Sep 05, 2013

We had a 9.30am slot for breakfast and were quite grateful after what felt like a big day yesterday. The resort was a welcome sight to two weary travellers last night after finally getting all our bits and pieces sorted at the bike shop then grappling with the traffic and heading off for a pretty solid ride. I’m happy to report that the conclusion we had made about the interstate traffic yesterday was confirmed again today and that was that overall it was more predictable and not as fast or as pushy as on a lot of the motorways in the UK so we had the opportunity to familiarise ourselves with the bikes without being under too much pressure.



We had hoped to see Meyer May House which was one of the last Prairie-style family homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright so headed for Grand Rapids (a huge city we hadn’t planned to explore) and mistakenly thought it was attached to the Voight House Victorian Museum…and it may have been but that was closed however the trip want wasted as the Museum was surrounded by many beautiful homes. The one above was a couple of doors down as an example though brick houses were in the minority.

The pressure today came from wasting close on 2 hours in a couple of bursts trying to track down another toll transponder holder because the transponders are much larger than we have at home and both carriers we brought are way too small. We got one at the bike shop but so far haven’t come across another bike shop. We were also looking for an unlocked phone for Norm to drop his sim card in it since the one he brought with him doesn’t work here and after being told at AT&T in Chicago that they don’t sell them but any Radio Shack would we found one this morning and nope they don’t sell them so we decided to try another one later in the day and you guessed it they didn’t either. Have had the same luck with the transponder carrier in spite of being redirected to many auto parts places so we will see tomorrow. Interesting to see all the shops which don’t sell unlocked phones compared to home where they are in supermarkets and roadside fuel stops at home.



Streetscape in Lansing.

Enough whingeing we have enjoyed the great views as we have ridden through densely leafy forests and acres of cornfields and many more broad-acre crops punctuated with picturesque barns and farm buildings peeking above the crops, just lovely. With time slipping away we decided to call in to the Oldsmobile Transportation Museum in Lansing as we figured we would be too late to get to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn.



A very cool looking Oldsmobile (late 30’s or early 40’s but cannot remember exactly)



More from the Oldsmobile Transportation Museum – a 1908 and 1938 REO fire truck.

On the work side of things we’ve seen heaps more trucks today predominantly long bonneted Freightliners and Volvos. We’ve loved seeing lots of Freightliners painted the same colour as our Trucks, Light Stellar Blue including the different versions we have seen over the years. I have to say the sweeping striping on ours and detailing certainly enhances the effect.



After seeing lots of great vehicle combinations coming towards us it got too much for Norm and he pulled into a roadside break area to see if he could find any and was rewarded with this shot.

We have enjoyed seeing a huge variation of trucks freight and vehicle configurations today. Michigan is the home of ‘Michigan Mules’ which basically means you keep adding axles to increase the weight you can carry and we saw many different versions of that today including massive girders under escort and blades for turbines parked up for the night.



Shot this one when we fuelled up at a small servo, he was stuck while another truck fuelled up.



And another as we came out from having a bit of lunch on the way to Lansing.

Bits and Bobs:



This bank sign caught my eye in South Haven. Now maths may not be my greatest strength but I’d like the people looking after my money to make a bit more sense than this!

Last night’s Accommodation:



The Victoria Resort
241 Oak Street
South Haven, Michigan 49090 USA
www.VictoriaResort.com

The resort is set in a large lush shady garden and although relatively old is in excellent condition and has been lovingly maintained and decorated. There are a number of separate cabins and we were downstairs in a multiple dwelling where 3 small rooms are now a cosy bedroom, sitting room and bathroom. The furnishings are lovely, bed was cosy and comfortable and apart from a few plumbing and creaking timber noises which is to be expected from a building this old it was incredibly peaceful and it didn’t detract from our experience. Our host was very welcoming and helpful and our breakfast in the charming little breakfast room was a great start to the day. Good value for money.

Great value also was a delicious dinner at the Clementine restaurant / bar. Happy to recommend that as well.