105: indian tree, the sofa decision, scenic overlook, bent fork, carface, no trespassing without permission, bingham, deadstream, herring lake preserves, because that's stupid, 50 cents for 3 minutes, kevin and ruth, rain

August 10, 2025

Arcadia to Empire

This morning as I was just leaving the MT Plate after a hearty breakfast, a nervous-looking man in his sixties stopped me.

"Which way are you going?"

I pointed. "That way."

"You already heard about the hill?" I acknowledged that I had. It's going to be first thing this morning, and I had visions of me depositing my breakfast on the side of the road as I struggled to ascend it.

"Well you're going in the right direction if you want to see the Indian Tree. Have you heard about it?" My interest blossomed.

"The Indians used to use it to point a direction. They'd find a young tree, then put a rock on it when it's small, then another, until it bent the way they wanted it to. It's one of the few left in Michigan."

This sounds exactly like the kind of thing I'd like to see, and I asked where I can find it.

"When you get to Joyfield Road, there'll be a sign about that far up the road." He pointed to the back of a sign about 75 yards down the street from where we were standing. "When you get there, turn to your left."

At that point, his directions were starting to sound like an Indiana Jones movie, and I was wondering if I was going to need to line up street signs and pace off distances. I hoped so.

Unfortunately, that was the end of his instructions, although he added, "It's off in the woods a bit so you'll need to skirt the poison ivy and..... oh, you're wearing shorts.... well, maybe not."

Hmph. I can skirt in shorts. This sounded absolutely too good to miss.

He was in a hurry, and as he hustled off he added, "It's one of the oldest trees in Michigan."

I started riding towards my destination, not knowing where that destination would be since I hadn't heard back from the Warm Showers host I'd messaged last night.

The morning was pleasantly cool, and I was able to get warmed up before tackling the upcoming hill.

I seriously considered swapping my mattress pad out for this gem. I have the extra room in my panniers and, like the ceramic toilet and the dresser I picked up when I first arrived in Michigan, I don't think I'd notice the extra weight because I'm already carrying so much.

I plugged along for an indeterminate amount of time at my usual plodding pace and, all of a sudden, I was at the top. I pedaled the entire way, and I'd guess the steepest grade was around 12-13%.

There's a scenic overlook at the top which was definitely worth the climb.

More people stopped to ask me about my trip today than in the previous two weeks combined.

As I was about to leave a woman asked if I wanted her to take a picture so that I could be in it. "You earned it!"

I'd been looking for Joyfield Road on the way up and never saw it, and felt disappointed that I missed it, but continued forward.

Then, when I took a closer look at the map, I found that it's still ahead of me.

After taking a right I immediately spied the sign, just as he'd said. When I reached it I looked left and instantly knew which tree he was talking about - it couldn't be any other tree.

Skillfully skirting the poison ivy, I approached.

It was large and ancient, and the surrounding trees seemed to keep their distance.

I didn't see a rock, and I couldn't tell if it was still pointing out a direction, but it was ancient, and it was beautiful.

Then, back on the road for a long downhill run.

I think the saying goes something like: "When you come to a fork in the road, bend it."

These are just pieces of a car, probably remnants from a crash, that have been nailed to the telephone pole to appear like a face. There's nothing around.

The sign says: "Dog Training Area - No Trespassing Without Permission" By definition, can you trespass with permission? Is it still trespassing?

what happens when you don't pay your cable bill

At one point I passed the Herring Lake Preserve, and wondered....... If you preserve herrings you catch at the Herring Lake Preserve, are they Herring Lake Preserve Herring Preserves?

I finally got a response from the Warm Showers host letting me know that his sons are visiting and wouldn't be able to host me, so I altered my course for the Empire City Campground. I tried calling, but didn't get an answer and hoped I'd be able to get a campsite.

By the time I arrived I was fatigued... not just the tiredness that comes after a hard ride, but the kind where the hills, the heat, the poor sleep, and the riding all combine to create a fatigue that soaks into your whole system. When I rolled into the camp I felt like I was feeling the onset of brain death.

It didn't help when I saw the NO VACANCY sign, but it had barely registered when a woman came out of the house/office behind me and asked if I needed a campsite.

"We never turn bikers away, because that's stupid. What're you gonna do? Climb back on the bike and ride another fifty miles to the next campground?" Yolanda asked. Relief swept over me, and I paid the small fee for the campsite, which was discounted even further for cyclists.

I pedaled over to site #3, then just sat down for a moment gathering my strength and thinking that I should've snatched up that sofa bed. It would've been nice right about now.

The showers are coin operated, and you pay two quarters for three minutes. That was the best $25.00 I've spent in a long time.

Well, not exactly $25.00, but I certainly could have spent more than the buck fifty I put into it.

My campsite was large, and felt isolated. With the surrounding trees, the silence was absolute. It was the exact opposite of last night, and although I could see people talking at the next campground their voices were absorbed into the vacuum of the forest.... silence, broken only by the occasional chirp of a bird.

Kevin and Ruth, cyclists at the campsite next to mine, politely waited until I had a chance to collect myself, then came over to talk. We had a nice conversation, and I picked up some more tips from them. Even though they're older than me, both are hard core cyclists and put in more miles with fewer rest days than me (although, come to think of it, pretty much everyone does that regardless of their age). Today was their first rest day since starting six days ago.

They shared a humorous story from when they completed the TransAm trail in the 1970s. It was their honeymoon gift to each other (what a great gift!) and after telling a guy along the way what they were doing, he made a snide comment under his breath about "What a cheapskate."

That custon-built Waterford is beautiful. It's a shame they went out of business.

This morning's forecast promised no rain so, because it was a bit warm I left the rainfly off my tent. When early evening arrived I felt a few drops so I attached it, then looked at the weather again.

The weather predictions are so terrible that I'm considering not even looking at the app any longer.

It was a heavy rain but I fell sound asleep, snug inside my tent and intentionally ignored the forecast.

I probably should've checked it.

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Today's ride: 35 miles (56 km)
Total: 2,796 miles (4,500 km)

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Karen PoretAt least you were IN a tent and not ON the sofa..😬
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