As I was leaving my campsite, I had a little send off party. These ducklings waddled up to me squawking the whole time. So cute! I don’t know exactly what was going on at the campsite across the way, but there were at least 3 couples, 2 kids, and apparently 4 ducklings all living there. It looked semi-permanent.
I drove by the barracks at Fort Custer on my way to the trail. My Uncle Jerry was Army Infantry during WWII and did his basic training here in 1943. These buildings don’t look 80 years old, so I doubt he stayed in one of them, but seeing them reminded me of my Uncle.
Only a couple of miles from Fort Custer Recreation Area, I was able to get on a trail. I’m not sure which trail I was on, really. I think I saw the Iron Belle Trail signage, the North Country Trail, and in Battle Creek I saw the Linear Park signs. All of them are part of the Great Lake to Lake Trail system that I’m riding.
I started out about 9:30, later than usual, so it didn’t take long before I needed food. Since I was in a big city (Battle Creek), I decided to stop at a Jimmy Johns for a sandwich. By the time I got out of Battle Creek, I had gone 15 miles in 90 minutes. Not a great pace!! I always struggle in the bigger cities with my Garmin directions. Often Google Maps tries too hard to find a bike friendly path and makes the route overly complicated. In addition, I ran into a couple of construction projects that closed the trail and of course, I made several wrong turns as usual.
I had switched up the route today since I decided I needed to ride some asphalt and get off the trail. This new route was a bit further North and in the middle of nowhere. Not too far out of Battle Creek, I ran into the largest solar farm I’ve ever seen. It’s hard to see in the picture above, but it was at least a mile long.
The road I was riding turned into a very bumpy, hilly dirt road. I didn’t think I would ever get off it (it was only 1.5 miles — haha.) But my spirits were drained; I was only 25 miles into a 60+ mile ride and it felt like I’d been at it all day. I called Becky for some emotional support and some directions to someplace to eat. She said, “You’re in the middle of nowhere!” I said, “Can you find me a route to the middle of somewhere with food?” She found the Duck Lake Tavern and texted me a route to get there. Duck Lake was beautiful as I rode next to it. I figured the restaurant would be right on the water with a great view, but it wasn’t. It was a mile or more away across from a cemetery. I ordered 2 lunches to make sure I had the fuel to finish this ride.
About a mile or so from my campground, I passed a road called Meridian. I’m not positive but I think this road marks the middle of the State. It’s the road used to mark East or West on the legal descriptions for property. The other road used in legal descriptions to mark North and South is 8 Mile Road (but that’s not very middle.)
I made it to the Pleasant Lake Campground and set up camp with a great view of the Lake. I decided not to waste any time so I walked right down to the beach and jumped in with my bike shorts and jersey on. The water was cold buy not unbearable and my muscles needed to just chill in there for a while. That felt so good!! I came back up and took a warm shower and was ready to call it a night. But I decided since the internet was horrible, I should just order food :-). Big Chuck’s delivered so I got a chef’s salad and chicken fingers. I ate a lot of food today, but I think I really needed it.
Wow! Pretty grueling day!! What stands out is the 3600 calories and the 2000 feet of elevation climb.
Glad that day is behind me! Tomorrow is not nearly as far or as difficult and I’ve ridden most of the route before. I’ll be camping at my house in Brighton. Ok, not camping at all but sleeping in a real bed 😁. Can’t wait!!!
Sounds like a tough day D. Hang in there!!!!
Camp site looks awesome though!!
Thanks!!! I’m past the hard part (I think.) The campsite was fantastic!
Seems like adventurous day, thanks for sharing. Have a fantastic journey. Like you keep sprinkling humor, keep up the spirits. All the best!!! I will keep checking. Cheers!!
Totally adventurous!!! It’s hard to eat enough on the road like this, so it can pretty tough when you run out of fuel 😁
Spent one weekend at Camp Custer in 1972. Army Reserves. Probably in February or March. Tolerable.
Very cool! Same buildings that you see in the photo?
D… I’m eating extra for you. I think we’re fueled up for tomorrow.
It’s important to stay fueled!!! Thanks for the sympathy eating!!!
And eat too much riding those miles…don’t wanna bonk
That is for sure. I’ve done that before and it’s not pretty 😁
Mo son, Matthew, stayed in those barracks during a training course at Fort Custer.
That’s really cool! I think my nephew Anthony stays there when he does some National Guard training too!
Amazing, thanks for taking the time to record such a thoughtful record. I would post in my journal “UGH” over and over again a la The Shining”.
You’re funny! The UGH is when bad weather hits. So far I’ve been super lucky! It’s fun doing the recap and posting it. I have dreams of writing a book one day, so it helps to keep writing and cultivate a “voice”!
Dennis, My dad’s first stop when he enlisted in the Army in 1952 was also at Fort Custer. Keep grinding brother!
It’s amazing how many people on this list have connections to Fort Custer. My dad enlisted in the Army in 1952 also, but did his training at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. My two oldest brothers were born in D.C and Fairfax at Army hospitals.
One day to go Jay!