Guest Post: Mom & Dad's first post

The perfect afternoon, 75 degrees, low humidity, beautiful clouds in a bright blue sky, called us to the trail. We decided to ride the White Pine Trail to Tustin. We had the light wind at our back and the trail to ourselves. I find the lack of use unfortunate. The trail goes through some beautiful landscape and wetlands. If it were paved, or improved, I am sure more people would ride it. We rode fast, for us, on the southbound leg. We were going to go as far as we could in about an hour. About four miles into the ride, an owl swooped low over the path and flew along in front of us for a few hundred feet. Owls have an impressive wing span. Fortunately Powell’s was open in Tustin so we could get a cold drink. Tustin often makes me think of Lake Wobegon. Hoaglund’s Hardware comes very close to some of Keillor’s fictional parts of the city.

The ride back was slower, due to wind and creeping seat soreness. We stopped to enjoy the blossoming lily pads in the turtle ponds by the freeway. We also found the current home for our winter exchange student, Thandi. She is living southwest of Cadillac in the mystery area where the ½ and ¾ roads seem to go nowhere. But the bike trail cuts across the driveway to the house. Now we know two ways to go to her current home. The bike trail is more direct. We rode up the hill to home tired but very pleased to have been out riding on a beautiful northern Michigan day. We want to propose to family members that southern folks drive to Grand Rapids and ride the trail up to Big Rapids and we will start here and ride there as well. Then we can all ride together the second day and fetch the car when we are done. That is something to think about for the future.