My bootleg campsite near Lakeport, MI.
Jim's home | Motorcycle home | 10k Home
Bootleg camped now in a mowed clearing on land next to a huge wheatfield on the east coast Michigan's "thumb", maybe 30 miles north of Detroit. You leave Port Huron on Rte 25 north out of town. Then you can see the shores of Lake Huron through a veil of trees on the side of the road. Huge homes, palaces really line the shores. The campground I'd hope to stay in was full, and they wouldn't let me use a bicycle or walk in campsite. Pity. They gave me a map showing distributed camping on what's effectively BLM land. I explored and elected to camp near the end of a dead end road. It' quiet and beautiful. Tomorrow I'll have a short day getting to Nancy's farm near the Tunnel of Trees. Her brother Tom is on the Wild Guzzi forum. I'll probably be staying at his house a couple of nights after Nancy's.
My bootleg campsite near Lakeport, MI.
My Norge joined me for drinks that night. It prefers 10w60 rather than scotch.
At dusk tonight I noticed movement to my side on the dead end road. It was a very large black cat stopped on the road staring at me. When I say large, I mean bobcat or cougar size. I froze, watching the cat. It froze too, but eventually hustled on down the road. I've never seen a large cat in the wild before. Wow! Turns out the dead end road I camped on was just off of Wildcat Rd.
Today I broke my rule about staying on 2 lane roads and did interstate highways all the way to Port Huron. Just wanted to get through the rain storm that plagued me yesterday. It was coming out of the west, and blazing quickly into the west was the best way to get through it. I waited till checkout time (11:00 AM) at my motel to leave to let the storm pass through as much as possible. Indeed, I had less than an hour of drizzle, then the blue skies started pushing in. By the end of the day the temps climbed from 46 degrees to over 60. When I saw a weather map showing 67 in Toledo I said "Holy shit!" but then corrected myself, "Holy Toledo!". Powerful northeast winds have been coming across the Great Lakes though. Cruising at 80ish on interstates with a 20 mph crosswinds gets old. Getting calm now as I write this.
My bike started making new noises today. Maybe a valve tap, maybe an exhaust leak. Friend Joel assures me that valve tap not a concern. Loose valves are better than tight valves. The rubber cover on my right side after-market, Honda Holdwing footpeg has dissappeared. Apparently the bolt holding it on from underneath rattled loose. My back tire is getting a flat spot on the center from riding on straight roads a bit faster than I expected. No curvy roads in sight, so it may not last long. Anyway, it still runs strong and idles well, so why worry?
Missing rubber pad on right side Goldwing foot peg.
I did seriously ponder the interstate vs. 2 lane road issue today. I really hate interstates compared to country, 2 lane roads. On interstates you see distant fields and forests, but you can't see how people live or how healthy a small town center is. I know I'll ride more interstates on the way home, but I'm sure going to try to limit it.
Had cod pieces with sauteed red pepper, broccoli, onion and lime tonight. Tasty! Haven't had oatmeal in the morning for a while. Looking forward to it.