After 22 days on the road you just knew it had to happen. And no, I do not mean that the snippets of friendly banter between The Author and The Kid finally degenerated into honest to God sniping. No, I mean that after 22 days of continual sunshine and temperatures in the mid to high 20's we finally ran into rain. Yes, grey skies and rain caught up with the Tour as we left Munising in Upper Michingan.
The day began early.
The Author: Ah, I see you're finally awake. I've been up since 2am.
Me: It's four in the morning!
The Author: I've had bad feelings about this Motel ever since we drove in. Why did the clerk put us on the
far side of the building? Out of sight of everyone? And who was that weirdo that was running a skidoo
up and down the lawn when we drove in? Why are there no locks on the main door? Why is there
no one else staying here? Why doesn't anything work properly?
Me: Wayne, at the desk, said it was probably the maintenance man on the skidoo.
The Author: Precisely. I'm glad you're awake. I need to check the car and make certain everything is safe.
Me: You stay here. You can't even walk properly.
The Author: No you stay here.
Minutes later, I find myself half dressed and peering into the dimly lit hall. At last The Author
hobbles back in view.
The Author: Everything is fine. And there are four other cars in the parking lot. I feel much better now.
By this time I am totally wide awake. As I lay back on my bed in the dark with the vibration from The Author's snores shaking the room, the images I have dredged up from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Psycho refuse to disappear. Could congenial Wayne possibly be related to Norman Bates? Are we really safe?
At dawn, we hit the road again, and, after a long day's haul we are safely ensconced in a Super 8 Motel in Bemidji, Minnesota. It's a bustling community on a lake just outside of Chippewa country. In half an hour we are going out for dinner at a Mexican Restaurant, my favourite American kind of eatery, and I can hardly wait to taste my first Marguerita.
PS Many thanks to Iain (aka Two Eyes) for retrieving the photo of Angelo Mosca and Gerry and embedding it in the October 8 blog. And just to keep the record straight, the Larry in photo is not Larry Robertson.
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