xltd.com weblog

The day started out with a 30% probability of precipitation under gray skies that persisted most of the ride. A peek of sun in the first hour over Lincoln Lake just north of Ludington provided an encouraging sign that this would be a dry leg.


Soon after that scene, fortunes turned sour as I discovered many of the roads on today's route through Mason County were closed. A local resident guided me on a detour strategy. He had never seen a GPS in action, so he got quite a kick out of the whole thing. The problem was that I was forced to go west as the rain clouds were chasing me from the southwest. If I would have been able to head due north as planned, the rain would have skirted to the south of me. By the time I made the nearly 4 mile detour to resume my northward trek, a drizzle started. Cranking up the pace succeeded in outrunning the storm clouds. The intensity of precipitation gradually waned once I proceeded along the additional 2.5 miles eastward leg to close the detour. I was pleased to see the sun for the second time and the detour signs at the north end that provided proof that I completed the detour in the most effective -- and driest - manner. It was a good omen.



Here are some of the images along that eastward detour trek.


The rest including breathtaking scenes and challenging hill climbs - at least challenging for me - with ascents up to 340 feet and total ascent of more than 2000 feet.



A stop at Portage Lake was a nice break that allowed me to shed a layer of clothing as the temperature rose into the 60's. A scenic overlook at the top on one of the climbs revealed some colors that provide a harbinger for the conclusion of summer.
Between Frankfort and Beulah, the north shoreline of Crystal Lake was especially pleasant, being so close that you could hear the waves washing up on shore as riding by. The varied shades of blue water became evident when illuminated by the sun.