day forty: saginaw to brighton recreational area, hamburg (126km)

Asked the woman at the hotel about restaurants for breakfast. She looked at me oddly then said there was a McDonald's and some other fast food places around the corner. That was, indeed, all I could find. (What I cycled past was mostly slums and rundown industrial areas.) Instead I grabbed something from a convenience store and planned to look out for a picnic area where I could cook breakfast. At the next convenience store I asked about that and the woman directed me to the community park just down the road.

Shortly after I arrived and started setting up, two elderly women drove up and unlocked the back door of the community building in front of the park. There being no water tap in sight, I went over and asked if there was somewhere I might refill my water bottles. The women were clearly terribly relieved I was only asking for water; wondered if they thought I was looking for food or what. They were unloading lots of food from the car, so I asked if they were holding a sale. No, it was a family reunion. A man arrived shortly to join them and help them set up the grill. "That man is cycling cross-country," one of the women told the man. "He only wanted water!" They kept to themselves and I kept to myself, but I did take their photo before I left.

Google Maps directed me onto a road that for several miles was quite good but then went gravel. I checked the map and worked out that the next mile-road over probably was paved. It was. A little while later I stopped at another convenience store to refill water (which I had to buy). Looked closely and realized I'd cycled past the very same corner before, with its sign pointing the way to Howell, MI -- either before my first summer at Interlochen (coming in from Chicago) or after my second (heading to PA).

Had to stop in Howell to take out my contacts and re-moisten them; with the heat and wind, they were drying out enough to interfere with my vision. Bought a chia banana peanut butter smoothie after using the toilet to fix my eyes.

Distance readings were changing erratically on my way out of town, usually a sign that the GPS can't get a proper fix. Ended up going for the nearest campground, to be safe. Still ended up setting up the tent in the dark. The "primitive" campground was maybe 3/4 full. Mine was one of the few if not the only site without a campfire.