Day 1 - New Buffalo to Van Buren State Park

Day 1 - September 12th, 2013: New Buffalo to Van Buren State Park- 60 miles

What an awesome day! Saw some beautiful sights and met some great people. Our route began in New Buffalo, near the Indiana/Michigan border. We rode norther on the Red Arrow Highway, which did not have a very nice shoulder, so if anyone reading this wants to do a similar route, we would recommend avoiding that road all together if possible. We stopped and had lunch on a dune at Grand Mere State Park after riding about 21 miles. Fully loaded touring really takes quite a bit of energy so we scarfed down some delicious trail mix that Lydia made for the trip and then enjoyed climbing up an down the dune. Riding a loaded bicycle is, as you might expect, quite different from regular riding. It always seems like the bike wants to go down hill, and fast. However, sometimes that can cause some complications, especially when trying to climb up hill! After lunch, we rolled into Benton Harbor and spent a few minutes enjoying the sights of the lake, river, and harbor city from the bridge in town. We included a photo of that below. 

After leaving Benton Harbor, the wind really started to kick up from the north and caused some trouble for us as our panniers acted as sails and caused quite a bit more wind drag. However, the rolling hills were beautiful and we were always very close to Lake Michigan, so there were no complaints with the scenery. By about the 50 mile mark, we were getting pretty hungry and realized that the rice/quinoa that we had planned to cook just wasn't going to cut it. So, we headed in land into Convert, which is one of those "Don't blink or you'll miss it" towns. Fortunately for us, we found an excellent produce market that had all of the fruits, veggies, and rolls that we had been hoping for. I (Ryan) found out that I could sling a few grocery bags over my saddle and rest the contents on the top of my rear rack. This was a happy discovery, and one that we will probably modify slightly with a reusable grocery bag in order to keep fresh produce, bread, etc for meals. We are trying to keep healthy on this trip, so no (more) fast food! Oh, I forgot to mention that it rained for a bit today. That was actually a pretty good test of our gear. Sans our legs, all of our gear and bodies stayed warm and dry. 

Well, by the last few miles, we were ready to get off the bikes and cook up some dinner. Sauteed peppers/summer squash, and the quinoa/rice mixture with diced tomatoes over top was plenty filling and energized us to set up camp and clean up after all the dust from the road. I think the most memorable thing about the trip today was the generosity and kindness of strangers. On several occasions, folks struck up conversations with us as we moved through town, asking if we needed anything or to provide us with tips about must see attractions near by. But by far, our favorite encounter was when we set up camp. The people who are camping next to us in Van Buren State Park offered us tea, a bag of Rollos and pepper spray (out of concern for Lydia's safety). We chatted for quite some time and were very inspired by their attitudes about travel. We learned that they have lived the last 4 years travelling the country in a very nice RV and have been to nearly all of the states. They met as children in Dubai in the 70s and have worked and travelling all over the globe. Well thats it for now, we are happy, healthy, full, and tired! Lydia and I added some photos from today that you can check out below. 

Goodnight!

-Ryan and Lydia

Started in the beautiful town of New Buffalo, MI. Kappie dropped us off at a corner gas station, just a few hundred yards from the shoreline. Thanks dude!

 Here is a little view from a bridge we crossed in New Buffalo. This picture does not do the city justice. 

Beyonce! I love you!  

 Lydia's Cafe! I had to get a picture with the place. We have come across plenty of restaurants with Ryans name in it. Such a cool find to see my name! 

It started raining a little while on the last leg of the journey. Lookin super cool with our upside down sunglasses and helmets over our hoods!