Today was the first day where there was more road walking than trail walking. 500 out of 1150 are road miles, so these days will come quite frequently.

Camping in an RV part as a tent camper is not the best experience. There was a shower as well as a pool, but there were also street lights and camper LED string lights all over the place, too.

About an hour after dark it started to rain. I was hoping it would cool things off, but it didn’t. I felt like I was in a small sauna most of the night. I had to keep one flap open to allow the heat escape. It did not get even remotely cool until 4 am.

I must have slept better than I thought, because 7 am came around very quickly. I nibbled on handfuls of granola while packing up. I was on the road by 7:30.

The sky was clear without the faintest sign of clouds. The forecast for the next three days is clear and hot.

There are about two miles of rail trail before hitting the next town of Algoma. It’s a small lakeside town with a few restaurants, one of which is a coffee shop, my next destination. The shop serves both breakfast and lunch all day. I get a chicken and artichoke wrap to go with an Americano.

I hit the convenience store on the way out of town to fill up on water, Gatorade, and some sausage and cheese for lunch. From this point on, it will be all roads for the rest of the day.

I start out on highway 42, which a fair amount of traffic but also has a huge shoulder to walk on. After a mile, the trail turns onto back roads. Eighty percent of them being farmland.

The first two miles of back roads are well shaded, but I have my sun umbrella out anyway. But once the road turns due south, there are large power lines along the roads, so there will be no more shade for a while. I love my umbrella.

I do manage to find a side road cutting into a row of tall pines. Lake Michigan is only a quarter mile away, so there is a nice cool breeze and plenty of shade. I spend 30 minutes there resting and eating lunch. I have more water than I need for this stretch, so I make sure I am drinking it regularly.

The afternoon goes by quickly and before I know it, I am in the next town of Kewaunee. I am a little early, so I cannot check into the hotel yet. All sixteen miles with several stops and meals are done by 2:30. Let’s see what is open in this town. Unfortunately, not much. There is only one convenience store with outrageous prices. Looks like a light resupply today.

I do manage to find a bar that serves food so I grab a quick burger and fries and drink three waters. I guess I was thirsty. At least I know I have enough sodium now.

The hotel is very eclectic. It is still decorated like it is the 1930s. The credit card machine is out of paper and the poor clerk is trying to check in three of us at the same time. I finally get my key and head up to the room to get a shower. I will be camping tomorrow after another hot day, so this will be the cleanest I will be for the next several days until it rains.

Emotion of the day, Sadness

I lost my sunglasses today. I did not even realize I had lost them until I was almost into town. I know I had them when I left Algoma. I only stopped a few times, and I am usually careful to check the ground when I leave. But apparently not careful enough. I lost my prescription sunglasses on the Pacific Crest Trail the same way.

But I noticed with the umbrella on bright pavement that I didn’t even need them. I guess I will be using the umbrella more often now. I really liked those sunglasses. It makes me sad to have lost two pair now. But at least these were not prescription.