Day 59 North Branch, MI-Kimball, MI

more photos here

Jo Day 59: Woke up to a chilly 48 degrees in the Sutter's Recreation Campground, North Branch, MI. We warmed ourselves up with hot cream of wheat, cinnamon toast, and coffee. One of the campground sites had a ray of sunshine hitting their solar powered hummingbird, too cute! It was a nice quiet campground with two ponds, one has an island with goats on it (chomping away at the grass). Kevin, Alan and John had a short ride day...only 53 miles. We ran into many road construction detours today (no worries, we have the iPhone and Garmin), we even passed by the guys who were waiting at one. Janut, Bob and I drove to Croswell, MI to walk on their famous swinging bridge over the Black River. It was built in 1905 as a more convenient route for the sawmill and sugar factory employees to walk to work. Originally it was just two cables with wood planks...thank goodness they added two more cables and the railings (a significant safety upgrade that met my standards). It is the longest suspension foot bridge in Michigan. We got caught in a surprise down poor at the bridge and saw funny Halloween decorations along the main drag (a lot of these small towns decorate the streets for Halloween). Since it was a short ride day, that was all the time we had for sight-seeing...until we arrived at the Port Huron KOA in Kimball, MI (Alan and John are in a cute little cabin). OMG! 309 sites (tents, campers, motor homes, cabins, deluxe sites with gas BBQ grills, glider chairs, covered dining tables, and KOA fire rings). It's akin to Wally World! Giant water slide, batting cages, train, bumper boats, go carts, gold and rock mining sluice box, tennis courts, amphitheater, basketball courts, jumping pillow, water balloon war zone, pavilions, community outdoor kitchens, ice cream palor, gym, pools, bike trails, mini golf, in-line skating rink, volleyball courts, livery (look like for pony rides), bike rental, Wild West stores, general store, game room, golf cart rental, laundromat, ATM, chapel, free wifi, horseshoes, shuffleboard, playgrounds, and a $10 doggy wash station (Bob was happy that he did not have to take a bath)....all this behind security gates...you have to have a security card to come and go. It's all decorated for Halloween and the place comes alive on the weekends. We are very lucky that it's a weekday and the place is almost a ghost town. Janut, Bob and I walked the perimeter, it took us over one hour! Geez, I'm exhausted, not from the walk but from writing about it - LOL. A storm just hit us big time (it's 8:26pm), heavy rain, 40 mph gusts, and pea sized hail. Good thing Janut decided to rent a cabin for Alan and John. Everyone is nice and dry. Yay!

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Kevin Day 59 North Branch to Kimball, MI. A short 53 mile day. A chilly start, but breakfast in Brown City (birthplace of the motor home!) warmed us up and gave us renewed energy. Soon we came upon some roadwork which required is to wait for a while, but conversation with the flagged kept us entertained and soon we were back riding. No lunch break, but we did stop at The Tavern in Yale for a beer-they had a reasonable selection of micros on tap. We got some local info on the nearby Wadhams Avoca Trail, and decided to leave the Adventure Cycling route and save a few miles. The trail was fun-a crushed limestone surface (Strada Bianca) which was firm and pretty smooth. The high point of the trail was the Avoca trestle, which gave a nice view of the river below and the valley around. Horses are allowed on the trail so occasionally we would have to take evasive poop maneuvers to avoid the horsepoop along the way. The trail had some nice amenities-bathrooms and the occasional bike repair station with air pump, complete with both presta and Schraeder valve heads. Tonight we are camping at the Port Huron KOA in Kimball. We got a cabin for John and Alan, which was a good thing, as a pretty good rainstorm came in after dinner-the radar screenshot captured the first squall with gusty winds and pea sized hail. Tomorrow we cross the St Claire River on a ferry and into Canada.