Unlike last winter, when I put the scooter away shortly after Thanksgiving, and only pulled it out a couple times on particularly sunny days before spring broke, this winter I’ve been riding fairly often. Granted, there have been strings of a few weeks without riding, and when I ride it’s mostly just a couple miles to the local lake, where I then go for a walk. But I’ve been out a least a dozen times since the first real snowfall. I hope that’s a reflection of my greater confidence riding on streets that might have a slick spot or two, and not a reflection of climate change.

I’ve been giving some thought to where I might ride this summer, and I’m leaning towards The Wrist. That’s the section of Michigan along the southern borders with Ohio and Indiana. Admittedly, it’s not as scenic as… well, as just about anywhere else in the state. 🙂 It’s a lot of farmland, and the only Lakeshore is at either end of it. But there’s some woodlands along the way, and the Amish country of northern Indiana is close enough that I could do a little bit of “English” style sightseeing.

To be honest, part of the appeal is that’ll it’ll be a fairly short and easy ride. Money’s kind of tight, so spending money on fewer nights camping, no ferry rides, etc. is a (minor) factor. But I also have a pinched nerve in my upper back that’s probably going to require surgery, so I figure I should try to take it easy. (The backpacking trip in Colorado is definitely going to have to wait. Especially since I need to lose some serious weight first for that.)

I’m looking at 6 days, with the following camp sites:

• Fort Custer State Rec Area, east of Kalamazoo, via the Gun Lake area
• Waterloo Rec Area, not too far from Hell
• Sterling State Park, on Lake Erie, via Ann Arbor
• Pokagon State Park, in NE Indiana, via the Irish Hills area
• VanBuren State Park, on Lake Michigan
• from there up the Blue Star Highway to home

Do it on weekdays to minimize crowds at the parks, and taking only 5 days off from work, and I’ll have less spectacular but still enjoyable ride.