Ride to the Rockies, Day Fourteen

It was so nice to finally not have to wake up to an alarm. I think I got out of bed at 8:30. Joe, Olivia, Joe's youngest daughter, and I went to breakfast as the power was still out at the Joe's. Olivia left Joe and I munching our breakfast and having coffee as she rushed off to an eye appointment.Back at the house I sat outside and called Mom and then Dad, Andrea, and my Uncle Max, who lived in South Bend.

Soon after, Olivia returned and we three drove toward Lake Michigan to Warren Dunes State Park where we used to camp and play back when we were young. On the way, we stopped at Joe's sister Lisa's place in Niles, which had been built on the footprint of their childhood home that had burned a few years ago. Lisa joined us for the ride to the dunes.

Olivia climbs "Tower Hill" at Warren Dunes State Park

Looking down at Lake Michigan from the top of the hill

We all climbed the big dune, where I recall hang gliders taking off years ago, although the gliders had long ago been banned. We walked down to the beach far below and relaxed for a bit. The water was surprisingly warm, though at the entrance booth the sign said it was 73 degrees F that day. I remember only a very few days that the water was not frigid, so the warmth was a welcome surprise and I went swimming for a while before returning to my spot on the sand to write the log entry for the day before.

Joe and his daughter, Olivia,wading along the shore

Nothing had changed, and all the bikinied girls walking around on the beach and at the top fo the dune reminded me of going up there in my youth and how entranced I was with those young, lithe bodies.

Back at Joe's that afternoon, I took time to carefully clean my windscreen and adhere the stickers for Utah, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Park I had picked up on the trip. It was getting to be a challenge finding a place on the crowded windscreen, but I managed to get them all on. Joe cooked hot dogs and corn on the cob on the grill as the power was still out, and we also had some salad and fruit, that didn't require an electric stove or refrigerator. Joe and I opened a box of Pinot Noir, that was actually quite good, and had a few glasses while we talked.

We moved inside when the neighbor fired up his loud and jarring generator. Not long after that the power came back on. I checked my dirty clothes into the washing machine and got them started. Joe said his good nights early as he had to work the next morning. After moving my clothes to the dryer I threw my riding jacket in the wash, too, while Jan and I chatted about politics for a while before going to bed, too.

It looked like only 275 miles or so for the next day to Spring Mill State Park, so I fell asleep looking forward to an easy short day of riding.

Miles so far still 6,130