Sleeping Bears and Bushwhacking to TC

The settling of the woods is much more obvious from inside a tent, early in the morning. Branches drop and rumble. Leaves rustle. Small bits of the canopy fall to play single notes on the taut fly of the tent. Gravity works to pull the loose, weak and disconnected parts of the woods down close to the earth, and we imagine footsteps of unseen creatures foraging lightly among the debris.

We like our tent. It is an REI Quarter Dome, extremely easy to set up, fairly light and compact, and it allows us the illusion of safety and privacy and security. There is room under the fly, a vestibule on both sides of the tent, room enough to store the panniers, a pair of shoes, and the trunk bag. We have light sleeping bags, and we use Exped mattresses, the best ever, cushy air beds that are compact and keep the bones off the stones.

We got up early at DH Day rustic campground near Glen Arbor, packed up our gear and ready to ride. We almost left before the ranger came by to take our “license plate” number. When we arrived the previous afternoon, there had been no way to register. Anyway, he couldn't take our money, just my drivers license number, and he told us that we would have to pay at eight when the office opened. I almost thought that we were going to get a free night. We chatted a bit and he moved on. We rode our bikes down to the office and it was not open yet. Interesting how things change after Labor Day. Fortunately, a ranger came out to check our bikes and opened a bit early for us. Since it is a rustic campground, and since we have our golden tickets cause we are old (the senior parks pass), they charged us six bucks for the stay. Pretty good.

We took off on the newly dedicated bike path toward Glen Haven. This path goes right through Sleeping Bear Dunes and is called the Heritage Trail. It turned out to be very nice, a new bike path, with clear signage for the grades. My only complanint was that along with the information of the percentage grade one was approaching, the sign always showed it to be a downhill grade. Imagine our disappointment when that 9% grade turned out to be uphill.

Glen Haven is a small area of the remains of D. H. Day's Inn and cannery, dock and smithy. He was pretty important, and donated the land for the park. You can read about it here. We checked the area out and I tried to take a shortcut across a dirt area, forgetting that I was clipped in, resulting in a fall and a broken spoke on my rear wheel. I have replacement spokes, but the spoke was on the cassette side of the rear wheel, I wasn't getting any rubbing on the brakes, and I thought I would press on to a bike shop. I have never replaced one, so I was a bit reluctant if I could limp along.

We continued on, enjoying the path, the lack of traffic, and the beauty of the dunes area. Eventually we arrived at Empire. We stopped at a little market with a stenciled sign that said restaurant. It was really a counter and about two tables, binary, and they offered breakfast wraps and bagels and it sounded good. The folks running the place were energetic and friendly, and they kept bringing out free samples of apples and Tex-Mex stew. Pretty fun. We hit a market in town for some food for the evening and continued on to the Platte River Campground, an upgrade to the rustic one the previous night.

The Platte River Campground had showers and a site with electricity cost me a full thirteen bucks. Since I have been using the phone, I needed to charge the devices. As it turned out it was pretty funny. We had a massive site next to the bathroom and showers, with a full hookup for electricity and room for two cars. Of course I mainly sat at the picnic table and read a three dollar used book I had purchased in Northport. Nice campground. We had been warned about bear activity, but there was no security on any of the dumpster, and I figured that would be the place for the bears to hit, not my pannier with veggies and wheat thins.

We took a walk over to the river and noted that it would be nice to return here for a kayak trip. Honestly, there is so much water place to be had in Michigan. There are marinas everywhere. There are boats for sale everywhere else. Looks like great fun.

The showers were great. We slept well and cooperated on the packing up. Lynette has a system for taking down the tent, and I pack up the bags and Exped mattresses. I have to roll them up twice to get the air out and make them compact. They are just the best though….cushy.

It was crisp in the morning, and we got on the road before eight, pretty early for us. Our goal was to get back to Traverse City for another sixty five dollar night in the Travelodge, which would put us four miles away from the airport so that we could pick up a car to drive back to Muskegon to the camper. We had to backtrack about five miles and then we just started bushwhacking back roads using the phone and a paper map.

It was really a spectacular but challenging ride. There were lots of rolling bliss, up and downs, through forest and farm land. Michigan is another good state for burying bodies….the forest along the roads can be quite thick and dark. Parts of our path reminded me so much of riding in the Czech…rural, pastoral with very light traffic and plenty to see and admire. We kept a pretty fast pace, but we did stop for a while at a golf course for some coffee at the snack bar, but we didn't stay long and continued on pretty fast.

