We Were Wearing Stretchy Pants Before It Was Cool

We learned a couple things from last year's bike trip, but most importantly we learned how miserable it can be to ride in the cold. To prevent suffering, David and I both have added long stretchy pants to our riding wardrobe. Alex doesn't need them as his legs come equipped with thick fur. The day started out in the 40's and wasn't much warmer by the time we began our short ride from Cadillac to Houghton Lake. We were thankful for the extra warmth.

There are plenty of nice campgrounds up here in Northern MI. To make themselves more competitive, Camp Cadillac has a unique feature - goats. One can purchase goat feed for them and feed them over the fence. This is likely very popular among the camper and motor home people when their grandchildren come to visit. Sadly, our new campground is goat free. We should probably advise the manager about this clever, and noticeably missing, attraction so that the oversight can be corrected quickly.

Camp Cadillac also had Bob, the retired guy who said he came over to help us get our campfire going better, but I really just think he was bored. In a Stephen King novel, Bob would play the part of the good-natured and well-meaning  but quirky bystander.

I wasn't quick enough to capture many photos from today's short 35.5 mile ride, but I can fill in a couple details to help paint a picture of where we have traveled. I failed to notice a dead bird next to a bottle of whiskey on the side of the road (David told me about it too late for pictures, and out of respect for the poor bird's friends and family, I should probably not post its grizzly demise if I had photographic evidence - just remember the warning that the picture should have delivered.) In another place along the way, I did notice a sign advertising fresh "minure" for sale, so if you were looking... Along Houghton Lake Road, we came upon 8 Mile Road, where we paused briefly for an epic rap battle (never before had this been accomplished by anyone in stretchy pants). Otherwise, it was an uneventful ride, and those are the best kind.

When we arrived at our new campsite, a family in the adjacent site, who was nearly finished packing for its departure, gawked at us and asked lots of silly questions. How do you ride so far? Where's your tent? Where's your food? We have two cars for all that stuff. Mostly, I think they were in awe of our stretchy pants. They probably went right out to buy their own after they left. I am happy for them.