Well It turns out I did make it onto the telly, for all of about 2 seconds. And no mention of cycling. It’s a first, though. The link is in the comments section from yesterday if you want to see the defaced “Bronze Fonz” close up.
Today – a much cooler, cloudier day – normal service was resumed, with 80 miles of cycling in an eastward direction, moving away from the shores of Lake Michigan towards the centre of Michigan state. I wasn’t sure what to expect. It turned out to be pretty flat, at least until half way when I reached the very pleasant city of Grand Rapids. I made it most of the way there along another old railway turned into a cycle path. Imagine cycling in a very straight, flat line along a traffic-free country lane, for mile after mile, with both sides lined with trees and bushes, and you have it more or less as it was. But it did the job, and before I knew it I was approaching the surprisingly high-rise downtown area of Grand Rapids. It was much bigger and more important feeling than I expected, although it was also pretty quiet. There was a huge convention centre and a very big, old fashioned hotel. They stood alongside several plate glass office buildings, all near the wide river, which a I crossed on the “blue bridge”- an old traffic free box girder railway bridge.
Blue bridge
One of the main streets in town was mostly given over to eating and drinking, with outside tables on both sides and twinkly lights on all the trees. It was a very pleasant place to take lunch. Grand Rapids is not a city that has featured high in my consciousness, even with my many US connections and visits over the years. I feel it may deserve a little more attention.
Grand Rapids
Despite its impressive downtown, it didn’t take all that long to get either in or out of the city, and I made good progress along now much more undulating roads as far as the pretty town of Ada, which features a historic covered bridge. I didn’t know about covered bridges until I first came to Pennsylvania when I was a student conducting a long distance love affair. They are rather splendid. I think the point of the wooden roof has something to do with keeping the bridge snow-free in winter; but don’t quote me on that. Anyway, not long afterwards they released the film The Bridges of Madison County, making covered bridges more of an international phenomenon. I haven’t seen one in years until today. It was in good working order and I was able to cycle across.
After that I once again found myself on cycle paths. I was so pleased by all this that I failed to notice they weren’t taking me where I needed to go. The necessary adjustments were made and I followed a roller coaster of a road through pretty woodland for several miles. I haven’t really had chance to play “it’s a bit like” on this trip because nothing has been much like anywhere else I know; but this section really reminded me of the Charnwood Forest in Leicestershire. But only until I arrived in the very pleasant town of Lowell, “where two rivers meet”. In front of the obligatory crop silos were many old brick facades lining the Main Street, with shops selling retro clothes and other cool stuff. I wasn’t here to shop. I did, however, stop to take a picture of the old paddle steamer that is now permanently moored in the centre of town. Behind it was a wide expanse of water (the Plat River) with a population of swans gliding about. It was tempting to stay, but I was still more than an hour away from my destination, so I pressed on and once again found myself on an old railway trail: the Grand River trail. I had this almost to myself until just before the end of the day, coming in to Ionia, where a I met three friendly local guys with bikes, resting on the old rail bridge over the Grand River. We chatted while they puffed on their joints. Maybe this made a difference; but they were very impressed by my cycling exploits.
I’m staying in the town of Ionia, which seems very pleasant, too. Across the road from my hotel are the extensive Ionia Free Fairgrounds and over the next three days it will host the Hippy Living Fair, which looks like it will be a pretty big deal. If only I had known. But I have another 80 miles to cover tomorrow in my quest to reach Canada. Maybe next year.
Has Michigan legalised canabis as well now?
Love the covered bridges!