2548 + 77 miles today = 2625 total miles. The last three days combined I rode 196 miles. I guess I might be anxious to get home.

Despite the miles covered, most of todays miles were not easy ones. First of all, I woke up with low energy levels and decided to get a breakfast at IHOP which was just down the street from the motel. That breakfast was bigger than I expected and felt heavy on my stomach.

Much of the ride was on the Fred Meijer Rail Trail. That statue on the bench that I mentioned yesterday was also of Fred. He must be some sort of icon in these parts.

The Fred Meijer Trail started out as fairly loose gravel. The going was slow enough that I considered moving over to the nearby highway. However, after a while it improved to crushed limestone much like many of the Wisconsin rail-trails. They had paved it within easy walking distance of towns.

The winds were from the North North East, which slowed progress and combined with the gravel surface really wore me down. I decided to take a cat nap on one of the many benches along the trail hoping a nap would boost my energy levels. Taking this nap was a first for me, but at least I was able to digest that breakfast. Afterwards I felt a bit stronger, as well.

Since there were absolutely no tent campsites available within riding distance, I thought my best option would be to find a room in Lansing, which is about 20 miles south of where the rail-trail crosses Michigan. I used Apple Maps to find a bicycle friendly route down from the rail trail. I also figured that the wind would switch from hindering me to helping me once I headed south. I was really looking forward to the switch to the road.

Just before I was due to turn south, I stopped to check on my progress with my phone. As I was dismounting from my bike I noticed an animal moving in a recently mowed hay or wheat field. I’m not positive, but I think that animal was a badger. If so, that would be the first badger that I have seen in the wild.

A few minutes later I found the route south was not paved, but a gravel road. After a bit of internal debate, I decided to bite the bullet and take the Apple Maps route rather than find my own route on a possibly paved road. Actually it wasn’t too bad and the tail wind really made up for the rough road surface. Apple Maps listed this road as a main road, but maybe one vehicle passed me during the nine miles that I was on that road. Later on, I had the option of following the Apple Maps recommended route on gravel or take a different, likely busier paved road. I had enough gravel for the day and took my own pavement route. The rest of the ride was wind aided on pavement.

One last note for today. There is a new thing going on in the mid-west. People are decorating their barns with quilt like designs. They are called barn quilts. Driving tour routes now exist that will lead you to many of these decorated barns.