State of Affairs

Maybe it was the big stack of 12 grain pancakes with strawberries. Maybe it was the new tire and another new spoke in my rear wheel. Maybe it was the nice tailwind. Maybe it was the possibility of taking with Governor Granholm about increasing education funding, specifically for teaching positions in northern Michigan. Whatever it was, I rode my fastest time of the entire trip today. I am proud as a pickle of my average speed of 16.1 miles per hour, whatever that means.

I left my bicycle at the Blue Care Network office last night, and when I returned I found that I had busted another spoke and had a deflated tire. Even though I still feel great, my bicycle may feel otherwise. It’s probably happy to see this trip ending, just like a good plow horse during tilling season. Once again, luck was on my side, because the Village Bike Shop was only five miles down the road, and right on my way to my next destination, Lansing. I disconnected the rear brakes so my wobbly tire would rotate and arrived there in no time flat. It took about an hour for Ryan, Tom, Amber and Brian to fix my spoke and inspect my bike, which also had a bald rear tire. I can’t imagine how it got that way… They put on a new heavy duty, armadillo tire (what! armadillos again!) that I imagine will last for my entire next trip through South America. Just kidding.

I had a nice lunch and relaxed chance to check my e-mail and read your blog comments (which I love, by the way) and finally got on the road at 1:30pm. My buddy and best man at my wedding, Ralph Basile (I call him Rufus), planned on meeting me in Lansing at 5:00pm, so I kicked it into high gear and flew like the wind. Who could have figured I still had the gas to fire on all cylinders? And I’m not even paying $3.50 a gallon for it.

We were also going to meet our college friend Hawkeye, who is an economist for the State of Michigan, but we didn’t hook up because he didn’t answer his phone after 4:30. This means one of two things: either the bureaucrats are now working bankers hours (actually an increase, if I’m not mistaken), or he is camped out in the Capital as the legislature and Jennifer Granholm struggle to make a last minute budget compromise, and they seek his advice. Either way, it was too bad we couldn’t hook up.

I pulled in front of the Capital Dome at 5:00 sharp, and Rufus arrived right down the street at the same time. We met in front of the Capital, which was really cool, considering both of us were Political Science majors. Check out the picture; didn’t it make an awesome photo shoot?

Rufus took me out for a few beers and dinner at the Tavern on the Square Restaurant down the street afterward. The food there was good, and good for you; the Oberon beer was even better. I kept asking our waitress Jessica to tell the chef to make my orders extra big, and she came through in the clutch. Good, good, girl.

Rufus traveled all the way from St. Clair Shores to meet me, and I really appreciated his company. It would have been a real letdown to spend one of my last evenings alone, and as usual, Rufus provided excellent entertainment. He set the dates for our next Many Man March Golf Outing, so if you want to join us write them down. August 23^rd through August 26^th. He wants to golf in Gaylord again this year, and who can blame him. E-mail me if you want to join us and stay tuned for details.

After dinner I decided to check into a hotel for the evening. There are plenty right around the Capital, but most start with names like Radisson or Hilton, and end in dollar signs. Call me cheap, call me a camper, call me what you want, but I just wanted a place to crash, so I took off north on Old US 27 and eventually found the Town and Country Motel, which was built in the 1940’s ad still has the original furniture. Now, I don’t want to say that it’s a “fleabag”, but it makes the Bates Motel look pretty inviting. The owner gave me two discounts; one for paying cash and the other for paying for the whole night instead of hourly. Needless to say, it fit my needs perfectly. Tomorrow I’m traveling to Cliff and Julie’s place in Saginaw, and I hope they give me the same deal.