Day 83 & 84 – Escanaba To Wells State Park (Total Miles = 1412.5)

It did rain for an entire day in Escanaba. We hung out in the hotel room, and ordered in pizza, which was nice.

We woke up on September 13th and it was still raining, but by 9am, it had cleared to be a great day for riding. Knowing we only had 32 miles to ride, we were not as pressed to push it. That is so funny now, because when we started out 84 days ago, I was crying over a 30 mile ride!! Remember? Yet, I spent too many days in a hotel of late, and my mind kept playing over, and over again, the theme to Jeopardy! Ahhh!! It was driving me crazy, but I couldn’t shake it! Doo-doo-doo-dah-doo-doo-doo…as I pedalled along the highway…doo-doo-doo-dah-do, do, do, dah, dah, dah…

Even though we had to ride on the highway, the butterflies were still out in full force making their way south. I was able to quit pedaling to the tune of Jeopardy long enough to stop, and get some pictures of the flittering monarchs along the way.

I still was not ready to end our adventure, and when we reached the campground and people started asking us about our journey, I began to cry. Man! I have done a lot of crying this summer!!

We met Carolyn, who worked at the campground. She came out of the office, and pulled 2 bundles of wood to our site on a cart. She said it gave her a chance to get outside and get some exercise. She spoke with us for some time about her life…her triumphs and her losses. She was crying, too. I guess us girls do that sort of thing. Ken and I prayed for her before she reluctantly had to leave to go back to work.

We also met Sebastian. He was a lone cyclist out for a 3 week jaunt. He was already wanting to get home to Chicago. We learned things about Chicago we never knew. My idea of Chicago?…big city life. He disproved that! Sebastian said, the one reason he lives in Chicago is to be able to get outdoors, right from his front door. He can bike, run, kayak, and swim within walking distance, and spends most of his time outside! I will definitely look at Chicago differently from now on. He too, was a late starter in the morning, but was still able to get on the road before we did. I spoke with him about Jesus. He is not a believer, but was raised a believer. He would not share why he no longer believes, but he did allow Ken and I to pray for him before he left. We hope that maybe, the seed was replanted. He will have 4 days on his own, with the help of our Lord, to think about it.

Ken and I had our last campfire, with some marshmallow roasting, too. In the morning, I took a look around and saw color in the trees. I saw the tape on the tent, my breath in the air, and the rough waves in Lake Michigan. I am moving closer to accepting the fact that this journey will end.