Miracles and Magic on Roads Less Travelled [US21]
September 14, 2022It was late afternoon when we rode into Petoskey; the sun was well down on the horizon. Late afternoon had painted the sky in brilliant autumn colours. And, there was a chill in a breeze that wafted off Lake Michigan. Our journey south through Michigan over the last two days had uncovered miracles and exposed us to the magic of roads less travelled. But right then, after drifting along for a mile or so, we happened upon what looked like a stately old home. A vacancy sign hung from a white, painted timber post at the curb-side; and cars parked…
Hope and Disaster on the Discovery Coast
In the dead of night, just before the witching hour, massive bolts of lightning tore the sky apart; thunder, following close on the heels of each pyrotechnic stab, shook foundations and rattled windows; and the wind shrieked its rage in…
Quarantine and Mild Hogs in a Time of Covid
All was silent at the beachside townhouse as I surfaced from a deep and dreamless sleep; and it was dark. The ferocity of last evening’s storm had abated in the early hours; lightning, thunder, and gusting rain squalls had moved…
Historic Larceny and Superstorms on the Fraser Coast
An early morning breeze gently moved the curtains framing our open window as I woke. In the darkness, the bones of the hundred year old wooden structure creaked; the building flexed in the cool of early morning. I pushed back…
Honey Mountain and a Hinterland Gallop to Maleny
Given the first part of our ride was to be through the inner city, we’d decided to get on the road after the clutter and gridlock of rush hour had subsided. In any case, our aspirations for the day were…
A New Day and an Old Tragedy
Sunrise was still an hour away when I woke; not that there was anything unusual about that. The house was absolutely silent; and dark, except for a faint glow that spilled into the room from the nightlight in the hall.…
A Road Trip in the Time of Covid
It had been stifling. From early afternoon atomic bursts of grey-white cumulonimbus towered above an ominous pall of blue-back just above the horizon; signalling the imminent invasion of a massive storm front. The humidity climbed steadily, stabilised and hovered alarmingly close…
US 20: Galloping the Straits to the Ultimate Tunnel
By 5.30am, I was out on the verandah; giving thought to the possibility of galloping the straits and riding to the ultimate tunnel. I’d already wandered up to the local service station to secure a large Columbian appropriately laced with…
US 19: Firestorms and a Fracture of Filial Faith
Firestorms and a Fracture of Filial Faith is a fairly unusual title for a chapter about two old blokes on the road in Northern Minnesota; but stick with me, Hinckley is a fairly unusual town. The first settlers in this…
US 18: Myriad Lakes and a Quantum of Veritas
By the time we’d eaten, laughed about Rick until our sides hurt, talked over our day’s ride, and generally kicked back at Dennys, I was out of steam. My plan, when we got back to the room, had been to…
US 17: A Palace and Drifters on the Great Plains
It had just gone 4am when I eased the door open as quietly as I could and stepped out onto the landing. Later in the day, we’d be visiting a palace as a couple of drifters on the Great Plains;…
Roads Less Travelled
