Leg 3-- Michigan to Wisconsin/Minnesota

Made it to cousin Andrea's house! 9-ish hour drive today, so am very glad for a comfortable bed and adorable puppy to love on. And my adorable cousin, she's great too :) I popped down to see Devon last week in Kalamazoo and then later enjoyed my future sister-in-law's bachelorette party in South Haven, Michigan. What a wonderful state Michigan is! I have never gotten to spend much time outside of Mullett Lake and really enjoyed traveling in a state that feels like home to me. The lakes are enormous and I just had such a great time with my brother and Anna. Their friends were so welcoming and it feels so good to see your sibling have such deep love in their lives. I definitely won the sibling lottery with my brothers.

This morning, I woke up at Mullett Lake and drove across the Mackinac bridge at sunrise. It was so peaceful and calm, wow. I followed Lake Michigan through the Upper Peninsula and fell in LOVE! It was so far away from everything with some amazing beaches and woods to hike around in. And you can't beat the pasties! I had one (maybe two...) at the end of a marina today and watched the water for a while before heading into Wisconsin.

I wasn't expecting Wisconsin to be so rural! It was OUT there! Then all of a sudden I came up on Ship Rock out of nowhere, which was crazy to see. I stopped to hike on the Ice Age trail, but that section was closed for logging (...??) so I continued driving. I stopped at a nature preserve somewhere in Wisconsin and hopped on my bike for some exploring and to stretch my legs. It was really the first time of being fully alone in the woods today, so that was kind of strange. I was a bit scared, I saw some serious piles of poop! But it felt SO good to get out of the car and I was really glad to focus on being by myself and looking around at my scenery.

I arrived here in LaCrosse this afternoon. I met Steven (Andrea's fiance) and the puppy, Oakley. We played and then biked to a dinner spot from a good biking trail. Why doesn't Asheville have biking trails?! I have been noticing that each place I visit has awesome trails throughout their city. It's been so fun to ride throughout town without disrupting drivers or risking getting hit. Anyway, I'm here through Wednesday and then should head up to Minnesota to visit an old friend before really getting into the woods this weekend!

THURSDAY 8/17:
I've been a little blue this week, missing my guys back home and feeling a bit lonely. I didn't expect to feel lonely or blue, but of course I will. I am definitely a creature of habit and

enjoy having a schedule. This whole trip flips that schedule upside down and forces me way outside of my comfort zone sometimes. I know that exercising, eating good food, and keeping busy always helps to pull me out of it. So, that's exactly what I did! I rode my bike a lot around LaCrosse and enjoyed reading my book by the Mississippi. On Tuesday night, we even took Steven's boat on the river and went fishing all evening. We caught a lot of fish, 3 that were big enough to eat, brought them home and cleaned them. We had them in some tacos last night! I baited my own hook, caught a fish, and then took the fish off the hook! Then later helped Steve to clean the fish! It was a big deal for me. Jamie, you'd be very proud!

Today, I make my way to St. Paul, Minnesota by way of the Great River Road. I'll take my time getting there but it should only take about 3 hours of driving. Tomorrow, I head over to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The first park in my trip, so I'm really excited to get out there!