July 1, 2026 – Richland, Mi – Three young men visited me at Township Park in Richland, Mi, on Tuesday night. Camped in the baseball dugout and went to retrieve my powerbank charging in an outlet in the pavilion next door. “Wanna hit of our joint,” said the one who laughed like Beavis & Butthead. Although, hard to discern, they all laughed like Beavis.
“No thanks,” I said, like a fussy granny. It was 12:10 a.m. The park was closed, but… after all these years nothing has changed. Kids found their way in and at 2 a.m. and were busy lighting fireworks, spending a lot of “quiet time” in the car, and getting high.
Walking back to my bunk I thought I should have given a more hip answer to the kid’s offer. Something like, “No thanks… I’m already baked.”
Is baked still a trending term?
Hot days pedaling
After taking the Lake Express Ferry out of Milwaukee (thanks to my host Paula and Dave for the overnight) to Muskegon, Michigan my first stop was a bike store. I reluctantly dismissed the care of my bicycle prior to leaving on tour to Pittsburgh and found a 1-inch gash in the tire.
Finally on the road after a quick fix from Breakaway Bicycles & Fitness I wove my way down the shoreline to Ferrysburg, Grand Haven, and wrapped up with 52 miles into Holland, Mi. Jim and Kay from warmshowers.com adopted me for the night. Avid recumbent cyclists the pair just wrapped up a weekend with their 8 grandsons. The boys range in age from 1 to 16.
“Don’t ask me how many bikes I have,” said Jim as he opened his garage door. “People are often surprised we only have one car,” said Kay.
The pair ran their own veterinarian business. “Sometimes I bike to work and if I had a euthanasia I’d bring a cart and tow the remains back to the office,” said Jim.
Jim and Kay shared stories about their tours across the USA. “I Montana we ran into sleet where the rain would freeze to our face,” said Kay. “We sought shelter in a church. It was a memorable tour.”
Dedication to saving history
An impressive part of touring includes stopping to admire the history communities have worked to save. In Allegan there as a wrought iron bridge from 1886.
The Second Street Bridge, in Michigan is a Registered Historic Site. This simply ornamented wrought iron bridge was built in 1886. It replaced an earlier wooden one that had begun to fall into disrepair.
Designed by the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company of Cleveland, Ohio, the double intersection Pratt Trust Bridge was completed at a cost of $7,532.25. Eighteen feet wide and spanning 225 feet of the Kalamazoo River, it is one of the largest existing bridges designed by the firm.
Following a battle by city officials and local citizens to save the bridge from demolition, it was restored at a cost of $552,000 in 1983. The bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Side notes from the road:
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- Stopped to refuel at Hastings Friendly Market in Allegan, Mi and found their water-refill station had some interesting documentation on the safety of their drinking water. “PFAS Free and Fluoride Free”
- The old county roads are welcoming. A decent shoulder, great views of farming, and a shady canopy of old trees providing respite from the heat. Today a mother doe and two fawns surprised me.
- Some interesting artwork at the side of the road.
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Found my twin while on a back road headed to Richland, MI. It was outside Aunt Sha’s Shed -
Holland Michigan 
Twizzlers break overlooking the Palomita Reserve, a 40-acre nature preserve 
Picked up my Michigan plate from Wayne at The OK Tire Store 
The 2026 Amazing Ride for Alzheimer’s is raises money every year for music programming for seniors at Cedar Community, a 501c3, so all donations are tax-deductible.
Donate via the secure website through Cedar Community. Donations should be marked “Amazing Ride 2026.” Click HERE to make a secure online donation.
Checks may be made payable to “Cedar Community” with “Judy Bike Ride” in the memo line and mailed to 113 Cedar Ridge Dr., West Bend, WI 53095
Be sure to include the Federal Tax ID Number for the Foundation: 39-1249432
You may also find a downloadable donation form HERE.
