June 24. St. Charles to Vassar, 42 miles

This week is hotter and hotter! We tried to get an early start but that is just not as easy as it sounds... get up, get dressed, pack up the bikes for the day, repack clothes, sleeping bags and pads, take down and pack up tent, brush teeth, load baggage into truck, get in line for breakfast... it usually takes us more than an hour from the time I open my eyes until we are on the bikes and on the road.

This day worked out much better for breaks. We decided early that we would only stop at real SAG stops instead of anytime anyone felt the need to pull off the side of the road (way too often!). So we stopped about every 5 miles or so. Worked very well. We rode into Frankenmuth at about 10:30--very good considering we already had 30 miles behind us. We stopped at the public library where I updated the blog for the first couple of days of the trip. That took until noon. Then we went to a restaurant for lunch. I took a photo of the outdoor thermometer before we entered the restaurant: 90 degrees. When we came out TWO HOURS LATER it read 94 degrees. We were hot hot hot, including hot under the collar from waiting so long for our food, some of which never did come.

Upon leaving the restaurant Toby unlocked the bikes and away we went... we checked out the covered bridge and some other touristy things on the way out of town.

We saw Ian and Alex at a SAG stop and Toby and Alex compared YoGos...

When we arrived at the campsite, a man told me it was 102 degrees. I believe it!

Ian and Alex did not camp out this night--they met their dad at Frankenmuth and stayed in an air conditioned hotel! Kat went to the movies and Toby and I sweated it out.

Just before the route meeting Kat called me and said her keys were missing. I went out into the heat and looked in the tent and on the bikes--no keys. She was ready to hitch a ride to Frankenmuth to look for them when the meeting started--they held up a set of keys and asked if anyone was missing them. Yup, they were Kat's keys! I found out later that someone had picked them up in Frankenmuth! What are the odds?????!!!!

After the route meeting the night's entertainment was the Pickle Band, and it was indeed very entertaining! They played standards from all over the world to celebrate our trip across the state. Some kids danced on the stage while Toby took on the role of stage manager.

We settled into the tent for bed before quiet time (10 PM) but some campers did not become quiet until after midnight. Don't you just hate that?