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We awoke to the sound of NOTHING. No rain, no thunder claps, no 2 am rousings. Just a good night’s sleep. And a dry tent. A good morning from Abe and “would you like some freshly made donuts?” was the real hit of the morning tho. They were delicious and were a great “dessert” for our breakfast of peanut butter on bagels. Abe and Jennifer were both leaving for the morning and we said our good-byes even though we weren’t sure if we would try to stay another night. It was a very nice campground and only a couple hundred yards to the water. However, weather would be the driving factor.
We checked our route and the weather and decided to pack up and head to what was supposed to be our destination yesterday: Cliffside Beach Campground, north of Racine. We weren’t sure there was a site available, but we were going to call on the way. Backup was the Travelodge in Racine, just 7 miles from the Campground.
The first part of the ride was fine, but by 2 pm, we were getting sprinkled on, and soon it was a steadier rain. Dana asked if we should just head to the motel and I said that was my preference and I wasn’t thrilled about setting up with everything being wet, but I’d defer to her choice. So, we kept to the original plan of Cliffside first, then the motel if things didn’t work out.
Once the drizzle increased to a more steady rain, though, Dana surprisingly threw in the towel and said she’d rather go to the motel than arrive at the campground wet. I already had routes to both places so it was pretty simple to change the destination. Of course, by the time we arrived, the sky had lightened and the rain had stopped. Still a good choice as the roads were still wet and the ground at the camp would have been too.
We had met a fellow touring cyclist along the trail north. John was doing the “small circle” around the lake; using the ferry to cross from Muskegon to Milwaukee. He had a custom VeloOrange bike that I was lusting over — built for touring and it had a charging hub in the front wheel. He also said he had stayed at the Racine Travelodge and after the clerk heard about his ride, upgraded him to a Jacuzzi suite. We bid him safe travels and continued up the trail, hoping we’d get the same deal.
We did! Tho it made things a little cramped with the big Jacuzzi taking up 1/3 of the room. No rain to deal with tho, so we dealt with it. Tough, huh? 😉 Post showers, we rode into Racine to check out the town and get some refreshments and a meal. Our first stop was at Eave, a rooftop bar atop a boutique hotel. While we were locking up the bikes, we heard a loud boom and looked up to see an SUV going airborne and apparently landing on it’s roof. A couple who was unloading their car called 911 and were told that they already had a call (this was 30 secs after the crash) and that police, FD, and ambulances were already on the way. Resisting the urge to rubberneck, we went up to Eave and enjoyed the view but decided to skip the pricey cocktails. It was the 2nd Anniversary of Dana’s dad Bill’s passing, and we wanted to toast him with his favorite drink, a gin & tonic (but not at $20 per).
Back at ground level, we walked over to the crash scene and saw that an older model 4runner had hit a Chevy Spark’s front end and that’s what launched it into the air. It was upright, but heavily damaged, and the front of the Spark’s already sloped front was even more sloped — perfect for launching a big wheeled SUV high into the air. An officer at the scene asked us if we witnessed the crash and if we saw if who had the green light. “No, just saw the 4runner going airborne, but didn’t see the lights.” He told us everyone was OK, but I think he was just being kind.
After that excitement, we rode to the Bridge Tenders Tavern, appropriately, across an inlet with a drawbridge. There we had excellent toasting G&T’s from the bartender Cassidy. She was a child of Grateful Dead followers who grew up going to their concerts when Jerry Garcia was still alive. She had lost her dad too and she and Dana commiserated about their common experiences taking care of a fading parent.
Post toasts, we did a ride around the marina and along the lake, as ever, scoping out places to eat later. Back through town, we ended up at the Chartroom, the Bridge Tender’s sister establishment for dinner, and then rode back to the motel. I partook of the Jacuzzi, but the jets only worked for about 30 secs before shutting off. Oh, well. The hot soak felt good too, and I worked on this blog while enjoying the warmth. G’nite!
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