Ahhh ... Water (August 15, 2010)

After almost a month of seeing little more than corn and soy bean fields, I have reached Lake Michigan. I am sure the pioneers of the 1850's had similar feelings upon reaching the Pacific Ocean ... or maybe not.

The route through the Midwest, while enjoyable (riding on low-traffic farm roads), provides views that are extremely repetitive. The best aspect of riding these roads is viewing the housing at the many farmsteads. The quality of housing varied from dilapidated mobile-homes up to palatial estates. Being a basically lazy individual, it struck me how vast the areas of mowed lawns are that surround most of the homes. As if the farming families do not have enough to do, they usually have a very large expanse of lawn which needs to be mowed on a regular basis. I have never seen so many riding lawnmowers in my life.

Many of these homes include a fair-sized pond for swimming and fishing. And of course, the one element common to all of these houses is the TV/internet satellite dish.

Today I rode from Elkhart, IN (home to the manufacturers of 95% of domestic RVs and trailers) to Benton Harbor, MI. Adjacent to Benton Harbor is the town of St. Joseph, which provides a "beach town" feeling to this area. I spent the afternoon riding and walking along the shore area and the "tourist trap" commercial area. What with the cool breeze coming off of the Lake, the warm temperatures and the beach-attired crowds, I felt as though I was in Pacific Beach, CA ... a very welcome break from the "riding lawnmower" landscapes, believe-you-me.

I am looking forward to riding up the shoreline of Lake Michigan, then heading east to Lake Erie. I am also looking forward to returning to Arizona ... having put in just under 3,800 miles, I am ready for this adventure to end. That is not to imply that I do not intend to complete the trip to the Atlantic, it is just a fact that I am looking forward to seeing familiar places and faces.

The weather is cooler, and for that I am grateful.