This day started a bit earlier than expected. Rouge raccoons around 12:30am and 2:30am had an apparent interest with the contents of my trailer's bag, which required me dispatching them with music (Metallica) on both occasions; perhaps they returned a second time for Metallica rather than the contents of my trailer's bag? Having a sense of humor about this made falling back asleep easier.
I was on the road by 8:45am, and on to US-31 for a short time before a welcomed return to backroads: the shoulder of US-31 south of Charlevoix became increasingly narrow, crumbled, and overall unfavorable for riding on as traffic buzzed by. Backroads offered a rider solace that US-31 couldn't offer. While riding along, I noticed agricultural equipment that I haven't seen anywhere else during my touring experiences. It turns out all of this unfamiliar equipment was solely for the cultivation and harvesting cherries.
The remainder of today's ride was short in duration, which was intentional: I met up with Andy and Jennifer, friends that I had only met days ago at the Celibeth House. Getting to their home from bay-grade was a climb that demanded respect, even for a seasoned touring cyclist! When I arrived, I met their friends that were visiting for the day. After cleaning up, we all had a wholesome lunch along with good conversation. Andy and Jennifer's friends had an hours long trek home and departed early in the afternoon. With the time that remained in the afternoon, they were kind enough to show me around the area.
Early that afternoon, we drove north away from Traverse City on MI-37, which goes along Old Mission peninsula. Stretches of this highway are, more or less, along a ridge where one can see both East and West Arms of Grand Traverse Bay. I learned from Jennifer and Andy that this region has extensive cherry orchards and vineyards, because the region's climate affords the perfect growing conditions for these crops. We stopped at two wineries, Bonobo Winery and Chateau Chantel. Both were remarkable in their own . I was taken enough with two wines that I made a small purchase for Teresa. One can easily work up an appetite sampling wines, and we were all in the mood for a burger.
We went back to Traverse City and found the burgers we were in search of at Bubba's. While here, I reflected on meeting Andy and Jennifer only a few days ago at the Celibeth House. Had we not crossed paths there, I likely wouldn't be at Bubba's, and I likely wouldn't have had the occasion to meet these kind, wonderful people. One of the most fascinating things about touring is meeting people along the way. Of the hundreds and thousands of miles I've toured, I am hard pressed and am falling short of recalling anyone that was rude and unpleasant toward me. Andy and Jennifer are living examples of the good that is in the world, and meeting them was one of the greatest highlights of this tour around Lake Michigan.
After a hearty burger, the day caught up to me fairly quickly. We returned to Andy and Jennifer's and continued to unwind. I was looking forward to returning eastward and closer to Lake Michigan.
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