I made the first 20 miles pretty quick so I could stop in Holland, Michigan at deBoer bakery for a treat and a cup of coffee. I met one of the Brothers that own and run the operation. He is a 4th generation baker. His grandfather came to Holland, MI from the Netherlands in 1956. The business and knowledge of baking was handed down through the generations. He could tell I was on a bike tour and asked the usual questions and I had questions for him about his family’s bakery. The bakery has two locations and the North location where I was and it served Breakfast and Lunch, it was hopping on a weekday just before noon. The baked goods I had were excellent.
Holland, MI has a windmill that was disassembled in the Netherlands and shipped here. I was hoping to see it close up but it is in a gardens that has an entry fee and I didn’t have a lot of time.
Eventually I made it to Van Buren State Park and had to set up camp in the rain. I broke out a tarp that was my Brother Mark’s and was able to rig it over the picnic table so I could cook and eat out of the rain. Up to this time I had only used the tarp to cover my bike if the forecast was for showers overnight or if I was stealth camping and didn’t want the bike to be seen. It was validating to get to set it up and use it this way. I think I have been really lucky with the weather, I expected I would have used the tarp more by now.
I had some great conversations with my campground neighbors who were out testing out their fairly new RV trailer. They were sitting in chairs under their retractable rain awning facing my campsite. I felt like I was putting on a show for them riding up and pulling things from my bags and setting up camp. I wasn’t sure if they were shaking their heads in disbelief someone would choose to travel like this but after I talked to them and answered some of their questions, I felt they were fairly impressed with my pluck. It was nice to get a warm shower after riding in the rain. I slept well.
Slow and Steady 
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