The road was pretty straight into Traverse City, but it had a pretty big climb at the end of the route, with a long steep downhill into town. We cruised into the west end of town, near the Northstar Brewery, and Lynette was done, finished. We probably had gone too long without a break. We pulled into a nice specialty market and got a couple of sandwiches to finish off the ride. Soon enough we were at the motel and checked in.

We we're pretty tired, and we showered and napped for the rest of the afternoon, but overall we felt good about riding the three hundred miles. Showers were predicted for the following day, but thought we could get over to the airport to get the rental car before the weather changed drastically.

More later.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Leelanau Luau

So, immediately after we booked the hotel for another night yesterday, the rain eased. Indeed, I think it relocated over Tiger Stadium to harass the fans. It was a rest day for us. Our legs were stiff. So we walked into town, about a six mile trip, and then later rode about ten miles on our bikes, looping into the airport for an Avis stop, and then into town for some Red Ale and whitefish pate. Still, we felt refreshed in the morning and ready to go.

On our walk yesterday, we had stopped at the Visitor Center in town, and we got some good maps to plan our trip. Our goal was to rustic camp at Leelanau State Park, stopping at Toms Market for provisions. There was no guarantee of ready electricity, so we shall just have to play it by ear.

We had the typical breakfast, and wow, I even made myself one if the waffles, which was fine, and then we hit the road. Lynette was nervous, but she gets nervous when we start. We followed the TART Trail, working toward the Leelanau Trail, and we ran across Durrell, a touring bicyclist that we accosted the day before, seeing his panniers and quizzing him on his journey.

We caught up to him along the shore to the bay, and we asked him everything. He was traveling from Seattle to Maine, so we had some respect. The best thing he showed us was a segmented tent steak, that he could fold up for travel, but it had a hook, so he could use it to stand his heavy touring bike rig anywhere he wanted. It was cool and efficient. He made it himself.

We talked about the culture of travel and the strategies he used to make the riding financially responsible. It was all good stuff. We appreciated him. He gave us a travel card, with his info, something we have wanted to do for a while, and we may cheat on his format. We parted ways as he went south to follow the Adventure Cycling route, and started north on the Leelanau trail.

The Trail is seventeen miles of glorious bike path, the best we have ever seen, just gorgeous. Paths are “meant to be followed,” a Biblical concept, and we did. I think it was even prettier than the Tunnel of Trees that we did earlier. Along the way there were a couple of picnic areas where coolers of water had been placed, just super friendly. I would do that route again, and it would recommend it for recreational riding from Traverse City.

Eventually we arrived at Suttons Bay, the terminus of the route. There was a Saturday farmers market going on, and we bought jerky and “gluten-free” cookies and a pint of blueberries. A little further once stopped at the Visitor Center (I'm a big fan of these places) and got a recommendation for lunch and some of the best maps of the area. We ate outdoors, next to out bikes, enjoying salads and burgers and the ambiance of the town.

After lunch we rode up to Omena, a beautiful little town and stopped at a winery. The tastings were free, unlike in California, and we picked up some wine for dinner. Pretty fun. The employees there all claimed to be retired school teachers. I imagine the connection is clear. Teaching and whine. Makes sense to me.

We stopped in Northport for veggies, and continued ten miles more to the Leelanau State Campground, twelve bucks for a spot, clean odorless, vault toilets, within view of the lake. There were lots of campsites, but we accidentally chose one next to a loud family. It was fine, really, but almost funny. We were so tired that we could have slept next to a train track with no problems. The young children in the campsite were I touch with their inner and outer vocal chords. I heard a loud comment from an adult that the grandfather was so full of stories that he should “write a book.” I suppose it would be a loud book.

Anyway, we slept well, woke to the light, and rode ten miles back into Northport for coffee and a chance to charge the phone. This place is closing for the season. Last day.

Power is limited but we will try to keep the blog going as we head down to Sleeping Bear Dunes tonight. All good.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Rain and History

Okay, so when I last checked in, we had gotten up at four a.m. to spitting rain, and we chose to relocate to the bathroom and pack up. Quite the adventure! We got enough light to start riding about seven-thirty, and we took off from Eastport for a thirty five mile ride to Traverse City.

