Day 1 Tri-County Challenge

    

 Woke up in the dark this morning ready to take off...in the rain. We drove to the southern terminus of the tri-county challenge, the edge of Calhoun County, the 1st county of the challenge. It was dark, wet, and the streets were lined with corn. As a person who grew up watching horror movies, I will confess I was a little unnerved, but continued along my route; I was NOT going to give up. 

    As the sun rose, the farmland through which I traversed lit up and transformed into a beautiful landscape of life. Besides the farmland through which I moved, I was passed by Amish horse drawn wagons heading to what I assumed was probably church, as it was Sunday. No matter how many times I see these people, I am always impressed and amazed, and honestly a little jealous. The way they live, at least through what I've seen, seems like a simple life...kind of like spending a life backpacking.

    I passed through little communities, some with small cemeteries along the route, while others had large cemeteries. There were various animals throughout the day that entertained me and fascinated me. Many farms and open fields with cornstalks. Eventually, I made it in to Albion, MI, where my brother-in-law and his family joined my husband and I for lunch before I went back out for another 12miles. It was nice to have a small break in the day, but getting re-started after lunch was challenging. As I neared the end of my day, I found myself texting my husband to bring me an orange hi-c from McDonald's with lots of ice. He was not real sure what I was looking for once he got to McDonald's because they had slushy forms of beverages. So, I ended up with a sprite, which I think all I needed was sugar at that point, so it worked out. 

    My day ended in Marshall, MI, where my mom and I had driven through after she had rescued me from Pennsylvania post failed o-HI-o week. It was fun coming into town to the finish line because of having that memory, and feeling like I knew where I was and what I was doing. My husband was there to rescue me, and we headed back to the Red Roof Inn. The majority of Calhoun county covered.