Today was a day of rest, depending on how one might define rest.
Turns out that that 1970s motel has a pretty bomb breakfast. We got a window seat next to the bear feeding window and got quite the show this morning. We didn’t see any bears but we did see three juvenile bald eagles dropping in on the food. Crows would crowd the food and then scatter as soon as the eagles dropped in. It was crazy to see critters like red squirrels just feet away from massive bald eagles. Turkey vultures appeared in large numbers, as they do, but we didn’t get to see how that played out. I’m guessing they didn’t fuck with the eagles either.
After hotel/motel/no-tell checkout, we headed to Sunshine motel area for tonight’s stay. It was too early to check in so we parked at the closest park and hung our wet gear out to dry. Quite a few people came and went in the hours we were there, none really said anything.
You’d think our work would be done, it wasn’t. Next task was to visit a local diner and grub down some dinner. Fresh greens and fruit aren’t something easily carried on trail so we both got salads with a side of mini-pasty & cheese curds. If you’ve never had a pasty, they are delicious and super filling. If I remember correctly, they started as a calorie filled meal for miners in the UP. Feel free to fact check me on that one.
Our last task for the day was to simply go through all our gear and food. Unused gear and garbage gets chucked out of the bag. Sunglasses, gloves, hats, etc; food that didn’t get eaten. We then pick what meals we want for the next 5 breakfasts, lunches and dinners, throw those in a bag. It’s easy to write about via a couple sentences, takes an hour or two in practice.
The sunshine motel we are staying at is really quite lovely. Falling asleep to a Harry Potter marathon is different than forest noises… excited to get back to it tomorrow!