A Spoonful of Custard Makes the Motorcycle Ride Go Better
Thursday, June 1, 2006
Here it is another year, and another trip for a bowl of soup. I did the Soup Run last year, but took a fairly direct route to Fon Du Lac, Wisconsin and back. I never take the direct route, and I sure as hell was not going to ride through Chicago. I would ride through New York in the rain again, before I would go anywhere near Chicago. Okay, so I did have to go near it, but not anywhere nearthe traffic.
First off, I will start off with a disclaimer, I did ride last night, I went to the Hardware store, the bank, and the gas station to get ready for today'strip. It was only few miles, and I didn't enjoy it, wick, wink.
So, at 7:30am, and Nina leaving for work, I set out on a 500 miles plus day to reach Mackinaw City before the end of the day. I went down Washington Street, and caught up with Nina at Emerson, where I went north, and she continued west downtown. From Emerson I rode up to Kessler, then to Keystone Boulevard, which becomes US 31, the road I would be on for most of the 500 miles.The first leg lasted to South Bend, home of Notre Dame University. I didn't go past the school, but I did see a Golden Dome on playground structure in town!
That stretch was nearly 150 miles. Nothing much happened, typical riding with Indiana Driver's. I hadn't been this way in while, when I was a kid, we rode this stretch of pavement nearly every other week to visit our grandparents. I have seen a lot of changes along this road. A lot of the corn and soy beanfields have given up the fight for development.
The next stretch would lead up to lunch, about 100 miles. I gassed up and looked through the GPS for a place to eat. I selected one, but it had no place to sit. I drove around a few more minutes, and found a little deli by the water. It was called "Cruisers", so I figured I had to give it a try! The sandwich was pretty tasty. The chili, which wasn't really the soup of the day, left a
little to be desired. The owner, who was serving today because her help wasoff getting financial aid to become a lawyer, was more than pleasant to talk to, as well as the other customer and his little girl. Before I could leave, Jacquelyn had to force a spoonful of custard on me. Since she might be reading this, I will have to say that it was the best custard I had every tasted. Too
bad I filled up on the chili! Here is a website for the place.
I was about half way through the mileage, so I headed out. The next stretch would prove to rekindle some memories. It took me back to when Nina and I took a trip up the west coast of Michigan. Some things looked familiar, a lot looked brand new!!
My last stretch of 140 or so miles would be the longest. I hit about 4 construction sites where there was only one lane, so I had to sit and wait for a while. It seemed like it would take forever, but all of sudden, through a break in the trees, I could see the bridge! A few more miles heading toward the over the water structure, and I would be at my hotel. I pulled into the parking lot,
right around 7:30, nearly 12 hours after I had taken off. Not bad time, and I still felt okay, like I had enough miles in me to ride to dinner, and back to the hotel.
Here it is another year, and another trip for a bowl of soup. I did the Soup Run last year, but took a fairly direct route to Fon Du Lac, Wisconsin and back. I never take the direct route, and I sure as hell was not going to ride through Chicago. I would ride through New York in the rain again, before I would go anywhere near Chicago. Okay, so I did have to go near it, but not anywhere nearthe traffic.
First off, I will start off with a disclaimer, I did ride last night, I went to the Hardware store, the bank, and the gas station to get ready for today'strip. It was only few miles, and I didn't enjoy it, wick, wink.
So, at 7:30am, and Nina leaving for work, I set out on a 500 miles plus day to reach Mackinaw City before the end of the day. I went down Washington Street, and caught up with Nina at Emerson, where I went north, and she continued west downtown. From Emerson I rode up to Kessler, then to Keystone Boulevard, which becomes US 31, the road I would be on for most of the 500 miles.The first leg lasted to South Bend, home of Notre Dame University. I didn't go past the school, but I did see a Golden Dome on playground structure in town!
That stretch was nearly 150 miles. Nothing much happened, typical riding with Indiana Driver's. I hadn't been this way in while, when I was a kid, we rode this stretch of pavement nearly every other week to visit our grandparents. I have seen a lot of changes along this road. A lot of the corn and soy beanfields have given up the fight for development.
The next stretch would lead up to lunch, about 100 miles. I gassed up and looked through the GPS for a place to eat. I selected one, but it had no place to sit. I drove around a few more minutes, and found a little deli by the water. It was called "Cruisers", so I figured I had to give it a try! The sandwich was pretty tasty. The chili, which wasn't really the soup of the day, left a
little to be desired. The owner, who was serving today because her help wasoff getting financial aid to become a lawyer, was more than pleasant to talk to, as well as the other customer and his little girl. Before I could leave, Jacquelyn had to force a spoonful of custard on me. Since she might be reading this, I will have to say that it was the best custard I had every tasted. Too
bad I filled up on the chili! Here is a website for the place.
I was about half way through the mileage, so I headed out. The next stretch would prove to rekindle some memories. It took me back to when Nina and I took a trip up the west coast of Michigan. Some things looked familiar, a lot looked brand new!!
right around 7:30, nearly 12 hours after I had taken off. Not bad time, and I still felt okay, like I had enough miles in me to ride to dinner, and back to the hotel.
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