October 8, 2012, Mackinac Island, MI

October 8, 2012, Mackinac Island in Pictures.  The pictures tell the story today.  Mackinac is known for its horse-drawn carriages, fudge, bicycles and bus loads of visitors.  Actually, there are no buses, because there are no motorized vehicles on the island.  Late today, we saw 100 or so seniors waiting in line to board a half-dozen horse-drawn tour carriages.  As each carriage filled, another pulled into its place.  Each carriage held a dozen or more seniors. 

The pictures show a building with spiders crawling over it, complete with a spider web, a collage of  Halloween characters and the Arched Rock.  In the Gerald Ford Presidential Library, there is a picture of the future president in his Boy Scout uniform standing atop the Arched Rock.  There are also horses, blustery weather and the two of us, windblown, trying to stay warm.  We spent about five hours on the island before returning by ferry to the mainland.  Tonight, it will be cold, windy and rainy. 

Annie awarded me the DOTD Award again today.  As we were biking, there was a man taking a picture of his companion.  I stopped and asked if they wanted me to take a picture of both of them.  The man accepted my offer.  As I took the picture, my bike, Tuffy, fell over.  I returned the camera and remounted the bike.  I then noticed that the caliper brakes on the front wheel were rubbing the rim.  That created a drag on the wheel that made it hard to peddle. 

I turned the bike upside down and began to tinker with the few tools I carry in a backpack.  After a few minutes, I was able to minimize the drag, but not eliminate it.  That made the last four miles of the trip around the island more difficult.  When we got back to town, I went to a bike rental shop and asked the manager if he could adjust my front brakes for me.  He looked at my bike and said, "I don't have to.  I can see what the problem is."  With that, he lifted the bike and spun the front wheel 360 degrees.  The effect was that it freed the crimped brake cable and the brakes worked perfectly. 

Charitably, he said, "That happens all the time on bikes brought over on the ferry.  Those guys just thrown the bikes together and the front wheel gets turned around."  I didn't tell him that I was the one who turned the wheel around.  Tuffy works great now. 

I told the story to Annie and a slow smile creased her lips, she shook her head and biked away.  She is easily amused.  I figure it could happen to anyone.