Hotliday!

It's been dry, dry enough the corn is starting to curl up just before it's major growth season.  The air was as comfortable as being wrapped in a full length woolen coat, no buttons to fiddle with, just walk right into it.

Since I had no other plans for the 4th I packed up the Hunq and headed down the trail to Lake Michigan.

Even the early morning was hot, the trail itself was parched and dusty.

Less than 5 miles on the trail and my bike was coated with limestone dust.  But there were many courageous and happy people out enjoying the shade that the trail provided.  I really made short work of the ride, stopping shortly but frequently to cool off at each of the five available wells.  A good dose of cold water over the head and another liter of water in me kept the heat at bay.

Not so for the deer flies.  They were flying in attack squadrons drafting behind my front panniers at 13-14 mph but were either unable or unwilling to grab on and take a bite of me.

I made it to the beach around one o'clock after setting up my camp at Eagle's Point near the end of the
Kal-Haven Trail.

Loaded with beach worshippers enjoying the sun and frolicing or just plain standing in the waters.

The heat index was about 110 in the town and dropped at least 10 degrees at the shore from the cooling winds. To say it was refreshing was an understatement.  The company, cool water and jovial atmosphere beat the crap out an air-conditioned home on a hot afternoon.  It was worth the ride and after a couple hours lying around in the water's edge, I enjoyed a California Rueben and a couple of Stella"s at "Joes Bar and Grill" while listening to a folk singer on the patio.  On the way back to the campsite to take an afternoon nap I realized I had missed a stage of the Tour.  OOps, how unfredly of me.  I slept ok.

The evening brought some hazy skys over the lake as the temperatures dropped into the eighties.

People had assembled on the beaches to enjoy the cooling air and a few firework displays.

After the sun went down it was a relaxing and cool ride through the forest to the campsite.

The ride home in the morning was warmer, with a heat index above 100 again, but I had acclimated to it.
I just drank a lot of water, took a mid-morning break to eat halfway home and made it back before noon.
The heat has gotten to the point where you don't notice it because the sweat evaporates so quickly you lose your sense of discomfort.  If one pushes themselves too far it would be easy to go too far and develop heat stroke but prevention and patience will always allow you live to ride another day.  Hopefully a cooler one.