Day 21 A BIG Day

Left Yale by 7. Navigation was pretty straight forward. Go north and west. Our first destination is Otter Lake where we pick up our long lost leader, Gay. He has taken a week off to heal his Achilles' tendon. He drove a rental car one way from NY to near our rendezvous location in Otter Lake, MI and hung out at a campground. We are all optimistic he will fully recover. Time will tell. Today we rode about 44 miles to meet him.
When we got back together, Gay was one happy biker! We were all pretty thrilled to be back together.  We exchanged handshakes and considered our next moves. Onward to  Frankenmuth , our intended destination for the night. It's a Bavarian themed city with lots of tourist attractions.
When we arrived at 12:30, the feeling was it was too early for finding a campsite for the night although we had already biked 62 miles. So, what would be the next destination then with a campground? The only really feasible choice would be Bay City. That's another 35 miles. Don't want to do this kind of mileage every day, but we still have a good amount of time to the day so we decide to press ahead. What am I getting myself into?
The roads were good. I'm very accustomed to riding with Gay. I can trust him when he's in front as he communicates the hazards to come and his next intentions (stop. Go. Turning) so I won't have any problems. We work together well.
Fred, on the other hand, prefers to stay up front and pull. He is strong. He doesn't like to draft. He said he doesn't think we can keep him informed of the hazards and such. Problem is when he's up front, he needs work on his communication skills. He is full of surprises. So it's best that I hang back a ways when he's pulling. Less draft but also less likely to run into him. So be it.
We FINALLY arrive in Bay City. We were looking for the park when we asked directions from a couple in a van that had stopped for us. First they offered verbal instructions but then offered to lead us there like the guy did when we entered back into the States. Of course we accepted. We followed them for a distance longer than it appeared on the map, but it was spot on. We departed with a fist bump and the gentleman was grinning from ear to ear.
When we reached the park, it was perfect. Good space. Flat grassy areas for tents and GREAT showers ( top 2). So now you see why I call it a BIG day. Got back together with Gay and rode 97 miles and have a good place to camp and clean up.
As for tomorrow? Good question. One day at a time.
Ride miles today = 97
Total so far = 1,184 miles
Thanks for following me/us.
Cheers.
KPW