I love South Haven, Michigan

J and I took a couple of days for ourselves and rode the bike up to South Haven, MI. I chose to take 69 only as far as Angola and then find a more scenic route. We took 20 w to 9 n, then took 12 w to M40 and then M43 to South Haven. It would normally take about three hours to get there, but since this was the first long distance bike trip we've taken together, we stopped a couple extra times to get gas, something to drink, and to stretch our legs. The weather was gorgeous close to the lake, the air so cool,under a beautiful sunny sky. We were both pretty ruddy before we even arrived. We spent the rest of the day at the beach slathered in sunscreen and munching snacks, drinking iced white wine and wading out into the chilly water. The beach was crowded and the water was moiled, probably because there were a couple of yachts anchored just beyond the swimming buoys. We both remarked on the wide range of ethnicity, age, and income of people strolling the pier walk and sunning on the beach. Close to where we'd pitched our sand claim, a group of Slavic/Russian young bloods started a game of volleyball. J asked me if I wanted to move, but even though I was reading I enjoyed watching all those young men in motion! As we were making the long trek back through the sand,
J started having some stiffness in his hip. By the time we got back to the motel, he had a lot of trouble getting off the bike. He'd strained a muscle in his hip, and I started worrying about the trip home the next day, or even if we were going to have to find emergency care for him that night. 

On the way to dinner at Clementine's(ho-hummy) we stopped for some analgesic. After dinner we were both whipped and headed back to the room. J didn't sleep well, and I was beginning to worry that the next day was going to be disastrous, but J was determined to try to walk it off. We spent the morning breakfasting at The Phoenix Street Cafe the food was yummy and the wait staff were very friendly despite their busyness for the holiday. I was relieved to hear that J wanted to walk and that I wouldn't have to maneuver endlessly around the pedestrian busy streets at slow speed with him on the back. I had a good excuse for visiting one of my favorite shops in South Haven, the Perfect Setting.

They told me I could bring the silver bracelet(I bought it there on one of my first solo bike trips) in anytime to be polished. They were true to their word and said it would be ready in a couple of hours. While shopping I did find this little guy

who just had to come home with us. J didn't think I could cram it in the saddlebags, but I've been doing this for awhile, and I have my ways.

Next we wandered over to Black River Books to chat with the proprietors, Dick and Pam. It was nice to meet her, since the last time I'd talked to Dick, she'd been out of town for a week and he'd been pining for her. Then J and I wandered and window shopped until we got hungry and thirsty. The last time we were in South Haven camping, J and I had noticed a new restaurant preparing to open, and since it was now open for business we decided to check it out. It was one of the best parts of the trip. Su Casa has a very unassuming storefront, but the inside was lovely with minimalist decorating, beautiful colors, and the whole atmosphere was very pleasing.

I wanted a frozen cocktail and ordered a strawberry margarita, which was very good, but I wished I'd gone with my original plan of ordering a mojito. When I saw the one they brought J with the crushed fresh mint and raw sugar, I just had to taste it. It was to die for delicious, the perfect summer drink. It was so good that J ordered another to share with me. We tipsily wandered down to the marina to rest in the shade and watch the boats go by. J fell asleep, and I was just settling in with my book and telling myself not to worry about riding home in the dark through Bambi land, when J woke up and said it was probably time to head home. Although I wasn't enthusiastic about leaving that idyllic spot and donning the leather chaps for the ride home, I saw the wisdom in it and we headed out. We were almost home, when we ran into the glitch. I spontaneously decided to head south on 327 instead of taking 69. I thought the variety of road terrain would help combat my tiredness, but just outside of Corunna, we came to a state police roadblock and were diverted to a county road detour. J and I had a little difference of opinion about turning around to ask the state officer the best way to proceed or to just try to find our own way. I didn't want to have to make two u-turns with J on the back, so guess who won that one! We wandered our way to 8 and back to 327. We stopped one last time for gas, and for the second time on the trip, some random \ man felt obligated to point out how unusual it was to see a woman taking a man as passenger on her bike. I just gave him the barest grimace of a smile. J had his headphones on, so he pretended that he didn't hear it. The first time, some guy stopped at a traffic light in a truck said, You don't see that very often!" I just quipped back, "It's something we should see more often!" By the time I got to the north side of FW, I was exhausted and still had to battle through the stoplight capital of the world. All in all it was a wonderful trip and a welcome reprieve from the worry with my Dad, but it's taken both of us a day to recover!