We were early and strong, and the shoulder was pretty good, so we felt that we were making good progress. We arrived at Elk Rapids about 9:30, with the last part a shore road away from the main highway, always good. I checked Yelp for a breakfast place and we chose the Harbor Cafe, with an old school, competent waitress, a small, local venue, and omelettes that we practically inhaled, giving new meaning to fast, and food. We were hungry! We liked that place.

We hit the road again, and after the next change in township, our fine shoulder disappeared, and we had a lot of miles with marginal safety on the road. There was a wide, stable dirt shoulder, and we used it when we were aware of big trucks behind. Indeed, those mirrors are super valuable. (We even think they deterred pickpockets in Europe as Lynette always wore hers.) Still, there is no question that small shoulders and two lane highways are a big concern. They worry me a great deal.

The road bent around, and before we knew it, after a long hill, we came across the Newcomb farm house, home of my great great grandfather in my mother's side. I took a selfie and we continued on a short distance to a cemetery, with the resting places of my ancestors from the Newcomb and Churchill family trees. Way cool.

But even better, we rode another quarter mile and stopped at the Yuba City Schoolhouse, where my grandmother went to school. It is in the process of being renovated by an historical society, and there were a couple of fellows working on the place. We stopped and I asked if I could take some photos inside. They said, “That depends, who are you and why do you want photos?” Fair question. I explained about my family history, and before long they were proudly showing us the interior of school and their progress. We learned that the one room school had been in operation up until the nineteen fifties, and they had both gone there. The rennovation was donation funded, and would upgrade the school to modern standards. Pretty neat.

We hit two more hills on the way toTraverse City, and just an awful stretch of two lane road with no shoulder, cars piling up behind, and generally scary riding. Finally we got onto the TART bike path and everything was better. We saw a sign for a bike shop and pulled off to get Lynette's front wheel trued, and some bike gloves for me. Soon after, we checked into a motel that we had used on a previous trip…all good.

In the morning, we woke up to a vicious storm, lightning, thunder, and enough water to fill the parking lot. The whole thing was spectacular, especially with the drought in California….we opened the curtains and watched the water cascade into the lot, up to the axles on a couple of cars. That said, we started to consider our plans.

We were about 150 miles into our trip, and we had planned to go up to Glen Arbor and Sleeping Bear Dunes, but if we lost a day to rain, we weren't sure that we could make it all the way to Muskegon by the tenth to meet up with Renatka and our valued Czech relatives. We studied the radar and considered the options and ultimately decided to focus our trip in the Leelanau pennisula. If we keep it local, we can do more camping and see more stuff. Besides, we are very sore. We didn't really train for this, and although we can work tough, we want this to be enjoyable. That's it. Those are the excuses.

So, I booked the room for another night and we walked three miles into town to check things out. The downtown area is wonderful. We walked back, grabbed our naked bikes (no panniers) and rode out to the airport. I booked another car for driving back to Muskegon, leaving us free to do a bike loop in the Northeast, returning to Traverse City for the car at the airport.

So, that's the plan. We rode bikes into Traverse City and hit the Mackinaw Brewing Pub to try a sampler of the beer and some whitefish appetizer. Goodstuff.

Aw, this is a good thing. We worked hard on the biking, and the headwinds and shoulders have been challenging. Both of us are starting to feel as we did on the Europe trip. Honestly the effort and exercise is just so meaningful.

New adventure tomorrow….

 

Posted with Blogsy

Waves Lapping at the Shore.

So I had a great shower this evening. Sure, it cost me. Fifty cents to be exact, but it was spacious, hot, and the spigot was high enough for me to avoid injuring my back ducking down. Goodstuff, especially since we are at a campground with a tent site and electricity (for charging the toys) that is about thirty yards from the beach. The waves are lapping, and unless there is a torrential downpour tonight, I'm thinking this is a pretty good spot, especially since it was the only spot that fit our fatigue.

We left the Best Western near Petoskey about eight this morning. I had the Jimmy Dean microwaved breakfast sandwich and Lynette ate other stuff. Heck, it's not Ireland for sure. I almost tried to make one of those batter in the cup waffle things and do it your self, but Lynette sensed my move and diverted me to the orange juice. No matter. Really, our appetites seem to decrease with all the activity, as if it were inversely related to the cycling…weird.

