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The day started by preparing for a full day of rain thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Gustav. Started out just before 7am in a drizzle to get a jump on worse weather to come. I wanted to get lue Star Highway behind me as qucily as possible before the weather turned. Once in Saugatuck, I would be on familiar routes for most of the remainder of the day's trip.


On the way to Saugatuck, here's a scene from my first pit stop overlooking Lake Michigan. The horizon disappears in the grayness of the water, clouds and steady drizzle.


I had finished the 7 mile stretch on Blue Star Highway just before the rains started coming in torrents. I ducked under a tree a waited out the worst of it - or so I though. After a respite, I proceeded along taking a gamble that I would avoid doubling back for a 7 miles detour via Blue Star Highway once again, but this time in the pouring rain across an interstate interchange. Here's the dilemma shown in the maps that I studied. Microsoft and Garmin showed no connecting road, but Google Maps and Yahoo showed clear sailing. I was optimistic and determined that even if there was no road, I would get through. The aerial image made me confident. Instead I ended up like Br'er Rabbit in the Briar Patch. Twenty feet of thorns separated me from the other side. What looked like a sidewalk or road was really a connected series of wood decks, separated by a fence preventing easy access to the other side. You be the judge.

The little cross in the aerial image is the dead end of this picture. The thicket just behind the little evergreen in the center of the photo is where I crossed:


By the time I reached Saugatuck, I was drenched to the bone and at times shivering
so hard the bike shook as I plodded along. Thanks to Karen's SAG support and a bit of drying out using the hand dryer in the Saugatuck riverside public restroom, I added an extra layer to shield from the cold....


...then it's back on the road for another 6 hours in the rain.


Imanges along the network of Holland Bike Paths leading up to Grand Haven.


Lots of puddles to paddle, er, peddle through.


Passing through Grand Haven, the Boardwalk was a dreary desolate place.


Scenes from Grand Haven along the Bike Path. Fortunately, I had scoped out this part 2 months earlier, so there were no surprises - which was quite fortunate since I could barely read the GPS display through the distortion of my glasses caused by fogging and drops between the tinted lenses (actually I used the clear ones today instead of the yellow tint) and the prescription lenses. I dried these out after crossing the bridge into Ferreysburg for the last 14 mile push covering new routes.


Drying out and planning for the next leg.