100 Mergansers

On Saturday, Anne and I finished the League of Michigan Bicyclist’s Lakeshore West Tour, picked up our car, loaded the bikes and then drove north to the cabin for a couple more nights. Bubs and Harry were as happy to see us again as we were to be off of our bicycles. He had ridden 366 miles in one week. We all ate dinner together, along with Karen that night. Sunday was a rest day. We did little more than pack. We did take Harry and Bubs out to dinner for his birthday at the China Cate, a little hole-in-the-wall off of Ashman. This was a belated birthday dinner for Harry. Not even the workers there could explain why the place was called ‘Cate’ and not the expected Gate.

Sunday night was a restless night, which after a week of sleeping on the cold hard ground was surprising. You would think that sleeping in a soft warm bed, even the ‘Valley Camp’, would be more restful than a sleeping bag in a tent. So, we woke still bleary eyed for our big 800 mile drive from the Soo to Saint Louis. Having two drivers yesterday was a blessing. Anne had to serve onto the shoulder once to avoid a family of turkeys that were marching across the road near Grayling. They were not the usual variety of turkeys that are routinely found on the I-75 SUV Speedway. Later, further down state, the tire warning light came on and repeated refilling of it did not solve the problem. We pulled off the highway at Marshall and found a rather dilapidated looking service station that pulled another nail out of the offending tire. We were back on the road again within the hour. Without further incident, but after seemingly endless miles, we arrived home safe and sound.

Work today and tomorrow offers a brief respite and a wee bit of time to allow me to pivot for my next trip. Later this week, I’ll fly to Seattle on business. Hopefully, I’ll get to see Jay and Carl while I’m there. The photo with this post is a picture of about a hundred mergansers that were cruising down the beach, when I went down there to say goodbye. It was a bit grey and foggy, but still quite a sight to behold. The mergansers are in the foreground. Those are just sea gulls in the background.