We followed the road for a while and then we got on a marvelous bike path, twenty six miles of glorious scenery and untrafficked riding. I think it is called the Little Traverse Bay Wheelway. I may be wrong. There is no question that it was fabulous riding. And, at the end, we arrived in Charlevoix, a town with a channel to a bay, protected by a drawbridge. We chatted with folks along the way asking about places for lunch, and eventually we found a bike store in town where we purchased a battery and got more advice. We rode back a bit and had lunch at Scovie's, a deli and fresh salad hangout in Charevoix.

We locked up the bikes and went in to find a table where we could see them. Our waitress, Kelly, was delightful, energetic and friendly. Indeed, she asked about our travel, and when we shared our history and asked if she wanted to see photos, she agreed enthusiastically. Crazy, is what came to mind, but she came back and followed up again.

Clearly, this is not your every day waitress.

But kidding aside, she was wonderful to us, and we exchanged email addresses. We are happy to have a new friend in Charlevoix.

That said, things got tougher after lunch. We tried to follow signage for US Bicycle Routte 35, but it was lacking, and we made a false start. We had to follow Highway 31 which had quite a bit of traffic. Fortunately, the shoulder was generally wide. Pretty much it was long, straight, will rolling inclines. Again, I think we put in another fifty mile day. The highlight was stopping at the Bier Art Gallery. They had great stuff and offer classes in all kinds of arts; Lynette was very interested.

We found a farm market about five miles from Eastport. We bought some peaches and a basket of blueberries which were deliciously magic in that they disappeared so quickly. We sat on the bench out front and ate them, chatting with other customers about our bikes and efforts, and learning that there were few options for lodging and camping in the area.

We hit the market in Eastport for some veggies just in case we had to camp, and went another half mile to Barnes County Park, which turned out to be magnificent. We took a campsite with electricity for our devices to charge, and camped about thirty yards from the lake, close enough to hear the water lap the shore. We did a brief sunset beach walk and marveled at the warmth of the water, and the absence of salt, quite a thing for California beach folk.

The tent site was cozy, and we slept well. About four in the morning I heard a few drops on the fly of the tent. We knew rain was expected, but we thought it would come later. I checked the radar and realized that a big band of rain was almost upon us. Thinking back to the rainstorm on Mackinac Island, we decided it would be better to pack up dry goods rather than wait it out. We hopped out of the tent and moved everything to the nearby bathhouse. We managed to get everything snug in the panniers before the worst of the rain, and we think getting up a bit early was a good decision.

That said, we are sitting with our backs to the bathhouse, under the eaves, waiting for some sunlight. It's six -thirty, and I've got a little time to memorialize another fine start to a day of biking. It is thirty miles to Traverse City, and I think that will be all we do today. The next town, Elk Rapids, looks like a reasonable stop for some breakfast. It's always good to look ahead a little bit.

…..there's light. We can see! We ride!

 

Posted with Blogsy

A Tunnel of Trees

The plan yesterday was to take the nine am barge back to the mainland, to Mackinaw City, and head out of town to the shore of Lake Michigan. Our plan was to take the “Tunnel of Trees” scenic route down to Harbor Springs and then to a KOA in Petroskey. The route was off the recommended routes of Bike Route 35 and the maps from the Adventure Cycling Association, but everything I have read indicates that the tunnel is awesome.

It was a beautiful morning on the Island, a far cry from the brief afternoon rain that we experienced the day before. We had a nice breakfast in the hotel, carted the panniers down to the bikes and got everything set up for the day, drying the seats and settling the packs. A few other travelers were making last minute purchases before leaving the island. The fudge shops open early.

We had a pleasant ride back to Mackinaw City, thanked the deck hands for not sinking, and headed off through the city, along the northwest shore toward Cecil Bay. Traffic was very light. Indeed, with the exception of the very end of the day, there was a calmness and quiet throughout the ride. We looped around the bay and marveled at the houses right on the shore, and the thick woods that predominated the opposite side of the road.

