This is not the end of the tour

August 8, 2021

Life on the lake

Vance and Laurie make life at the lake look pretty sweet - especially if it’s catered. Vance has many fine qualities, but high on the list is that he’s an outstanding chef. We half-heartedly offered to help prepare the meal, knowing and relieved that he would refuse. After hiding out in the kitchen for an hour he put together this wonderful spread:

Grilled swordfish, broccolini, tomatoes, pasta with corn, roasted red peppers, onions, and fresh oregano from the garden. Just an improvisation that Vance whipped up on the spur of the moment.

At sundown we walked with flashlights down to the waterfront to sit on their dock, stare at the pond, and wait for the show. Tonight is the annual Light Up the Lake event, when families living around the lake paddle around the pond in or on illuminated water craft. It’s all a bit surreal, watching these ghostly figures drifting slowly across the water.

It is so quiet! No sounds at all except for an occasional splash from a fish jumping or the sound of a voice, audible from the opposite side of the pond.

In honor of the Olympics, this boat drifted by broadcasting the theme music from the Games.

This figure drifted by on a stand-up paddle board. Is that you Tim, Laurie calls out, thinking it might be her cousin Katie’s boyfriend. Yup, he shouts back.

So that was yesterday. Today there is some unenthusiastic talk of going out for a ride, but neither of us is into it. Rachael goes for a walk with Vance and Laurie, while the GBO and I stay behind, slaving away at packing the bikes for our upcoming flight.

The GBO looks on with some sadness, happy to be adding a new state to his life list but sorry to see the tour come to an end. We haven’t told him yet that this has only been part one.

You never know what you might see when you live in the woods. This was on the sheet of our bed today.

This is the end / this is the beginning

Like Janus, we like to look back before looking forward to a new chapter in our vagabond lives. It’s time to close out this journal and move on to the second half of the larger journey. Before then, a brief recap. At nine weeks this was by far the longest domestic tour we’ve taken. Other than for a few short tours in the past, this is really the first time that either of us has spent any significant time in the the Midwest and northeast. There were many surprises for both of us, and I doubt either of us will think about this part of the country in the same way again. New York State in particular was a revelation to us. We’ve been here three times before, but really only on Manhattan Island. We were really surprised by how interesting and appealing parts of the state were, especially in the Finger Lakes region. It won’t be surprising if we make it back for another visit some year soon.

Some key metrics:

Nine states!
66 days on the road.
Miles by bicycle: 2,675.
Travel by other means:

By Boat: from Maniwotoc to Luddington

By Taxi: from Douglas to Kalamazoo

By train: from Kalamazoo to Ann Arbor

By bus: from Dunkirk to Buffalo.

Second breakfasts: 4
CycleBlaze meetups: 2
Flat tires: 2
Dog bites: Zero!!

As always, thank you so much for following along and encouraging or entertaining us through your comments. We don’t see many folks we know on the road, and you feel like family to us. Please, do stay around after the intermission for The Road to Rome, Part Two: Europe.

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Rich FrasierAww…I’m always sad when a journal comes to an end. I’ve really enjoyed this one. Great writing and photography as usual. Thank you seems inadequate. I’m looking forward to part 2.
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2 years ago

Rachel and Patrick HugensHappy to continue to follow along...
Racpat
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2 years ago

Jen RahnThanks, as always, for the entertaining and thorough documentation of your travels. Always a great way to start the day .. seeing what you two are up to.

Can't wait to see where you take GBO next. He's the luckiest bottle opener I know!
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Jen RahnHe IS lucky! And such a freeloader. It’s not easy carrying this little brick around everywhere. He isn’t always suitably appreciative either. We’re thinking of starting to charge him a tourism assessment, maybe a fee for each new country or state we take him to.
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Rich FrasierThanks again, Rich. Not this year it looks like, but I’m really looking forward to stitching Limoux into our itinerary soon. Of course, if you should find yourselves in Bavaria or Italy this fall, be sure to let us know.
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2 years ago

Ron SuchanekFinally getting caught up ony journal reading!
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Ron SuchanekNot bad. Just one continent behind.
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2 years ago