Surely tired of the horse poop on the trail. I looked on line and saw that horses aren't allowed on the trail. I keep meaning to call the guy from Friends of the White Pine State Trail, that is in charge of the section from LeRoy to Tustin, seems like I only think of it, when it's too late in the evening, to call.
Even with the trees to shelter us on the sides of the trail the wind was strong.
It was a cross wind, we could feel it working to tire us out. We were hoping this route would give us a bit of relief from it, but it seems it will be a main event in this ride.
Had lunch at Mr. Fosies.
Just as we were getting ready to go in, a guy came up and started asking us about Rollin. He was from Lansing, and his name was Chip. we asked him to take our picture. He was headed up to Traverse City to a relatives cottage. His father-in-law rides a recumbent bike. would like to do a tandem, but the balancing bothers, the guys wife, even though she is on the back. Chip was thinking that a trike might be a solution for them. Told him that a regular tandem, also known as a diamond frame, wouldn't work for us because a frame that was big enough for Tony was too much for me to handle safely. I felt like I was trying to balance a freight train, and not being able to touch the ground even with my tippy toes, when i was in the seat, really made me feel like I was riding my big sisters bike. I couldn't put my leg out to catch us if I had too. Really a dangerous situation, especially in traffic. As captain, I am responsible for keeping the bike under control, yet I felt on the verge of being out of control much of the time.
We had given up riding completely, before we found out about trikes. Couldn't wait to go try one out at Terra Trike in Kentwood, MI. We could both tell right away that riding something like this would solve the problems we had with a diamond frame. Couldn't afford to buy a new one, so I posted on Craig's List that we were looking for one, used. I was surprised when 2 weeks later, I got an email, telling me that a couple in GR, had a tandem Terra trike for sale. We promptly headed south, so we could try the used Terra Trike . The medium boom was too long, but Terra Trike could get us another one, so we went ahead and bought Rosie. Had many greta adventures and miles with her and I'm sure we have many ahead of us, with Rollin too.
Rode the rest of the way around the lake.
When we got to the trail, we headed back into Cadillac. I wanted to get a few pictures of the J Seward Johnson bronze statues that are on loan to the Cadillac Wexford Public Library, and Friends of the Library. They will be in town June 1-Aug 31st. There are 11 of the life size figures, that weigh anywhere from 350 to 800 pounds. The forms depict people engaged in the everyday things of life. Someone throwing away a banana peel, someone else sitting on a park bench.
My favorite is the little girl sitting in outside the library reading. I promise to post her picture and a few others later. Johnson, the sculptor is well known for his work in bronze. He has pieces in Rockafeller Center, Pacific Place, Paris, Rome, and even Hong Kong. The sculptures are on loan from the Sculpture Foundation, an educational and charitable organization wanting to provide exhibits and landmark public artworks for communities to enjoy. Many are certainly enjoying the ones in Cadillac. Seems like there are people gathered around most of them, taking pictures. We hope to see and photograph all 11 of them over the summer.
This one is in the park.
Here is another that is in the same area.
When we were in the area that fronts, Lake Cadillac we saw 11 month old Butter, being carried by it's owner.
Butter had been for a dip in the lake and was cold. As I petted her it was easy to see where she got her name. Even a bit damp, her coat was as soft as butter. Poor little thing was shivering. I took her picture quickly so she could once again, be cuddled up in a sweatshirt. This dog was clearly, loved.
Beautiful flowers grace the edges of the trail. So many different kinds. I searched for this one online, but couldn't identify it. The lilac color was such a contrast against the tall green grass that grew behind it.
The ride home was uneventful, and we are grateful for that. We found ourselves going quite a bit slower, and we decided that we werent' going to do the extra 5 miles we needed to give us 50 miles today. Our legs were just to worn out from fighting the wind. It was the worst my knees have felt, all season. We settled for 45 miles.
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