We had breakfast at the hotel, then took the shuttle to the school, where we gathered up our bags and got them loaded. Checked the air in our tires. I had trouble with the tire that has the short valve on it, so one of the bike mechanics helped me with it. When he went to fill it the valve came off. I suggested he replace the tube with a new one, but he fiddled around with the valve and got it back in and we were on our way by 7:30 AM. It was raining when we left.
No porta potties on the route today either, so we had to make our "wilderness stops" behind old barns and abandoned houses. We had made such a stop at the 8 mile mark, and when we went to get back on the road, we had a flat tire. Yep, it was the one with bad valve. A SAG had just gone by about 5 minutes prior, so I figured I might as well get out the new inner tube, and get started on it. I didn't realize how cold my hands were, until I started digging around the pannier for the spare tube. I had no sooner said, "I wonder how long we will have to wait for a SAG" when one came rolling over the hill. Cheerful, Bob Homer, from Ohio set right to work. It was already his 3rd flat of the day. I explained the valve issue to him, and he decided it would be best to put a new inner tube in.
He had never changed a flat on a trike before. The hardest thing about changing a flat on a trike, is that the front wheels, don't have a quick release, so have to be changed on the trike, which sits only 18 inches above the ground. Bob decided it would be easiest to flip the trike on it's side to change the inner tube. Of course, once we got it on it's side, it started raining harder. The rain didn't deter him, and he had it done in no time. I was so thankful to him, and to the Lord for sending help so quickly. I could have changed the tire myself, but it would have taken me longer, MUCH longer. Thanks God, for sending Bob.
We rolled into Harbor Beach about 10:30 AM. The rain was just letting up. We walked around a bit, talked to other cyclist, who had the same, silly, "I did it." look on their faces that we did. We headed out about 11 AM, to line up for the parade. We could hardly wait to see so many in their yellow PALM T-shirts, riding through town.
There wasn't as many riders as there usually is in the parade, many riders were wet and cold, they just wanted to load up their bikes and go home. Still, it was amazing to look back and see so many people in yellow PALM shirts, on their bikes. The parade organizers, put the tandems, trikes, and recumbents at the beginning of the parade. Most likely because we ride slower, and it sets a slower pace for the parade. The fire engine was there, and a police car lead the parade. Many people were there to see all the cyclist, ride by. It was fun. Button stuck his head and chest out of his crate, as if to say, "Look at me, see what I did.?" He got his picture taken many times. I think this dog did too. He seemed to be enjoying the attention too.
Harbor Beach has a current population of about 1500 people. It is located on the western shore of Lake Huron, the the thumb of MIchigan. Harbor Beach is known to have the largest , fresh water, man made Harbor in the world. The downtown, has a charming, old fashioned look ann the municipal marina runs a shuttle service into the downtown area. The pier is handicapped accessible.
The earliest settlers arrived to the area in 1837, they established a sawmill for processing lumber. In 1855, the settlement was named Barrettsville. It continued to grow and was renamed Sand Beach. Later, the people of the town didn't want others to think their town was nothing but a beach of sand, so in 1899, they changed the name to Harbor Beach. in 1910, it was officially incorporated into a city.
After the parade, we had lunch with Ann, David and Ann's friend, from the Ann Arbor Cycling club.
It was nice to talk about the past 6 days and see what different people liked about the ride. Once again, I am amazed at what a wonderful job the PALM volunteers do, in putting the whole thing together. The community volunteers put on a very nice lunch. Things were individually wrapped, and bags were provided for those who wanted to eat their lunch in their cars or on the buses.
PALM had offered the option of people driving their cars to Harbor Beach on the day the PALM ride started, then there were trucks to transport the bikes to Ludington, and buses for the people. We had opted to but our trike on a truck from Harbor Beach to Ludington, and then take one of the buses from Harbor Beach to Ludington, at the end of the tour. After lunch, we located all of our bags, and stood in line to get the trike loaded, wondering how in the world they were going to fit this 10 foot trike on to a 16 foot Budget Rental truck, that already had many biked on it. The cyclist, remove the pedals from their bikes, so they can fit in easier. All panniers have to be removed as well. They finally decided to hand our trike form the ceiling. Some regular tandems, were hung on the walls. it was quite something to watch these people, volunteering their time, to get all these bikes, trikes and tandems loaded. They were very efficient, and had the job done much faster than I thought they would. Our trike had just been loaded, when the buses pulled up. I got Tony and Button on the bus, then loaded all of bags and gear into the luggage compartment that was under the bus, making sure to put it all together. Once 2 buses were loaded, and people were on, they headed for Ludington. I called Keith and Ann when we were about 90 minutes from Ludington, and told them we would most likely arrive at around 6PM. Had time to take all the luggage off the bike before they got there, but had to wait for the trucks with the bikes on them.
Got the trike on the trailer, the trailer, which now had a new tire and rim on it, loaded the car up, and went to find a place to eat. Made a stop at Meijer on the way home to pick up some half and half for morning. Got home about 10:30 PM. We were very tired, just got what we needed out of the car, will deal with unloading the trike, and the rest tomorrow. No rain predicted for tonight, but even if there was, we still were to tired to unload the trike. After all, it wasn't as if it hadn't already been wet...many times.
We really enjoyed our PALM 30 ride. with the Lord's help, and the prayers of many, we rode 283 miles across the beautiful state of Michigan, in 6 days. It was a memorable and remarkable experience, even though it was the wettest PALM on record. We met many new friends and saw lots of places we hadn't been before.
Bike touring is a much more personal way to travel than by car. We get to see and hear things close up, that is one of the things we love about riding.
We hope to ride PALM again next year. I'm thinking, that many others will too. Next year we will be able to help some rookies out, just like the veteran PALM riders helped us out by answering our questions and offering encouragement. What an amazing experience it was. We hope to have many more PALM rides in our future, and many new friends.
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