Time: 3h33m40s
Distance: 96.10km
Avg Spd: 27.0km/hr
Climbing: 368m
Today was a welcomed, short(ish) day of riding. After four days of 130+ kilometers, riding a sub-one-hundred kilometer day was a wonderful thing.
Except for the rain.
Once again, it started as we were standing around eating breakfast. In a matter of minutes it was dumping buckets, and we were taking refuge in the gear truck, and scrambling to find our rain jackets, gloves and base layers. It didn't let up much, so by 8am we were on the road, drenched but thankful for a church to provide our first SAG. We stuck around the church too long, eating cookies and praying for the rain to stop. It didn't. It rained harder, and by the time we hit the road again we were shivering, and powered through the next few kilometers to get our core temperatures up again.
I don't take pictures in the rain - especially during torrential downpours - so I can't prove it was raining. But all the wet gloves, jackets and shoes in the gear trailer say otherwise. Not to mention the distinct smell of wet dog the gear trailer has developed this week. I feel sorry for the new riders joining us this weekend... it's going to be a rough welcome into our little community.
The rain did not last all day. By the time we reached the little harbor town of Saugatuck, the skies had cleared and the sun was trying to shine. Brandon and I took a little detour down to the water front and ate a little snack before returning to the road.
We also stopped at the first CRC church in North America - located in Graafschap, MI. There was a heritage museum in the basement that we were able to look through and follow the establishment of the town of Holland, and the progression of the CRC and its many branches. Also located at this site was the original church building, built in 1862.
Tonight we're staying at Hope College in the Voorhees dorms.
Holland is the home of Christy, who rode with us for the first three weeks of the tour, and she works at the college. After she got off work, a bunch of us were able to spend some time with her and enjoy some refreshing beverages and cheesecake. Earlier in the afternoon New Holland Brewing company had given each rider a free beverage coupon for their restaurant, so another crew of us spent a few hours relaxing and trying some of the local beers. They had a beer called "Stephen's English Pub Ale" that I naturally had to try, but was somewhat disappointed with it as it was quite bitter. The Sundog amber ale was a much better choice for my delicate tastebuds...
Tomorrow is another short day into Grand Rapids (Calvin College), so I'm not too concerned about the late night. But I still want at least six hours of sleep, so it's time to wrap this up...
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