About eleven miles into the ride we came to a quiet camp store at a road crossing. We stopped and chatted with the elder clerk and had a sport drink. We sat on a bench in front and enjoyed the pause. These stops are some of the best parts of touring. It's like the world has shrunk. There's far less stuff to manage because, as George Carlin says, “Where would you put it? And even as the biking takes from your reach, it increases the intensity of the experience. You see less, but you see more. Your experience becomes local, and immediate.

We took the right fork in the road and headed off away from the shore for a bit. There was a small golf course off to the side, the Wilderness Golf Club, cute and probably recent from being a farm. Michigan has a ton of lush courses, and plenty of water to support them. The roads were fairly flat and fast, but we had some headwinds along the way. Often, the wind was blocked by the trees and forest that line the roads. Just great riding!

Twenty six miles into the ride we came to the Legs Polish Restaurant. It was about one, and we stopped for pierogi, kielbasa, and a Bell's beer. The waitress was authentically Polish and delightful. We sat in the sun and ate, enjoying a view of a garden and the lake. The next stretch would take us into the awesome and intimidating “Tunnel of Trees.”

We were concerned about it being hilly, but the Tunnel was actually very flat. I'm going to post a video of a stretch of the road that will clarify the kind of riding it was. The road had no center line, little traffic, more spectacular homes, and was a great experience. Indeed, the only hill of note was about eighteen miles into the twenty miles of the tunnel. But, the whole thing was much flatter than a ying in Oregon.

We made one other stop at a small store in Good Hart, about half way through the Tunnel. We chatted with the woman at the counter about her pot pies, rich home owners, and winter. Another couple was poking around the store and the woman asked about our ride. I explained that we were doing a fifty mile day, which is pretty much our max, and then I trundled out a well-used line of mine about the purpose of bike touring. I explained that touring helps balance out my “sins and other bad habits.” She came right back and said, “Well, that's why I have Jesus.”

She seemed quite content with her comment, and although I felt it was a false comparison and completely missed the humor and triviality of my line, I acknowledged her comment and appreciated her suggestion that we ride safely. I gotta watch my audience.

We hit traffic coming into Harbor Springs, and we were getting pretty tired. The KOA didn't sound reasonable any more, so we checked into a Best Western, grabbed a bottle of wine and cheese and wheat thins from a gas station across the street, and decided to wait for the onset of cramps. Still, we felt good about the mileage and experience.

Tunnel of Trees from Jack Meyer on Vimeo.

Tomorrow we head around the bay and down toward Torch Lake. We have at least a day and half of good weather ahead, but we may have to deal with some rain as well. All good.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Michigan moves….

Adventure engaged!

We are sitting on a bench on Mackinac Island. It's raining crazy, but we are dry. There are fudge shops everywhere. We arrived on the slow boat, dumped our panniers at the hotel, and rode around the eight mile perimeter of the island. It was just spectacular. There are no cars on the island, only bikes and horses; a real paradise. The shoreline bike path and horse path is spacious and quiet, with magnificent occasional houses, open beaches and coves, and places to picnic, stop, and enjoy the shore. Pretty neat. Very satisfying. All in all, we probably rode a little over twenty miles today, which is fine for a couple of bodies tweaked from traveling to get here.

 

We drove a lot. That pretty much sums up getting to Michigan. Four and a half days of big driving. But, we had a great welcome at Cousin Tom and Mimi's, a trip to Bell's famous brewery, and a wonderful dinner in Kalamazoo.

And, I'm happy with the logistics of getting the bike up to Mackinaw City. We dropped the camper off at Cousin Doug's house, met his dog Gus, had a nice lunch at Old Guys on short time with Doug, and then we put the bikes into a rental Dodge Caravan from Muskegon Airport, drove to an airport (Pellston) fifteen miles south of Mackinaw and checked into a quaint hotel. Cyndy, the proprietor of the Lessing Motel, offered to drive back to the airport, five miles, and pick us up after we dropped off the caravan. Everything worked out great! I like it when things work out.

We went across the street from the motel to a hole in the wall pizza (Big Chicken Pizza) and wings joint and bonded with the guy at the cash register. His name was Jack, too. After some friendly chat, and a longish wait, he brought us a pizza one size larger than we ordered, and a mega-liter of Mountain Dew, “Cause you guys were waiting a long time.”

We gave the Mountain Dew to Cyndy. There is a limit to our food sins. But, you gotta love friendly people.

