Day 61 – Aug. 12, 2015 – Midland MI to Frankenmuth MI – 57 miles

Day 61 – Aug. 12, 21015 – Midland MI to Frankenmuth Mi – 57 miles

This was supposed to be an easy “relaxing” day, just 50 + miles, we could easily do that! Well, the day did not turn out that way. In the morning we had our first hiccup when Gregg discovered that one of his chain oil bottles was leaking in is rear pannier. Frustration followed that added to a late departure. As soon as I got on my bike I realized that I could not shift properly on the front shifter, it was sticking. This means that when I am in the lowest gear, also known as “granny gear” to a bicyclist, I couldn’t move back out to normal riding mode which is in the middle front ring. That was a problem. The adjustment was way off. Gregg tried to adjust the cable tension but couldn’t get it right. Gregg (thinking wrongly that it might be the shifter) said we had to get to a bike shop before this turned into a worse problem. Too bad, I had such hope that the young lady did a good job yesterday. But unfortunately she must of miss adjusted the front detailer — which is strange since she didn’t work on the front shifter.

So we rode thru Midland on the worst roads we have seen yet. The country roads have been good but these were a disaster. Pot holes everywhere, construction, no shoulder, everything awful you can imagine. It was so bad that we had to ride on the sidewalk for most of the 3 miles into town. Those were not much better. There was no smooth transition from sidewalk to cross street, only big bumps that rattle everything on the bikes. At one point the bike hit a pot hole so badly I thought I lost one of my rear panniers. At a certain point I hard a loud rattle and rubbing in my front wheel. I thought I damaged the wheel, even though we have super powerful expensive wheels.

When we got to town Gregg went ahead of me, which was not the wisest thing since I had the GPS navigation on that would take us to the bike shop. He missed the turn and kept going even though I was hollering to stop. He did not hear me. I found the shop and thought at some point his will come back around and find it too. I called him but his phone is usually on OFF, which it was. Nonetheless, Ray’s bike shop, a sister shop to the one in Clare, was super nice. I walked in and told them I was touring and my bike had issues and they said “bring your bike in immediately. You are like “Royalty” to us so we will stop what we are doing to help you get back on you way”. Wow that was something that I needed to hear, “Royalty”. We are Royalty in the bike world for what we are doing. I don’t really think about it much but to tell you the truth – WE ARE!

So they found the problem and adjusted the gears. Perfect, the young mechanic did a very good job. He also saw that all my screws connecting my bike racks to the bike were all loose. The front rack was almost coming off and rubbing somehow on the tire, that is what I was feeling after the horrendous roads of Midland. He tightened everything. I was ready to do the miles. Gregg eventually turned on his phone, found the shop, and we proceeded down the road. We had to do some miles before we stopped for lunch. We headed out. Gregg had issues. This morning his rear tire was really low. Now it felt low again. He was losing air at a slow pace. Something was wrong. A few more miles down the road he realized that his handle bar bag that he had glued together had cracked again. It was toast.

We finally got to Madonna’s birthplace Bay City MI and had a quick lunch and looked for a bike shop. Found one that also stocked handle bar bags. Across a bridge and down some really truly awful roads, we got to Jack’s Bike shop. The shop fixed the flat and Gregg got a new but smaller Toepeak Handle bar bag and we were on our way again. We spent a good 1 1/2 hrs in bike shops today! I thought my body was wearing down, but our bikes are feeling the wear and tear of the road too. I hope they make it.

By 4:45pm we hit the road again. By 8pm we got to Frankenmuth. Ok Frankenmuth is like Solvang but for Bavaria. All the buildings have the theme going. We found lodging for a cheap rate at the Bavarian Inn, a giant place that is famous for its food and for its indoor water park. It is all very silly. The facades of the buildings look pretty authentic yet what is behind it is all ridiculous. What put this place on the map is it “all you can eat chicken dinners”. Yep, fried chicken dinners that have absolutely nothing to do with Bavaria. Gregg remembered a scene from “Roger and Me” where Michael Moore comes here to talk to the people about the state of jobs and the economy in America.

It was a bit sad for me. The food was so bad and had just a slight hint of German. The fried chicken was probably the worst on our trip. And since it was “all you can eat” there were load of super obese people here stuffing their faces with bad “German” but not “German” food. On top of that it was very expensive. So all in all it was the most expensive bad meal we have had.
The Hofbrau draft beer was OK, maybe the best thing.

So, as we slowly make our way to Detroit I am a little worried. The streets were so bad today that I am concerned about the “big city”. I thought it would be nice to show Gregg Detroit. It means so much to me. The crash and burn of a city is something to behold. There is so much that I can and will write about Detroit that I will not begin to do right now. Yet, a bicycle journey through this city? Let’s see. We still plan on it.