It doesn't have to be an EPIC trip

The usual signs of spring have passed

as traffic waits for the annual parades of goslings

crossing city streets from one pond to the next

and those of us on two wheels are treated 

to watch mothers extending their families.

     I was miraculously spared a tragedy when my bike rack broke in the middle of an urban drag race. The rack and bike tumbled off the car at 50 MPH! 50 or 60 cars managed to avoid the mess in the middle of the road. This could have been a 5-10 car pile up. Traffic was fast and heavy enough that it took several minutes before it was safe to get out of the car. It was several more before I could collect the mess between traffic.

This broken adjustment buckle seems to be the culprit

and this was the only damage suffered.

Steel is real and my Rivendell Sam Hillborne 

survived with an admirable piece of "beausage."

I think I'll keep it that way for some sick reason.

So, a week before Summer, we started to ride for the shadows

to escape the heat.  My relatives in Florida will laugh

but up here in Michigan 90's is EMERGENCY TIME!

     It is unusual to have a heat wave before Summer hits but it's here. I loaded the Hunq  to take a few days in the forest.  The plan was the usual trip to the Yankee Springs forest, camp for a couple of days and ride the Barry Roubaix route for a few hours.

     It all worked out, except for a puncture just before I got to the campground.  No problem, I thought, the sealant in the tubes took over, I went to the tool kit for CO2 popped a bit in the tire and rode the last mile or so,  No problem, until morning. The tire felt spongy again.  Hmm, Probably didn't ride far enough to get enough sealant into the hole.  I went to the tool kit again and found the other CO2 cartridges were spent.  Damn, I wobbled to the entrance of the campground where there's an MTB trailhead.  One of the arriving bikers had a pump I could borrow. I got it up to pressure and figured it would seal as I rode, but I cowered out and took the paved route instead of the gravel to Hastings where the Ace Hardware has a nice bike dept and a 6 pack of cartridges for insurance.  

     The rest of the day was spent tooling around Hastings which has a nice trail along the Thornapple River. I enjoyed lunch at Walldorr's Brew Pub.  It's a rural community

and you don't have to get far from town 

to find unusual "pets" in front yards.

          The night was good,  I left early to avoid the heat and it was still brutal.  At 73 I have the right to claim wisdom or maturity, but at any age it's just common sense not to challenge this kind of heat and humidity.  I enjoyed the countryside, riding a few miles at a time between shade trees.  By the time I reached the Kzoo outskirts the pavement was good for boiling water and the last ten miles was a matter of gearing down and taking it slow.  It was a bike trip, it's always different, always fun, always good.