Today was just too much fun. We were hoping the big rainstorm that was headed our way would hit last night, but unfortunately I only saw stars every time I woke up. By the time we headed for Mackinaw City early this morning, the storm was definitely headed our way, the skies were clouding up and rain was imminent. We decided, “What the heck, let’s just head for Mackinac Island and take our chances”. We embarked on the passenger ferry, with our bikes of course, and had a great ride viewing the suspension bridge and other ferry boats with their huge sprays, like rooster tails, spouting behind them. Once we landed on the island we decided to ride the 8 mile trail around the island before exploring the town. Well, we got to about mile 3, felt a couple of rain drops, heard the huge thunder crack directly above and just barely managed to get our ponchos over our heads before the skies opened up. Oh and what a mighty storm it was!! We rode another half mile, getting completely drenched, then finally spotted a snack shack and ran for shelter. We were not the only ones there, and as the bike refugees huddled under the very narrow eaves, the water poured off the hillside and came in torrents around us. We soon found ourselves in ankle deep water wondering how long the storm would last. Some of the troops didn’t think it would abate so they abandoned ship and rode back to town in the pouring rain. Soon there was only a small contingent left, a dad with two daughters, and Ned and I. Our fellow band of brothers decided that it was best to retreat, so they headed off into the rain back to their dry hotel room once the thunder and lightening stopped - but not Ned and I. No, the fearless duo was in it for the duration and we were determined to bike around the island. Ned spotted a restroom sign through the woods and we made a mad dash for it. Once in the ladies room I stripped down and used the hand dryer to dry my clothes. After about 10 minutes of intensive drying two young girls came in and I’m sure I scared the pants off of them too! The last thing they expected was to open the restroom door and see a half naked lady in front of the hand dryer. Once somewhat dry, we threw on our ponchos again and damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. As we rode off into the light drizzle we both yelled, “Poncho Villa rides again!” (See today’s pic). These brave warriors were rewarded with the road to themselves and calm skies. We rode triumphantly back into town the l-o-n-g way. Once in town, we thought it was a great time to grab lunch and reconnoiter. As we finished our lunch the owner of the restaurant came on over and said we looked like adventuresome folks so he showed us some other fun, more off the beaten path, places to bike. By this time the skies had cleared up and we had a great time exploring the middle of the island passing horse drawn carriages, grand estates, the tiny airport and historic battle places. By the time we landed back in town we had ridden 16.5 miles. We grabbed the 3:00 ferry and headed for Yooperland. Our first stop in the Upper Peninsula was at one of the many smoke fish shop joints that line the highway, a just reward for our valiant ride. We arrived at Indian Lake Campground and were thrilled to get a site right on the lake, including our own dock and bench. After spending a bit of time cleaning out poor Winnie (too many peanut shells and cherry pits), the sun broke and we took advantage of the warmth and went swimming. As I write this, it’s beginning to cloud up again and we are hearing the distant roar of thunder. Mmm – might be a good idea to start rounding up all our gear that is airing out and batten down the hatches.
