108: why the crotch, no wake zone, roberta and mark, dog parade, sanitary sewer, bye bye, produce ahead, slow!, pow-wow, 45th parallel, rose and eric, foodie, ice skating, I'd rather have a tudor, the fix

August 13, 2025

Leland to Suttons Bay

This morning I spent slowly organizing my gear and didn't leave until after 11:00, rested and refreshed.

Why is Mark showing me a picture of his crotch? I didn’t think he was THAT perverted... well, that’s not true, I guess I did. ---- Patience. You'll learn soon enough.

Next week, I'll be taking another hiatus from my trip. When I arrive in Iowa City, I need to pull out the lawnmower, fill it with gas, sharpen the blades, and trim the hair on my ears and nose. I also have some appointments (annual physical, dental appointment, etc), which require my presence.

Therefore, one of the items on yesterday's checklist was to plot out each day for the next week because there are a limited number of places where I can rent a car. My current plan is to ride to the Pellston Airport, allowing several extra rest days for me to enjoy this region of Michigan and, hopefully, for you to enjoy them as well.

Even the signs are telling me to take it slow.

My stop for the night is Suttons Bay. You'll notice that the apostrophe has been stolen by The Board of Geographic Names. If you recall, they're the ones who denied an apostrophe to Harpers Ferry, and Scotts Valley. I'd like to know what they did with them, and why they need so many.

Suttons Bay is only ten miles from Leland, and I considered pedaling straight there to hang out. My other option is to ride north to Northport, then back down to Suttons Bay. On the map at the bottom you can see the route options.

After giving it some thought, I decided to take the long way because ultimately, I just enjoy riding my bike.

Jim Harrison (author of Legends of the Fall) lived on a farm just a few miles down the road from Suttons Bay, near Lake Leelanau.

After arriving in Northport I tooled over to the marina, then found a coffee shop to park for a while. It's a short day so I wasn't in a hurry at all, especially because the weather was so perfect, so I lingered at my outside table for an hour and a half, grateful for my amazing good fortunate to be able to have these experiences.

While I was there, a woman dressed in bike shorts and a jersey at the next table asked me in a barely detectable German accent if I was familiar with the roads. As we began chatting, Roberta's husband came out, also named Mark, and I learned that they're history professors at the University of Indiana (although it could be Illinois - I forget). We talked about the major changes in the educational world over the past six months, and she mentioned that she'll be teaching a course about Nazi Germany to 250 students next semester. They both still enjoy teaching but, like with many other professions, it's all the "other stuff" that leaches the joy away.

Northport holds an Annual Dog Parade. It would've been fun to watch all the dogs dressed up (and the humans accompanying them as well), but I missed it by a few days. This year's theme was Bone Appétit, and some of the more recent themes have included Tail Blazers, Bark to the Future, and Hairy Pawter.

Inertia was strong, but I finally climbed back onto the bike.

Is this an oxymoron, or is it because the residents believe that "Our shit don't stink."

Okay, but WHAT do I need to produce??? Don't make a demand like that, then leave me hanging!

This doesn't look encouraging for children wanting to cross the road.

This is the second time I've crossed the 45th parallel, and I'll do it once more on the other side of Lake Michigan.

I'm staying with some Warm Showers hosts tonight, Rose and Eric. They both enjoy biking and have taken a number of tours. Rose prepared a simple, yet delicious, meal. One of the challenges and pleasures she undertook after retiring was to go to Chef School, and now writes a food column for the local paper.

During dinner, I asked about unusual Warm Showers experiences and Eric reported that all of the guests they've housed have been very nice. He did, however, tell me about one guy, somewhat young, who perhaps didn't understand some basic principles of guest politeness.

Rose and Eric left, and told him to "make yourself at home, there are some things in the kitchen if you need them." The guest was thinking that meant he could eat the scallops in the freezer. Fortunately, he did call first to ask, and Eric replied with a polite no, while at the same time his brain was saying, "Can you eat the scallops?!?! No! They're $23.00 a pound!" He laughingly told me, "I was thinking, like, condiments!"

After dinner we took a walk around town for a digestif. This becomes an ice skating rink during winter. They flood it with water and it freezes quickly in the Michigan cold.

Rose told the story of a wealthy gentleman in town who, as a surprise to his Japanese wife, built this house. It's one which would seamlessly fit anywhere in Japan, and has sliding doors, tatami mats, several beautiful ponds, and a strong connection to nature. The wife didn't tell her husband, but confided to Rose that "I'd rather have had a Tudor house."

...the zipper broke in a manner that wasn't fixable, at least not by me, so...

....this is the temporary repair I was able to perform, with Rose's electrical tape, until I can get to a place I found in Traverse City that does alterations.

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Today's ride: 26 miles (42 km)
Total: 2,858 miles (4,600 km)

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