No, I am not so weary as to resort to worn out cliches; I am referring to the name of the bakery in Clare, MI. Yes, indeed, it is called the Cops and Doughnuts bakery, and what a story it is.
The local bakery, which had been in business since 1896, was on the verge of closing its doors, and the police department of Clare, all nine officers, got together and bought the bakery they so dearly loved and frequented (thus the cliche). They now have over half a dozen locations, but the storefronts in Clare are the headquarters, where in addition to divine doughnuts, they sell lots of merchandise such as colourful T-shirts and hoodies.
Suffice to say it was difficult to narrow down my choices, but I had to go for the bavarian cream, which is shaped like a long john, and a nutty doughnut, which an Instagram follower had suggested. On a windy day that ended in the rain, both were like gifts from the goddesses, but of course the photos make that clear.
I was going to title this post, What a Bike Trail Will Do for Your Soul, but I think you would have suggested, Mary, and rightfully so, that I was burying the headline, so I led with the doughnuts; however, the rail trail was a close second in the day’s highlights.
The Pere Marquette rail trail, rated one of the top 10 in Michigan, is a paved trail that runs 50 km between Clare and Midland, and it is glorious. Much of the trail follows the Tittabawassee River, and it is very sheltered with lots maples, birch, and beech trees on either side of the trail. It passes through several small communities before taking you past Northwood University and into Midland, which is a very pretty college town. As I rode through town, I was struck by how quiet it seemed, as if everyone was tired from rushing around the countryside all weekend.
It was a nice sort of sleepiness compared to what I encountered ahead as I navigated my way around Bay City. I managed to stay on the northern outskirts for the most part, but then saw signs for bridge construction on the Harry Truman Parkway, so was forced to ride south into the city and then east on the next bridge I could find over the Saginaw River. I definitely saw some seedier parts of town, and was happy to get on the M15 south, which I knew I could take for the rest of the day. My goal was to avoid the major highways, the large cities like Saginaw and Flint, and the touristy destinations like Frankenmuth.
The day seemed to divide itself naturally into chapters. The opening chapters, with the bakery and rail trail, were pretty euphoric, then I hit chapter three with its southern Ontario feel of open fields snd nothing to stop the wind. Coming south of Bay City, I battled the wind for several hours and then hit the small town of Vassar where the landscape changed again.
Chapter four was the final forty km of the day, in which I was once more in the land of rivers and lakes and tree-lined roads. Yes, a light rain began, but I was on newly pavement, and the wind had dropped, so it was much easier going. The rain stopped for a bit, but I could see on the horizon a much more threatening sky, so I started pushing hard for Davison. As I entered the town and stopped to find a hotel, the rain started in earnest, so I was all too happy to roll into the Best Western.
I didn’t realize how spent I felt until I headed out to a nearby deli to get dinner and felt my legs lamenting. The wind, rain and the final push of the day all took their toll. Though I had composed much of the blog in my head as I rode, it would have to wait until morning, as I had no more words in my head to put together.
Not sure I am much more coherent this morning, but it will have to do. From here I will stay on back roads as much as possible to Algonac, where I will take the ferry over to Walpole Island, and then ride into Ontario. With the forecast for rain and winds out of the east, I haven’t decided how far I will ride today. If the weather were grand, I would push home in two days, but I will let sense prevail as it has served me well thus far. Today is the last day to enjoy the bountiful snacks that the US has to offer. I can’t say I have grown weary of them just yet.