I stated in my last post that I would describe the most fantastic day of my Journey so far in this edition. Well, my unbelievable son Jeremy, gave up family time and vacation days, so he could fly to Detroit, drive to Port Huron and meet me for three days of bicycle touring. Words cannot begin to describe my emotions when we started pedaling west from Port Huron last Tuesday morning. We last cycled together back in 1994, he was only 14 at the time, when we rode our bicycles from Seattle, Washington to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I will never forget the look of joy on his face when we pulled onto Doe Lane and saw Nano, my Mom, waiting for us in front of her house. Anyway, as with all parents, Anita and I dreamed that our kids, Michelle and Jeremy, would grow and mature into loving, caring, successful and thoughtful parents themselves. Michelle and Jeremy, have exceeded our hopes and dreams. Oh how blessed Anita and I are that our dreams have come true.
Jeremy and I were able to ride together from Port Huron to Grand Rapids, Michigan. We pedaled along with Jeremy in the lead and me tucked in behind him. (Drafting really does make a huge difference.) We shared memories of our last tour, dodged all kinds of “road kills,” waved at the ever present grandpa’s on their riding lawnmowers, scanned the road ahead for broken glass, looked sadly at flooded fields planted with corn that should be at least “knee high by the 4th of July,” and created new memories on our new journey! The first two days were filled with sunshine, awesome trails, magnificent scenery and Ms. Catherine’s St. John’s Motel!
Ms. Catherine’s establishment is a throw back to the Route 66 motels of the 50’s and 60’s. Every square inch of space in each room was filled with snowmen, heart shaped shelves, Christmas decorations, flower print pillows galore, stuffed “animals,” placards with biblical quotes, and a gorgeous red Christmas sweater. Jeremy would have loved to have brought home the sweater for an “Ugly sweater Christmas party,” but no room in his panniers. I think Ms. Catherine collected her treasures over a life time of estate and garage sales. With all her “finds” she quickly ran out of room in her own home, so she bought a 12 room motel in order to display her treasures. At one point, Jeremy who is 5’ 11” attempted to walk into the extremely tiny bathroom. Luckily he ducked his head at the last moment or he would have had a sore forehead. Low ceilings, creaking floors, air conditioners that sounded like jet engines, and shower stalls that brought back memories of The Bates’ Motel and Norman! When I manually filled out the registration book, Ms. Catherine asked if we could pay cash since her credit card machine had not worked for some time. “No problem, and if we don’t have enough cash between us right now, we’ll find an ATM,” I said. “Oh, just stop by before you leave and settle up your bill,” she cheerfully replied. I asked about room keys, but she said, “Oh, we don’t lock the rooms, but the keys are in the room somewhere.” I never found a key in my room. She gave us the WiFi password, but it was so slow I could not open my Gmail page, LOL. I am sure Ms. Catherine is the owner, manager, housekeeper, maintenance person and interior designer of the motel, even though there was a Mister on a handwritten note of phone numbers taped to the front door. She told me she was battling cancer and the subsequent side effects, but she was not going to let cancer prevent her holding on to her dream of owning and operating her beloved St. John’s Motel. Jeremy and I will both long remember our night at Ms. Catherine’s St. John’s Motel.
Our last day of riding proved to be a memorable, wet and soggy experience. Rain, rain and more rain stayed with us for the first five hours. A generous grocery store clerk gave us plastic bags for our feet which turned out useless, but was a thoughtful gesture. I placed quart size Ziplock bags over my gloves, we both donned our rain jackets, smiled at each other and started pedaling west. As you can see from the above photo, the State of Michigan provided us with a fabulous, hard packed gravel bicycle trail which was many years ago a railway. We tried to avoid the puddles for awhile, but eventually just enjoyed splashing each other by hitting the bigger puddles. At the end of our last day we both agreed that our rainy day just added one more fabulous memory to our shared bicycle journey. On Friday Jeremy loaded his bicycle and gear into a rental car, I loaded up my bicycle for another day of riding, and then we hugged each other for what seemed like forever. I have to admit that as I watched him drive away back to Detroit, tears of joy and pride filled my eyes. At one point as we pedaled along I tried to express to Jeremy how thankful I was that he would give up so much just to spend time with me. He replied, “I know a man who has done the same thing many times.” Never have I been so proud to be a Dad! One last comment about Jeremy’s visit and then I will stop babbling. I can’t tell Brittany, Jeremy’s wife, how much I love her and appreciate the sacrifices she lovingly accepted so that Jeremy could spend time with me. We are so blessed that Brittany entered our lives as the loving life partner of Jeremy and mother of Jack, Sadie Lynn and Nathan. (She even agreed to add a new puppy to her already over flowing household.)
