Alanson, Michigan

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After leaving the upper peninsula of Michigan, I traveled over the bridge that connects to the lower part of the state. This bridge is absolutely amazing! It was so windy going over the bridge that it almost made me uncomfortable at times. It was blowing me around pretty bad, even worse than it was when I was up near Glacier Park. I have never ridden in wind this bad. It made it pretty difficult to enjoy the scenery around me while going over the bridge, but at times I could still catch a small glimpse of my surroundings.

Here’s an embarrassing moment of my day. I had some extra time before I arrived at my host’s house, so I decided to cruise into Petoskey because I knew there was a Starbucks there. I drove to the other end of the town in slow traffic only to find out the Starbucks was on the side of town I came in on! So I went inside, enjoyed my coffee and free wi-fi, and decided to go grab a bite to eat across the street. I waited in traffic for a few minutes at an idle, and finally when it was my turn to lead the way through a green light my bike sputtered and died. I kinda freaked out trying to figure out FAST what was wrong with my bike. And during these few seconds I was holding up the entire line of cars trying to make the turn. Then I realized that I had turned the gas off when I went into Starbucks and forgot to turn it on! So I turned it on quickly, as I was standing still in the middle of the intersection. But the only problem is the bike needs to be running for gas to flow, it has a special valve that is connected to the intake manifold that only opens when there is a vacuum, meaning when the bike is running. So I had to turn the bike over for a few seconds to get gas flowing, and finally it took right off. So I jetted out of the intersection and goosed the bike a little to just get me out of there QUICK. I definitely felt like an idiot, and I don’t think I will ever forget to turn the gas on again! I have forgotten to do it in the past, but I was always out cruising when it sputtered, and I could just reach down and turn the gas back on. Rookie mistake.

Ok so here is where it gets really weird. Yesterday when I was in Manistique in the upper peninsula, I asked a couple at the gas station if they were locals. I was trying to find a place with free wi-fi. They said they were just on their way to another nearby city, and they said they were in the process of moving from Alaska. I was amazed that they were making such a long-distance move, but unfortunately they could not help me find what I was looking for. So I show up at the house I would be staying at tonight, and the same couple I talked to at the gas station pull into the driveway about a minute after I arrived! I asked what they were doing (they recognized me too), and they said they had moved in right next door! It turns out that the wife is my host’s niece! Wow, ok, this just blew me away. I guess it is a small world after all. So we stayed and chatted for a few minutes, they were just dropping in to pick up a key and say hi. So they went on their way. So what are the chances of that happening?

I'll get pictures up soon.

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Photos

Mackinaw bridge
From a distance...

me
Yours truly, if you need proof that I was actually there!

closer...
Just getting ready to cross the Mackinaw bridge

nice view
Another nice view, as I was getting ready to cross the Mackinaw bridge