Day 6 – Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Harbor Springs – Traverse City

Dad and I at the start of day 6

The morning started off well enough after getting up and having a nice breakfast with Dave and Vickie.  Dad and Karna arrived shortly before 9 and Dad was ready to do his first “ride along” of the trip.  We were going to ride together for the first 20 miles of the day down to Charlevoix which was a nice stretch of trail that avoided major roads and had a scenic view of the bay.  After saying our goodbye’s we set off.  For the first couple miles we rode right along the shoreline of the bay and passed the beautiful mansions that line the streets.  It was early morning and a beautiful sunny day was in store.  After rounding the bay we hooked up with the Charlevoix trail which followed the shore all the way down to the town after which it was named.  The trail has an amazing view and we rode side by side chatting easily but also trying to keep the pace high since I had a long day ahead.  Dad did great on the ride and kept pace really well.  We arrive in Charlevoix after a little over an hour and met up with Karna who collected him and his bike to continue on to Traverse City.  I didn’t stick around long and headed out of town to continue on with the day.

View of the bay in Harbor Springs 

Nice ride in the morning along the bay

Dad and I riding to Charlevoix

Charlevoix

Last year this stretch of highway 31 going down to Traverse City was dangerous so this year I re-routed to avoid it and take some back roads.  I turned off shortly out of town and headed directly south.  The roads were deserted except for an occasional tractor or farmer driving by.  It was relaxing and since the day was a little overcast, I was enjoying a cool shady ride. 

A few climbs on the backroads off highway 31

Giant fence built around some guys house with "Keep Out" signs posted everywhere

On a long lonely stretch of road I decided to sit up and take a short video of me riding.  I had done this a million times before with no problems and there were no cars to be seen in any direction.  I was holding the camera with my right hand and the bars with my left talking to the camera.  All of a sudden the wind picked up behind me and I found that I needed to change into a different gear.  For some reason I decided to reach across with my left hand to my right shifter to tap it and shift up.  I touched my right shifter with my left hand crossing over my other arm still holding the camera…. The instant I did my front wheel veered left and I went over the bars and into the ditch on the right rolling headlong into the grass.  I hit my head hard on the ground and thought I’d cracked my helmet but it didn’t do any damage. More mad than anything I angrily got up and started to collect all my stuff that had gotten thrown off into the weeds.  Water bottles, gels, mirror, etc. 

Cool old church I rode by

After gathering everything and setting the bike upright and assuring there was no damage I was about to set off when I realized I didn’t have my phone.  The very phone that ultimately caused the crash.  I started searching the grass and immediately couldn’t find it.  I searched for another 10 minutes… nothing.  I started to get angry.  After another 10 I still was no closer and now I started to get nervous.  I could not contact anyone without the phone and no one knew where I was.  I hadn’t seen a car for over an hour.  I searched and searched with no result.  I created a grid pattern and walked it over and over.  I tried to re-create the crash and see where it might have flown.  I even set my water bottles back out in the grass where they’d fallen creating a debris field to see where it might have flown.  All logic said it had to be there.

After over 30 minutes I tried to flag down the first passing truck I saw.  He didn’t stop.  More frustrated than ever I continued kicking the ankle tall grass and searching for the phone… where the heck could it be?  Finally after 45 minutes another driver went by and I waved him down.  He was nice enough to stop and I described to him the problem.  He was extremely nice and he and the passenger got out and helped me search.  We walked up and down the ditch for another 10 minutes.  Nothing… he even let me use his phone to call to see if it would ring.  We sat silently listening for it but couldn’t hear anything.  Finally he said he had to leave and in a last ditch effort I called my dad’s home phone number which was the only number I could remember since I couldn’t remember his cell.  On his voicemail he gave his cell number and I was able to turn around and call it and thankfully he answered.  The good samaritan got on the phone and gave him directions to my location and then headed out.  He was sorry to not be able to stay and help more but he had an appointment to get to. 

When dad showed the three of us created a grid pattern and began the search.  Karna was out in the cornfield 25’ away just as a last ditch effort to see where it might have flown.  Finally dad had the idea to text my phone and see if the ring was a little different.  He texted and we waited in complete silence.  All you could hear was the sound of the grass rustling in the breeze.  We were all holding our breath… off in the distance barely audible came a faint beep from my phone!  We all yelled with joy and started texting like crazy.  Dad and Karna would text then we’d all wait silently for the beep.  Slowly we honed in on the area where we were hearing the sound.  It got closer and closer with every text.  Finally as we were just on the side of the road dad sent a final text we waited and heard the chime.  We both looked at each other then looked up and ACROSS the road to the other side.  Almost from where I was standing I could see it lying on the complete other side of the road from where we were looking.  When I checked the phone it had over 20 text messages.

In hindsight as I crashed into the ditch on the right my hand must have sky hooked that phone up and into the air onto the left side of the road.  To this day the logistics of it are still mind blowing. 

After the big find

I picked up the phone which had no damage thanks to the heavy case I put on it before leaving.  I stuffed it in my pocket and all my frustration was gone.  I’d lost well over an hour and half with the phone fiasco and still had another 2.5 hours to go before getting to Traverse City.

Riding off into the sunset after my crash

We took off and I was happy to be all in one piece and back riding again.  I had a nice tailwind riding south and the new route I’d chosen took me along Torch Lake and a few other small lakes which were beautiful.  Traffic was nonexistent and I enjoyed the ride with a few good climbs along the way.  When I arrived in Traverse a few hours later traffic was building but I was extremely happy to be there.

Dad, Karna and I out to watch the sunset on Mission Point

Lake Michigan dunes

My Aunt Aurea could not make it down for the trip but we were staying at her place anyway.  I was really tired and sore so dad and Karna went out and got some takeout pasta which I inhaled for dinner with a really nice bottle of wine they’d picked up to celebrate.  After dinner the sun was setting and we decided to take a ride out to Mission Point to enjoy the sunset and see the vineyards.  It was a great evening of conversation and scenery that was one of the highlights of the trip.  On the way back we got to talking about desert and how good an Apple Pie sounded.  On the spur of the moment we stopped at a grocery store to get not one but 2 apple pies!!  Neither one of us wanted to share so we each had to get our own!  We went back to Aurea’s and I ate ¾ of my apple pie and then crashed in an exhausted sugar coma.  What a crazy day but tomorrow was going to be the hardest day of the trip and I knew it.

Mission Point vinyards

View at the tip of Mission Point after dinner