On to Croton

Diane dropped me off at my starting point 2 miles north of the Rouge. We kissed good bye and off she went. Another day's journey begins

The NCTA map shows the distance from the Rouge State Game Area to a resort cabin in Croton as a little over 20 miles. This was too far to go in one day so I had made arrangements with Rose, the Summer Director for the VFW Camp Trotter by Bills Lake, to spend an evening.

Imagine my surprise when after only 6 miles I had reached Bills Lake. That meant I only had 6 miles more to reach Croton. I would gain a whole day in my quest to reach the "Big Mac" bridge at the end of this leg of my journey.

On I went until I reached the Croton Dam. This dam supplies electricity to a fairly large area in western Michigan. I went down the steep path to get a better look. There was a very fit looking gentleman fishing the Muskegon River side of the dam. He was a serious fisherman. Unlike myself who is fish less after about 30 hours of half hearted trying so far on this adventure. Not only was this man physically fit and good looking, he appeared to be quite the athlete. He moved with grace and precision. You would not have guessed that both of his legs had been amputated, except he was wearing shorts and did not bother to hide the fact that both prosthesis are metal. That is something to respect.

The Alpine Resort is a group of cabins operated, maybe owned, by a gracious lady who made sure I had a nice cabin at a good price. I spent a comfortable evening before leaving Wednesday morning for the trails.

I traveled a total of 12.7 miles today.

I was very excited at the prospect of being in the woods for many days.