90: lost headphones, grace and elegance, jill, wheels yield to heels, the squeeze, vocation vacation, mastodon crossing, yet another detour, carl's rich! (and carl's karen!), sergeant stony, tires, quite an impression, gawping

July 26, 2025

Novi to Shelby Township

I again arose at 6:00 in order to finish riding before all of earth's oxygen caught fire because of the temperature. I dropped off my key as I left the hotel, then when I was outside I realized I couldn't find my headphones. Embarrassed, I went back in and let the young guy at the desk know that I left my headphones in my room, and needed to get back in.

"You mean the headphones around your neck?"

I just thought I was embarrassed when I asked for the key.

This isn't the original picture, since I didn't take one... it's a dramatic re-enactment. Very dramatic, I might even say.

As I was riding, I heard some mourning doves. I completely understand their grief. I'm awake at 6:30, so I'm mourning, too.

a picture of swans, which represent grace and elegance, and also swan shit

I had a 30-second conversation with this speedster. She asked about how to follow me on my trip so I told her and she said, "I'm Jill from Michigan. I'm gonna comment." Here's your chance, Jill.

There was no perceptible change in grade, and the only way I could tell whether I was going up or down the 1-2% grade was the subtle change in pressure on the pedals as I pushed on them.

"Wheels Yield to Heels," a new way to describe the rule I've been seeing along trails for hundreds of miles.

mile marker along the Clinton River Trail, which is part of Trail #1 going from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan

No room on the right, and I could just squeeze by on the left.

Uhhhh.... I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one.

...so I stopped at the small cove to read about mastodons...

...and learned that most of a 12,000-year-old mastodon was found on this site in 2006 (rare, because usually only a bone or two was discovered). Paleontologists are sort of magicians to me. "Oh, this one's easy... this partial tooth tells me that it's a 12-year-old sabertooth tiger, with adoptive parents and a sister who bullied him. His guilty pleasure was long walks along the beach, and he had a rash on his left flank. His name was Rupert."

I considered going past it, but this is a very serious sign - almost as tall as me - so I decided against it.

When it started getting hot, I stopped to have a snack at The Corner House and worked on the blog for a couple of hours. Carl's parents, Rich and Karen, live in a Detroit suburb and were kind enough to drive all the way out to Shelby Township and buy me lunch... with leftovers that I could also eat for dinner.

From there, I pedaled just up the road to my campsite. At the Stony Creek Campground's Office I walked in to see a woman about my age sitting behind the desk. She had gray hair cut in what was almost, but not quite, a military flat-top style, and a no-nonsense look on her face.

Her answers were clipped and slightly disdainful, as if every syllable she volunteered would require a visit to the dentist for a tooth extraction, and I half expected her to blurt, "On the floor! Give me twenty!" This, from a woman who could barely push herself out of the chair into which she had apparently glued herself. Her butt actually appeared to be stuck to the seat as she used her arms in a furious battle to detach it.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Phyllis and Ella in the camp store were quite pleasant.

One of the Usual Questions I get asked about when I talk to people is "How many sets of tires do you go through on a trip like this?" This rear tire has about 3,000 miles/4800 km on it.

This front tire has the same and, oddly, appears to have more wear. The rear tire carries more weight, and usually wears faster. Also, no flats to date.

The campers from last night certainly left an impression.

I selected a different place to pitch my tent.

The temperature cooled off, and the bugs disappeared (although it might've been partly a result of the drifting smoke from the campfire of the group next to me). It was altogether a very pleasant evening, if a bit sticky, and I hope to get in more camping... if only the weather cooperates.

The best thing about this campsite was the lightning bugs. Other than a biobay, I don't know if there's anything more magical. Hundreds of them floating across the field, firing up the luciferin in their bodies to say "Hooo Whee! Come have sex with me!" I sat on the picnic table for a while and just gawped, like I have the hundreds of other times I've seen them. I hope this never gets old.

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Today's ride: 33 miles (53 km)
Total: 2,355 miles (3,790 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	13
Comment on this entry	Comment	7

Nancy GrahamI rather like the lightning bugs reference. I grew up in Maryland where we had many of them and called them lightning bugs. Here on the west coast they call them fireflies and I seldom hear or read of “lightning bugs”. Refreshing for me. 😉
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5 months ago

Mark BinghamTo Nancy GrahamLiterally everyone I know calls them "fireflies," and I considered calling them that, but to me they're lightning bugs, and felt I needed to stay true to that.

Thanks for sharing!
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5 months ago

Nancy GrahamTo Mark BinghamI like that. I always call them lightening bugs, ants always will. Though we don’t see any over here near Seattle, I think there are some on the east side. I hope so as we are going on a group campout at Nachez WA and it is titles “Moonbeams and Fireflies”.
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5 months ago

Bill ShaneyfeltI've always called them lightening bugs... but they are actually beetles and neither bugs nor flies. Bugs are Order Hemiptera, flies are Order Diptera and beetles are Order Coleoptera. Some of the old 1967 Entomology stuff actually stuck! My prof. would be proud. :-)
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5 months ago

Lyle McLeodNothing about bugs ... but here's a link to RWGPS Support with information on joining together separate activities.

https://support.ridewithgps.com/hc/en-us/articles/11122571458459-Edit-Recorded-Activities#h_01GMBWCG44HWRAP1SADD9BT9B1

On the left hand side of the page you'll see a link that says 'Jump to Premium Editing Feature' - click that and you'll find out how to join rides
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5 months ago

Mark BinghamTo Lyle McLeodThanks Lyle! I was shockingly easy to do!
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5 months ago

Karen PoretTo Mark BinghamYOU were “shockingly easy” to do? 😲
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5 months ago