Ludington, Michigan

I'm in Ludington, Michigan, heading 75 miles south to Grand Haven today. To meet my new good friends Shawn and Jim. They are fellow cyclists that found my journal online and have been beyond helpful with directions and maps and offers of hospitality. They live in Grand Rapids but are vacationing at Grand Haven and offered for me to join them. So I will!

So much to say. It's hard to rewind 3 days and capture all the occurrences, but as Ben Stein says 'I shall do my best.'
In college, there used to be a term 'breaking the seal'. We would occasionally consume more than 1 beer - I know, crazy! - and the idea was to not go to the bathroom for as long as possible, because once you did, and 'broke the seal', then you'd have to go every 10 minutes. I don't know who thought this up, I'm just the messenger. Dinah Minks from Bena, MN would not have approved of this policy, as she likes to piss on everything. What the piss.
Well, the police encounter seal has been broken!
And Dennis, you crack me up. I should've used that line.
So, after camping on the courthouse lawn, I rode 100 miles down to Shawano. An absolutely gorgeous day. I got into Shawano about 7pm, and on my handy-dandy AAA map it had a red tepee next to Shawano, meaning there was a campground there.
Well, I'll be damned if I could find it! I looked, I stopped by the police station to ask but they were closed, the gas station didn't know, so I went into a bar and had a quick beer. That's always the solution. I asked the bartender - well, this was after I ordered a beer, an Old Style beer - I had kept seeing signs for Old Style so I figured I should try it - so I said 'could I have an Old Style, a pint?'
The bartender quickly corrects me - 'it's a Mug' he says.
Fine, mug. Put it in a shoe for all I care mister. So I ask him about the campground and he says 'well, there's a few campgrounds out by the lake' -
How far is the lake?
'Oh, about 4 or 5 miles that way' as he absently points toward the window.

My options at that point, at 7:30pm, with an hour of light left, were to travel 4 or 5 miles 'that way', or find a place in town. Given that the bartender looked and talked like Joe Dirt - no offense to Joe Dirt of course! - I was a little leery of his directions, or that there was even a lake at all!
And I was already eyeballing this nice plot of land by the river, just outside of town, complete with bathroom facilities - but was hesitant after my previous encounter with John Law. It was already 8pm though, so I opted for camping by the river. I always wait until after dark to pop the tent up. I made some noodles, enjoyed the twilight by the river. Long story short - I awoke to my own little light show at 3:15am. Lights blaring - 'Sheriffs Department' - I hear. Great. Reminded me of an evening at Dan Smith's house.
Yes, sheriff? I say blearily looking up through the mesh of my tent to see two policecops hulking over the tent. We go through the usual - you're not supposed to camp here - where ya headed - really?!?! - that's amazing - where'd you start - when'd you leave - yada yada yada. You got ID? Yes. All clean - well, good luck to you! Thank you. Super friendly cops.

And, as if you could hold back the flood, all things happen in 3s and the seal has been broken! Yesterday, on my way out of Green Bay (I bagged the tour of scenic Door County, since the scenery becomes less scenic in cold, spitting rain. Plus, the forecast called for winds of E 20-30. Traveling S with E 20-30 is not ideal. I've fought E 20-30 once before and decided against fighting again. You win E20-30!) I was following Route 141 South, trying to get to Manitowoc to catch the 1:15pm ferry. As luck would have it - I run into the 'Road Closed Ahead' sign and detour signs all over. I follow the detour, oh boy - it takes me onto Interstate 43! Where the big boys drive. I didn't have any other options and was running out of time, so Interstate 43 it was. I laughed as I circled around the entrance ramp. Vroom-vroom! It felt very strange to be circling the entrance ramp on a bike. I rode about 5 miles on the interstate before getting off to follow the detour. Bicycles are prohibited, but actually the Interstate was much much safer than 90% of the roads I've ridden on. The shoulders are 10 feet wide!
Anyway, I exited and then found County Route R, which, in looking at my map, would also get me to Manitowoc. So as I'm traveling down good ol' road R, I hear wooop, woooop. I look back, and wouldn't you know it - it's my good friends the police!
Howdy sir, we just got a few calls about a biker on the interstate and wanted to make sure you were ok. (Just as a side - who are these people calling the police about a biker on the interstate? They must be bored. Are they really concerned about my safety? Making sure I'm safe? I should call the police and say that I saw someone driving 85 in a 65 on Interstate 43 and just wanted to make sure they were safe.)
Yes, I'm fine, I was trying to travel on 141 South but the detour took me onto the Interstate and I am rushing to get to Manitowoc by 1:15pm. Yada, yada, yada - the cops love me. Maine? Really? You're a better man than I! Good luck!

So, the police encounter seal has been broken. It is so refreshing to talk to police without being in trouble! A whole new world.

The Packers game was incredible, I don't have time to describe it all, but it was an experience of a lifetime. Plus, my friend I was staying with had 2 free tickets (well, he works for Sodexho so we had to go to a food/bakery show to earn the tickets, and I had to pose as Gary Vail - executive chef of the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay - nice! Really all we did was eat a few cupcakes and smile) and they also had a free tailgate before the game, with your choice of - you guessed it! Bud Light or Miller Lite. And brats. Lots and lots of brats. Remember that commercial? Johnny's cooking Johnsonville Brats! echo, echo. My lord, no wonder all these people are 400 pounds, they eat like horses! There is most definitely an obesity problem in this country, my independent research has confirmed it.

Oh boy, time's up. To the rain I go...