This morning, we loaded up the bikes and agonized at how heavy they seemed. It's been a while since we have ridden with tents and camping gear. Still we made good time. There was a good shoulder, a bit rough, but the road was fairly flat and fast. Three miles out from Mackinaw City, we pulled off the main road onto the old road, very rough at first but untrafficked, and started our run into the city. I heard a crash, and looked back. The rack on Lynette's new Novarro had released from the stays under the seat, swung back, and dumped three panniers backward onto the pavement. Fortunately, she was traveling slowly. We stopped, reconnected everything, and continued on into the madness of a Mackinaw City.

As it turns out, this is the one day of the year that folks can walk across the Mackinaw Bridge that connects the upper Michigan Peninsula to the “mitten” east of Lake Michigan. Cars were parked everywhere. Busses were shuttling people to the north end of the bridge from where they would walk the five miles back to a Mackinaw City. We heard that it is a glorious walk, at dawn, but since we had the bikes and insecure panniers, we opted to make our way to Arnold's Ferry, a slow, cheap option for making our way to the island. As usual, we had multiple conversations with civilians about the bikes and our activity. Bike touring seems to do that. It is an open door to conversation.

 

For example, after we got to the island we stopped in at a Starbucks for a coffee. Lynette went out to shop, and I stayed with the bikes to finish my coffee. One of the guys working the horse carriages came over and chatted with me. He told me about the route heading south, and a stretch called “the tunnel of trees,” and a great deli stop with fresh bread, hand cut thick and sandwiches made to order. All good.

Now, normal people would probably write that down, make notes on paper or in some app. But, I just message the information to my Michigan companion and ethereal iMessage relative, Cousin Tom. The information stays in my chat thread, and should I need further information, Tom is reliable, resourceful, and accurate.

Needless to say, we continue to find Michigan astounding-beautiful, lush, wet (unlike California), and rich in family history.

We understand that this is the “end” of the touristy season here on the island. We were told that the locals, the summer hires, used to ride their bikes into the lake as a final gesture to tourism and summer work. Apparently, the EPA found this unacceptable, so they have reverted to some kind of pub crawl. We are going out for food, so we may run across this event, and I will report back in the next post.

We are staying tonight at the Harbor View Inn. It is a little pricier than we normally choose, but since we are going to camp some, I figure all will balance. The room is nice, and Lynette likes the green. I like what Lynette likes because I am a supportive guy. Bottom line: it is great not to be driving. Bikes are wonderful. Indeed, people should come here, ignore the fudge and touristy shirts, but reflect on a community where bikes are key, the streets lined with unlocked, well-used beater bikes with racks for luggage and groceries, totally functional, effective transportation. It is an eye-opener.

Heading to Petroskey tomorrow. Should be a longer riding day, but we are just going to cruise easy. Weather should be good the next two days. Love the moving.

Michigan Moves!

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Unfinished Business. New Business.

I realize that I left so much unfinished about our wonderful trip to the Czech this summer.  So much.  And, it will have to stay that way for a bit.  Unfinished.  

 The truth is that we have been depressed since we returned.  Our trip was just too wonderful.  But, it is time to move on.  “Adventure is out there!”  A bicycle tour in Michigan is on the horizon.

We had planned to travel to Michigan to meet up with Renatka Semelbauerova and her parents, Alena and Milan, at Cousin Tom’s condo in Kalamazoo.  After looking at the calendar and some maps, Lynette and I decided that we would try to get there early and do a 300 mile bike tour down the eastern shore of Lake Michigan.  That’s the plan.

Here’s the detail.  We are going to drop the camper in Muskegon and rent a van at the Muskegon airport.  We’ll drive to Pellston  Airport, drop off the van, grab the bikes and bags and ride about five miles to a motel.  Next day, we plan to ride to Mackinac Island and check it out.  The day after that we start working our way back to Muskegon and the van so that we can meet up with Renatka and her family.

I purchased the Adventure Cycling Association maps for the trip, but they take an inland route after Traverse City.  Fortunately, the United States Bicycle Route 35 follows the shore back to Muskegon.  It looks like this:

Here is the link to the bicycle route.  It looks perfect.  There is a pdf of the route, or it can just be done off a mobile device.

I have the first two nights booked.  We are taking our tent, and I think we shall be doing some camping.  I figure 30-40 miles a day.  We are getting excited!