Life Isn't a Race...Find JOY in the Journey.

Day Two of our GREAT adventure....

It is RACE day. Shannon and I are smiling bright, trying to hide the nervous energy. We both know starting will actually calm our nerves...we can do this....we are ready (well maybe!).

If you ever decide to do the Zoo-de-Mac I can not tell you how HELPFUL and AWESOME it is to have a friend along that doesn't want to ride. I still look back and have no idea how Shannon and I would have managed so many logistics without Hilary.

She dropped us off early at the starting line...and while Shannon and I waited and waited for the "starting gun" to go off, Hilary kept us entertained...it really helped with the nerves (have I mentioned I was nervous?!?!).

The paperwork said that you could start the Race at 7:30 am and that this was recommended for riders who thought they might need more time...ah, yes, that is us! Well after standing around for 10 minutes we find out that this is NOT a RACE but a RIDE....no starting gun!

We decide to hop on and go...only to meet our first bike repair...in transport, Shannon's chain came off...it was messy but we did it!! And didn't need outside help!! We were hopeful it would be the last repair...we were wrong but no worries - only another chain issue for me!

Hilary warned us about talking to strangers...to always keep our helmets on...and we are off!

Shannon was in the lead and we decided to try and ride side by side as much as

possible...after one and a half miles Shannon looked at me and said...THE HILLS ! We were gasping for air and started to comment on the fact that the paperwork (again with this!) said there were only 3 hills and we had just gone up THREE crazy hills...this lead us to believe the hills might be worse than we thought...they were!

Prior to the race...we believed we would not have the peanut butter sandwich provided by the race for lunch...I mean really, I was imaging white bread and peanut butter with sugar (gross)...BEST sandwich I have ever eaten! And the view was unbelievable.

Highlights of the RIDE (not a race) were definitely the views of Lake Michigan, the peacefulness of being up early on a bike ride through nature, the chatting with a friend, the laughter, the darn peanut butter sandwich, seeing the sign that said 10 miles to go, and crossing that finishing line!!!

Things we never want to hear/see again: Bike underwear (don't even ask - google it), "ON YOUR LEFT" (screeched at us every time someone passed us)

While TWO broads RIDE...ONE BROAD gets a MASSAGE!!

by: Hilary

I have told those that has asked me why I didn't ride in the event that the saying "it's just like riding a bike" does not apply to me. Truthfully in the recent past I tried to ride a bike up and down a driveway. I was terrified to make a turn thinking of the embarrassment of wiping out. However, Shannon is pretty persuasive so I may have to take this hobby up after all. You never know what the future holds.

Anyway, since I knew all along that I wasn't going to participate in the ride, I started to look at other entertainment options. A quick Google search left me nervous about what I would actually do in Petoskey or on Mackinac Island. Google did not do either place justice.

Petoskey was one of the cutest Michigan cities I have ever seen. As Shannon mentioned in Part 1 we explored Petoskey Friday evening. Located right on Lake Michigan, it has a clean downtown loaded with shops. When we were looking around on Friday, I began to get nervous that Shannon and Addie would finish the race long before I was done with my exploration.

In the weeks prior to the trip I compared prices for a massage on the island, in Mackinaw City, and Petoskey. The Vogue Salon and Spa in Petoskey had the best reviews and prices in my opinion. So, I booked a one-hour massage for Saturday morning.

I sent Shannon and Addie on their way and honestly felt a little weepy. At the moment they took off, I saw myself as Liam Neeson watching his daughter Kimmie leave for Paris in Taken. The short drive back to Petsokey proper had me listening for my phone for news of an unexpected bike event. After checking out of the hotel, I looked at some shops, had a lovely cafe brunch, and went in for my massage.

The adorable salon was my first massage experience. Simply said, it was amazing! At one point during the massage I heard my phone vibrate and thought "You guys are on your own for a while." It turned out that Shannon and Addie were only 10 miles from being finished!

So after a lovely morning of window shopping and massage, I was on my way to pick up the cyclists.

#adventure