Goodbye Michigan and Hello Wisconsin. I cheated today and racked up 86 miles traveling across Lake Michigan via the high speed Lake Express ferry. Cheers and I will never get tired of reading your comments to my posts. Thank you and Happy June Solstice!
Greg
Sounds like your stay at St. John’s Motel was a little like our stay in Heely, AK. 😂
Greg, keep on pumping!
Alex
Oh Greg, what an amazing journey – you are just awesome!! Love the Team Vancil And soon the Mr &Mrs Vancil – sans 1 bike😊 Thanks so much for taking us all along with you! Be safe – you are admired and loved by sooooo many!
Greg, all of my messages are headlined by, “Your comment is awaiting moderation.” They’re not being sent!
Greg, thank you for for updates as you peddle along hills and dales of the highways and byways of America (that includes Canada). Unfortunately several of my messages have not made it through to you, perhaps because of their length! Know that your endeavor and well being are of utmost importance to me. This is a supreme effort of physical, spiritual, emotional, intellectual and social endurance. May the Holy Spirit empower you to stay the course and meet the challenge!
Alex
Oh Greg, makes our hearts smile reading your blogs! Jeremy gets the Best Son award for sure! How wonderful that he could join you! Memories from the white line! You’re getting closer to Minnesota! 😊❤️😊 Continued safe travels to you, Greg!
At first glance, I thought “How did Uncle Greg manage to bring one of Nano’s sweaters with him on his bike trip? And why?” That snowman sweater at the motel totally looks like one of hers! I guess that’s her way of letting you know she’s with you on this journey, and guiding you to the people you need to meet. I’ve no doubt she’s as proud of you as you are of Jeremy and Michelle. Since you don’t have pontoons on your bike (although it sounds like you need them sometimes!) I’m glad you took the ferry. Thanks for continuing the stories despite the crappy WiFi!
Greg, you need to remember our kids learn from watching their parents and how they treat others. You and Anita are roll models, not only for your children, but for everyone who is fortunate enough to know you. I am so blessed to be your friend and to have been able to learn from the greatest “boss” ever.
Enjoy the rest of your journey.
Greg, you absolutely amaze me with your kindness, stamina, sense of humor and love of adventure. I am going to give you my cell number so that if you are pedaling across SD from Wisconsin and Minnesota, we might be able to drive up for a hug and bit of conversation. 605-464-7379
Tears splashed into my cup of tea as I read your blog. I laughed at the motel story and wondered if the stuffed things stayed in place! Knowing how much you “love” cutsey things, you must have felt a little stifled.
Such wonderful memories you are creating for yourself and all who meet you!
Getting to share your adventure is a blessing of the modern technology that frequently is an intrusion. Thank you for sharing 💓
You give memories to all you encounter Greg. Jeremy has loads of them
At last a blog, been worried something terrible happened. I would check Anita’s FB for news, nothing.
Tears are streaming down my face as I read. Nothing better than the love, appreciation, and consideration we have for and from our children.
Yes, the best several days ever.
This was certainly a tear jerker. What a blessing and memory for both you and your son.
I loved your description of the motel. Truly a hidden gem.
Wisconsin, eh! You are really making tracks across the USA.
Thank you for taking us with you on this journey!! As you Grandma always said “Journey Mercies”
Hi Greg
You were in my territory! I was born in Grand Rapids. Sorry to hear about all that rain. Most of my people are or were farmers
I think Jeremy will follow your footsteps with his son one day
Bike on!!!
Traveling with a buddy makes all the difference in the world and you’ve felt the joy of having Jeremy peddle right along with you. No doubt inclement weather saps strength, speed and stamina and creates a prolonged day of exhaustive effort. Yet, this is the test of a true athletic endeavor and a significant test of courage! You are meeting the challenge, Greg. This is when the Holy Spirit becomes most present and evident in our lives. Peddle on ,Greg. You’re cycling for the moment and to make it through the day.
Stay well and make the best of whatever you encounter!
Alex
Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us Greg, always a joy to see what is happening on this trip!
Well Anita was right, I needed to grab a tissue! I’m a better person to have you as a boss and friend! I wasn’t surprised that you embarked on this journey and you keep inspiring me to keep pushing forward with love and grace. Safe travels:-) xxx
So thrilled it worked out for you guys to meet up! The stories from your journey give such a great picture of what wonderful people are out there. We are rooting for you as you pedal on! Safe travels!
Awe Greg,
I am glad you got to take the Ferry ‘excursion’! So glad your son was able to join you; what an awesome time together. I am sure it was bittersweet to have him leave so soon.
Anchorage celebrated with a downtown block party as usual for solstice and we’ve been having pretty good weather!
Stay well,
Cindy
What a treasured memory for you too!! Try some cheese curds this week. 💕💕🚲🙏