Brighton to Rochester Hills( Great Lake to Great Lake)
Brighton to West Bloomfield (21Aug 26)
Another day of beautiful weather—blue sky stretching wide and warm sun nudging us along—had us feeling lucky again; Weather Channel promised rain all around but left us clear, as if the clouds decided to take a detour. A couple of short breaks gave us time to soak it in: stretching legs, and sipping from our water bottles. At one stop a passing train rumbled by, its horn cutting through the calm with that familiar, loud call that somehow feels like part of the soundtrack to the journey. It was so loud it was almost painful, and I’ve spent years working around jet engines. We rolled on grateful for the unexpected grace of good weather and the small interruptions that make travel feel vivid and alive.
Lunch and on to Rochester Hills
Today was definitely my favorite — more great scenery and the thrill of crossing a cool bridge that framed the highway like a postcard. The highlight, though, was lunch at a Jewish deli in my wife's old stomping grounds, West Bloomfield, MI, a suburb of Detroit, that felt like stepping into her stories. It was another welcomed break on the trail, a warm, hearty meal that tasted like home and added a perfect, nostalgic note to the day’s adventures. We continued on to Rochester Hills and found our hotel. Once again, where can we walk? Jeff said he found the local bike shop and I said “score, let's go”. We walked to the old town area and found the bike shop. It turned out to be a nice one right on the main drag. They had some really nice bikes but I settled for a tee shirt. Shopping complete, we headed across the street for dinner at the Whiskey Bar. The food was very good and the staff even better. We walked back to the hotel but on the way stopped for ice cream and I found a wine bottle opener. Bill stopped at the local market so we could all try Michigan cherries. One small problem, the Michigan cherries had already gone out of season so he had to get the Canadian cherries. We got back to the hotel and we all enjoyed the cherries, my bottle of wine that I picked up at Costco the evening before while watching the Little League World Series. Another exciting day crossing Michigan.
