I Want to Ride My Bicycle . . .

On Saturday, June 21, my eldest son and I embark on a 267 mile bike ride across the State of Michigan along with 698 of our closest friends. It's the 27th annual PALM Bike tour (Pedal Across Lower Michigan). We return on Friday, June 27. Each leg of the 6-day journey will take us across 45 miles (on average) of Michigan's scenic back roads and byways.

While our days will be spent pedaling our green Cannondale tandem (fully-equipped with a Santana Child Stoker Kit and rear rack to carry our panniers), the evenings will be spent camping on the athletic fields of various high-schools along the route. I know many of you don't see the charm in that, but until you've experienced the camaraderie enjoyed by the inhabitants of an instant tent city, you don't know what you're missing. Below is a map of our first day's route.

It's been several years (and more than a few pounds) since I've done a long distance bike tour, and I'm more than a little concerned about the decline in my fitness (and increase in my fatness), but this is a tour not a race, and I'll now have a good excuse to slow down and actually see the sights along the way.

One of the primary reasons I'm posting this, other than to share my excitement and enthusiasm for biycle touring, is to let you all know that, in my absence, the Pear Tree Pen Company will continue to process orders as normal, but emails and phone messages will, in all likelihood, not be returned until we get back to Ann Arbor. I appreciate your patience (and well-wishes) while I'm away.

And, if I can preach for just a moment: When you're driving along in your automobiles, please exercise courtesy and caution when you see cyclists on the road. The life you save may be mine.

Anticipation

Available soon at the Pear Tree Pen Company: A quality piston-filled fountain pen with an ebonite feed and a 2-tone nib for under $30. Can you guess the maker?