Today was great. I did almost nothing!

Kris and Bill had a ride planned, so I had the day to do whatever. That turned out to be doing very little, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I awoke around 8am, then dozed for a while more until about 9. I then posted up in my camp chair and read the news and stuff until about 11, when I decided to set off for the Omelette Shop for a late breakfast. So good… a veggie omelette and pecan pancakes. Plus four cups of good coffee.

After all that food, I walked back to camp (only 9 minutes away) and decided I’d better refuel with a nap. I took the rain fly off the tent, opened all the windows, and left the door open to make the most of the strong wind. It was slightly warm but I did get some nice sleep, and it was so good to not have a schedule or anything I had to do.

I got up again and sat down with a book, sitting in the breezy shade, occasionally pausing to watch the antics of the squirrels. This part of the park has a heathy population, and they creep around (walking, not bounding along like I’m used to) checking the tents for snacks, chasing each other in the trees, or studiously burying nuts, which I find highly entertaining. I had a mutual watching session with one female who had a shell-on peanut who checked me out thoroughly from a utility pole about 4 feet away. Deciding I probably wasn’t going to kill her, she hung from her back feet flat against the post and nibbled the peanut. As soon as I shifted in my seat though, she retreated up to the branches of the nearest pine.

Around 4:45 Kris and Bill appeared, returned from their adventure. It featured a strong headwind on the way home and a long hill on the way out, and despite the fact that they had a good time (and went swimming!) I was glad not to have joined them. I needed the down time.

We all got cleaned up then, and headed to the party store, then over to the world’s most poorly stocked Little Cesar’s. We decided to eat there since it had tables, chairs, and air conditioning, but they had no plates, the paper towels were torn from a commercial roll of brown bathroom hand towels, and they had no plastic knives, so Kris and Bill split the last piece using two forks. Still, it was a tasty hot pizza, very satisfying.

We got back to camp and talked for a good while, but 9:30 arrived quickly and it was bedtime. Last night we were gently admonished by Kris’ neighbor for talking too loud too late, so we didn’t want a repeat of that.

Tomorrow is a 60 mile day to Charlevoix, so I’ll be up early again. I’m hoping to feel refreshed and recharged, ready to pedal strong and enjoy the ride.