Progress to date: 23 days, 984 miles

Dear God,

Please don't think I am ungrateful. We have had a wonderful bike tour so far. We've come almost 1,000 miles safely and seen the beauty of your world here in Michigan. You have sent friendly and fascinating folks for us to meet, and generous Warm Showers hosts to house and feed us. We remain strong and healthy, able to cycle miles and miles each day to get to our next destination. Indeed, we are most truly thankful.

But I do have one tiny request. Might you possibly find a way to intervene with the weather? The dreary skies, drizzle and outright rain are kind of getting to us.

We've been lucky to dodge the major rainfalls over the last week. I'm sure you had a hand in getting us to the motel yesterday just before it came down in buckets. We were mighty glad to be warm and dry while it poured for the rest of the afternoon and evening. We did dash across the street to get some snacks. And we made the best of the wet evening, playing Words With Friends while sipping wine in our motel room. Thank you for allowing Michigan to sell fine wine in gas stations.

I'm certain you want us to admire your creation. We're trying. We passed through some beautiful countryside this morning, but it was hard to take the time to truly appreciate it. Between dodging puddles and trying to avoid car spray we had to stay pretty focused on the road. And peering through rain speckled glasses detracted significantly from the scenery. I did enjoy the quiet country lane that wound through some lakes, the gently rolling hills and the very beginnings of fall colors on the trees. When we passed the apple orchard, I could smell the fresh donuts, and imagined how good their cider must taste. I would have stopped if we weren't anxious to finish our wet ride.

I know we are not the only ones inconvenienced by the rain. We saw a number of Amish buggies today. Their dark square outline would materialize out of the mist and take the full shape of horse and carriage as we approached. They always returned our wave, perhaps pleased at our mode of non-motorized transport. They all seemed to be covered in blankets, huddled behind the horse. It seemed a most wise idea.

I wish I had more photos to share with you. But wet weather does not encourage stopping or getting out a camera. We did however get this one of the wonderful Pere Marquette State Trail that we rode for the last half of today's miles. While we often prefer roads for their more varied sights, riding this trail was perfect for the rainy conditions. We didn't mind in the slightest that all we saw was greenery, and the flat, smooth, traffic-less pavement sped us on to complete our ride.

I realize that a week of clouds and rain is not the worst thing we could endure. Perhaps we got really spoiled when we cycled in Scotland, a very wet climate, and had less rain than this. But I sure would appreciate it if you would send us a bit of sunshine. We will continue cycling either way. And love you just the same. It would just be a whole lot nicer that way.

Amen