Day 4 July 11

Midland MI is a very beautiful city with lots of parks, two converging rivers, a "tridge" which spans both rivers, an artsy downtown area and the trailhead for the Pere Marquette rail-trail.  We unloaded the bikes in a bit of drizzle and waited maybe 15 minutes for the rain to clear out.  We've been incredibly lucky with the weather.  The trail today was almost entirely unshaded and it was delightfully cool.  We originally planned to ride 30 miles to Clare, have lunch and ride back for a total of 60 miles which would have been our longest ride and a good test of the batteries' life.  We think we can ride 60 miles but we're not sure.  We're still not sure because we only rode to Coleman, 22 miles and back.  It looked like rain so we really made good time riding back.    

This is a rails to trails conservancy hall of fame trail and for very good reasons.  Fully paved, 14 feet wide, well marked with easy cross street access and lots of history.  Timber companies would bank the logs on the shore lines of the river (called a rollway) at Averill.  When the river thawed they would roll the logs into the river and float them downstream to the mills.  River "rats" would walk on top of the logs to keep the show moving.  Lots of picture boards at Averill explain everything.



If you're wondering where they came up with the name Pere Marquette.  There was a French Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement.  His name was Jacques Marquette.  Everything sounds better in French.   

Tomorrow SLEEPING BEAR!!!!
 

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