Any Bike Will Do
Something to Look Forward to...
Have you ever been sitting in your warm house during the cold winter days and you begin to long for early summer? It was a day such as this that began the latest adventure for the Three Broads.
JFK stated that, "Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride."
In the middle of February, nothing sounded more exciting! My favorite teacher, Mr. Winings, had suggested looking into a race that traversed 51 miles in northern Michigan culminating in a visit to Mackinac Island. He had ridden in this event for two years and said it was a beautiful trek. Mr. Winings had also let me know that there were many different levels of riders and types of bicycles on this ride. I had been so interested in trying this ride, I had made it one of my New Year's Resolutions.
On that cold day in February, this ride seemed to be just what I needed to shake the winter doldrums and have something to look forward to. After registering I sent a note to Addie, to see if she was interested and within hours she had signed up too. When we approached Hilary about joining us, she advised that she would love to go but that she was not interested in riding. No problem... there would be lots of options for her to do while we rode.
I suddenly started tricking my bike out... new lights, an odometer, mirror and a cushioned seat that was AMAZING! Addie loaded her new bicycle and made it equally AWESOME! During April, we began training. Trust me... nothing too crazy, but enough to make sure that we believed we could accomplish the ride. We were confident (kind of) that we could do it... three major hills-NO PROBLEM! Hilary discovered a few options for her while we rode and it looked like this trip was really going to happen...
The Dawning of Day 1...
After a delightful 3 mile walk with the best dogs in the world +1 (Buster), we loaded Addie's Sante Fe and headed north. Truly, the only thought in our minds at this time was our first stop... Greenbush Brewing Company in Sawyer, Michigan.
Addie had received this recommendation for Greenbush Brewing Company from her husband Mark and its location could not have been placed more perfectly to assuage our grumbling tummies. With beers like Star Chicken Shotgun, Grimalkin, and Barrel-Aged Retribution, you know that good beer wins. I am not sure whether the food was as amazing as I thought or I was just so happy when I saw hush puppies on the menu, but this choice was exceptional. We enjoyed a terrific meal, tried delightful brews, had great service and were ready to continue north.
Believe it or not the trip to Petoskey seemed to fly by and after checking in to our Hampton Inn suite (CLEAN, COMFORTABLE HOTEL...FREE OUTSTANDING BREAKFAST), we were ready to explore the town and grab a late night dinner before checking in to the race at Boynes Highland Resort. The staff recommended two local eateries and we ended up at Tap 30. I do not think we could have located better seats in the house as we were able to sit at the open windows bar in front of the restaurant. The place was hopping! The beers delightfully chilled and the food served hot and delicious. Did I mention the tater tots...Seriously the best I have ever had. (They were so good that I was still talking about them the next day at Mile 12 of the ride!) We each had fabulous food selections and now that dinner was completed, it was time to register.
Angels in our Mist
Having never participated before , we were not sure what to expect at registration, but I guarantee you that it was not at all what we had envisioned. The race had 4000+ participants, and I can honestly say that it looked like every single one of them were in line ready to sign in. My vision of getting a good night's rest went out the window until an outstanding individual helped us maneuver the sign-in process. Had he not helped us, I have no doubt that we would have waited multiple hours and would not have gotten to bed prior to the wee hours of the morning. Thanks to this angel, we checked in within 20 minutes, attended the party for a short bit and then returned to our hotel to get a good night's rest and be ready for the ride of our life...Even Hilary was excited for us. It was at this exact moment that I felt my first real sense of nervousness. Could we make it??????
