Day 2 Norton Shores to Grandville.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

 Norton Shores to Grandville.  Let the pedaling begin.

Hot weather and humidity predicted today. Last nights activities included packing panniers with snacks and sunscreen, filling water bottles and camelbacks, checking  tires,  reviewing maps and putting the route book in my trusty map case that will be my companion throughout the week.  A  final check of Rollin before going to bed. .  Up at 5 AM, decided to have breakfast of cereal and almond milk, so we could hit the road early.  Put on light jackets and rolled out at 6:18 AM. Not much traffic to deal with and an early start will mean less heat riding later in the day.  We are hoping to get in early enough to enjoy our family and the planned activities.

Partly cloudy skies and early morning birds encouraged us along.  Morning sun on wildflowers coaxed them open and the bees had already begun the days harvest. The smell of bacon and coffee drifted from the window of a farmhouse,  cool breezes blew off of Lake Michigan, reminding us that even though we couldn't see, it, it was nearby.  The world around us was waking up, and it felt great to be riding.

We hadn't ridden very far, when we came across this great big wooden hand, hanging from a tree.  I wondered what the story was behind it.  For me it was a reminder that God had us in his hand today and throughout the rest of this ride.

The 4 of us don't stay together the whole day.  Sometimes we ride ahead, other times Tammy and Ariann take the lead.  We usually reconnect at a rest stops or for lunch.  Seems like we are never more than 20 minutes apart.

Grandville is a special stop for us, it's where our daughter Tracey and her family live.  The PALM  course goes within a half block of their home.  We are eager to have our grandchildren see the excitement and fun of PALM.

Grandville

10 miles SW of Grand Rapids MI, lies the community of Grandville Mi. It's historical occupants were  the the Ottawa Indians, along with some other tribes. Indian Mounds Memorial park is 3 miles north of town. Even the local indians seemed unsure of the origins of the mounds. Some said it was where copper pits were buried. Known remains of Indian burials have been found in the mounds, not only in the Grandville area, but in other locations across the US.

It is said that the Indians used to try and fool the spirits of those they buried at the mounds. After a body was placed there, they would enter the river and wade in a zig zag pattern, hoping to confuse the spirit, making it unable to follow their tracks in the sand, until it departed on it's long journey. According to superstition, the soul of the deceased could linger for days, unwilling to leave the tribe and things of this world behind. Spirits would not cross the water, so the wading, would confuse them, they would then become weary of looking for possessions and tribe members, and  finally move on to the ever after.

Luther Lincoln was the first white settler to the area.  He arrived In 1832 and  purchased land from the White Pigeon Land Office. A post office was built in 1834, followed by a Chicago Northwestern Railroad depot in 1872. Grandville was incorporated into a city in 1933. The railroad contributed significantly to the growth of the area, and still runs through the community. We can hear the train from our daughters house.

The old railway line used to run right past her home, which was built by the railroad over 100 years ago. There are still several houses on Port Sheldon, whose original function was to house railroad workers. Our grandchildren have found railroad stakes and coal buried in their backyard.  The  local museum houses one of the artifacts they found.

Today, with easy access to the Gerald Ford Freeway, and M6, Grandville, population 15, 527, has become a commuter suburb of Grand Rapids.  To us, it's the home of  some of our loved ones.

The course today was mostly rolling hills.  The kind that our legs muscle up, pedaling on the downhills, until our pedals out run our feet,   so we can get as far up the next hill as we  can.  We refer to it as working the hills.  The nice thing about this kind of riding is that the miles go by quickly.  

Our ride took us through Allendale, home of Grand Valley State College.  The high school band was raising money by selling sandwiches for $6.00.  Vegetarians were an after thought, with a meager offering of PBJ, so we passed.  We did manage to find an ice cream stop and some welcome shade.

Thoughts of my nephew who died when he was 2 years old were on my mind as we rode through the community where he is buried.  The cemetery is located outside of town,  and wasn't on our route. 

But in my heart I paid a visit to the sweetness of my nephews spirit. What kind of man would this sweet little guy who was quick to smile,  and laugh have grown up to be.?   Travise, we miss you, but have comfort in knowing that one day we will see you again.  

Bathroom stops are always a challenge when riding.  Sometimes there are places to stop, other times we have to find out own. Desperation has driven us into the woods, (beware of poison ivy) behind buildings, and once, behind an old truck.   Today our stops  consisted of at least 4 churches and a firehouse.  

We don't go to 4 churches every Sunday, but were glad too today.  The people who saw us there were full of smiles, questions and encouragement.  Hopefully they said a prayer for us as we pedaled away.

Country scenes continued to dot the landscape and of course I had to take a  picture

of this barn.

Next on the route was Bauer MI.  Our son-in-law and 2 of our grand children were there to cheer us on, offer hugs and ice water.  The afternoon heat was starting to set in, the water and encouragement were welcome. They would pass us two more times before we arrived in Grandville.  As we neared the corned near their house at 1:30 PM, our daughter and the kids were posted with a sign,  more water and shouts of encouragement to us and other riders.

We veered off course and made a detour for a rest stop in their air conditioned house.  Enthusiasm filled us with what we needed to ride the last 2 miles of our day, after we had a nice little visit and lunch.

What a wonderful sight our little white camper with its' red trim  was as we rode into the parking lot.  Roger had the lawn chairs all set up, and there was even some shade.  Our early start had paid off, there would be time to enjoy the pool, and spend precious family time.  After we showered, Tracey brought the kids over to swim.  They stayed until almost supper time, returning again in the evening.  Our dear friend Kiersten also stopped by for a visit.  So bitter sweet to have her there without Jeff.  We shed a few tears, and had a nice chat, reminiscing and catching up o each others lives.  She left with a hug and the promise to pray for us each day as we rode. 

Tammy and Ariann headed back to Tracey's to have some cousin time.  It's been a year since they saw each other.  Ryan will bring Tammy and Ariann back to the school in the morning.  WE are planning another early start.  The hills are bigger tomorrow.