Rolling along

Sebewaing is a beet sugaring capital of Michigan and has a nice town park perfect for our lunch picnic

We wake to a cloudless sky and a glass smooth lake.  It is going to be wonderful riding without a headwind!  We leave Port Crescent and head along the shoreline.  The Saginaw Bay is as blue as the sky.  Caseville is a sleepy town with a beachtown vibe but there are no beach goers on this chilly morning.   There is one coffee shop that is open.  The other one will  open on Memorial Day.  The tee shirt shops and the town museum are still closed for the season.

The weather is looking great all week.  This is such a gift!  I am sort of happy that we started the trip under such trying conditions because I wholeheartedly appreciate this forecast.  

As we enter the outskirts of Sebewaing we see some wild looking industrial equipment.  Tom recognizes some of the stainless steel shapes as big fans connected to pipes of some kind.  What are they doing here?  We are looking at our very first sugar beet processing plant.  It is very cool and takes up an entire street.  You really need to read about this process here.  crystalsugar
 It is fascinating.  Riding on we pass sandy soiled fields being prepared for beet planting.  

shocking bright green field that is NOT growing beets

Our campsite for the night is at a  county park.  It is Friday , and I am a little worried that since we have to ride 50+ miles we will never be able to get a campsite.  Mighiganders come out in droves on the weekends and extended families fill up the campgrounds.   Yes, even in mid-May!   But, the county park has just a handful of campers - possibly because there are several state parks nearby (if you have a vehicle!)  We meet a very nice family who share with us the code to the marina showers nearby where the Dad of the family keeps his boat.  The hot hot shower in the very clean shower room feels amazing. 

We go out for a Friday perch fish fry and fill up on perch that is pan fried just like I would cook it if I was at home.  Our beer choices are Bud Light and Miller Light.  It's a toss up with those but we go for the Budweiser.  I feel very All American.  We have a campfire with the nice Michigan neighbors and I have to say that they have endured so many hardships but their love of God and love of their family has allowed them to make it through.  

 I go to sleep counting my blessings and praying for comfort and strength for them.