Evart to Ionia, MI

June 15, 2008

Distance: 79 miles

Well we planned on 71 or 72 but ended up at 79. Just looking at it that way doesn’t seem like a big difference but when I look back on this in future days I can’t forget the monster hill that came at about mile 74. All of the hotels we have stayed in up to this point have been right in town. And the towns have been small enough that we basically ride into town and look for the hotel. Today we rode into town and could not see any hotel. So Jan went into a gas station and asked for the Super 8 hotel that she had seen on the internet. When she came out I knew something was up when she exclaimed “Well that’s depressing!” The hotel was 7 miles away.

Without anything else to do we set out for the hotel. About a mile down the road we come upon a hotel that I will not name. It seemed to be a more upscale hotel than the Super 8 we were looking for but it was right there, I convinced Jan(didn’t take anything) to check it out. They wanted $81 for a room. We were tired and so we reluctantly took it. They didn’t have anything on the first floor so we lugged our bikes and trailer up the stairs to our room.

I noticed that the hallway was pretty warm and when I walked into the room, or should I say “postage stamp sized” room it was hot and stuffy. There was a hole in the carpet and no room for our bikes. I told Jan “Don’t unpack or use anything, I’m going to get on the internet and look at that Super 8.” We had stayed at an awesome Super 8 hotel in Evart the night before but I wasn’t sure if the one here would be similar. I took one look at the pictures of the hotel and the $20+ we would save and we were off.

Back on our bikes I asked Jan if she was frustrated with me. She wasn’t. I told her I knew who was frustrated with me. She asked, "who?" I said “My rear end, that’s who!” Oh, so tender. About a ½ mile later we rounded a corner and stared a monster hill straight in front of us. We’re talking a quarter mile of serious grade. About a third of the way up I said “Jan, you know who else is angry with me?” She asked “who?” I said “My legs!” They were on fire at that point. She agreed hers weren’t too happy either.

After riding for about 2 miles we came across a strip with all kinds of restaurants and shops, etc…. but no hotels. We started heading out of time and still no hotel. Oh yes, did I mention the storm clouds that were overhead and the large raindrops that were falling intermittently? Yes, they were. Anyways, we made it to the Super 8 and I’m sitting in my Lazy Boy with my feet up as we speak. Feels good to have gone 79 today. It shortens our ride tomorrow that much further.

I’d say that today was our best day of riding thus far. Yes, some ups and downs but nothing too extreme (except for that monster right at the end). We had a great lunch spot under an Oak tree in Stanton. We had about 10 miles worth of tail wind. We saw a Wild Turkey in the morning and a Mink in the afternoon. The wind was never too much and the storm clouds never completely opened up on us. Just a good day of riding.