70 pounds of extra pain for his muscles. He held up amazingly today on some hills that most likely would've killed me or David.

The first 40 miles of the ride today were pretty smooth sailing, but the last 23 were awful. David said that since we were riding closer to the coast, the land would be flatter. I'd hate to see what the roads are like further inland. Otherwise, it was a good riding day. I could wish for warmer weather,but I still appreciate the time to enjoy the outdoors with family.

This deer presumably had a rough night

I can't seem to get pictures posted here at the moment, so I'll have to figure that out later. We did come upon a fake deer in someone's yard. It was dressed in a red hat and stood next to a sign advertising a wildlife control service. Humiliation must be one of their primary methods of control.

We are camping tonight and have been told that bears have been spotted here (shhhh... Don't tell my mother). Therefore, the office will lock up our food for the night to help ward off unwelcome guests. Alex said he was planning to train a bear to guard our stuff instead. We'll see how that works out. 44 miles to Traverse City tomorrow. We'll see if our legs still work in the morning.