Prep and Day 0
It took me two days to drive to Michigan: 11 hours the first day with an overnight in Murfreesboro, TN and 9.5 hours the second day spending the night in Caledonia, MI with my friends Mary and Chuck. They are gracious hosts with a gorgeous yard. They let me store my bike at their home to avoid putting it on a truck. The next day I took a smaller step north (2 .5 hrs) to Fife Lake where I spent the night with my brother Steve and his wife Paula. Once again, I had a pleasant evening and also took a walk down their dirt road where the “up north” feeling was all around. I actually saw my nephew Shawn while I was out on my walk (he is getting married in two weeks!) who happened to be up at his family cabin running a few last-minute errands before his big day.
Then today, I drove the last stretch up to Mackinaw city (1.5 hrs) which is the location of the end of the ride. I left my car there for the return trip. Then I loaded my luggage onto a bus and headed back down state on a 4-hour ride back to the starting point in Montague, MI. When I arrived, my friends Mary and Chuck brought my bike to me in Montague. Finally, I am ready to start the ride tomorrow morning.
There are 452 riders on this tour with a range of ages from 3 to 81 years old. The average age is 59. Besides the U.S, there are riders from Canada, Netherlands and Brazil. There are 31 U.S. states represented on the ride. And for those people who have used Bubba’s Pampered services in the past, Coach (our beloved mechanic) is still healing a broken leg, so his son Kevin is the mechanic for this ride. 2018 C2Cers on this ride are Jane, Dick, me and Henry. Henry is also support for this ride so he will only be riding every other day.
The front island at Mary and Chuck’s house. The angle doesn’t do it justice. The backyard is a landscapers dream!
The three busloads of riders stopping at a McDonald’s for lunch on the drive from Mackinaw City to Montague, MI.