Nomad Life - Day 166

For some reason, the sleeping conditions overnight were so good that I wasn't awake until 0800!  That may be the best amount of uninterrupted rest I've gotten since beginning the Nomad Life.   With the late start, though, I had to hurry to make sure I got breakfast in Lobby of Baymont (South Bend), catch up on traveling admin and pack up the car in time to get my drive started as soon as possible.  Somehow, I was able to depart South Bend at 1045 - I definitely felt rushed, though...  Outside, it was 25 F and overcast but I was hoping for better conditions to the east.  Because I was avoiding the Indiana Toll Road, I initially used city streets to depart the city.  Later, I got on IN-23, which used to be a road I often used to get around the area.  After a while, I crossed into Michigan (MI-62) and then transitioned to Redfield Street.  At around this time, I started to encounter pretty steady snow flurries and the road conditions were poor (unplowed areas).  By 1115, I passed through Mason Township and soon got on MI-205, which took me to US-12 - I followed this route for several hours afterwards.  As I'd hoped, the sun came out at around this time, although the temps stabilized in the high teens.  More towns I encountered during this phase of the drive: Mottville (1125), Bronson (1155), Quincy (1220) and Janesville (1240).  At the latter point, I transitioned to the Deal Parkway and started looking for the North Country Trail, which crossed through Hillsdale County near this point.  I found it when turned on to Industrial Parkway and continued following it even after I reached MI-99.  This section (2.8 miles) was coincident with the highway until it joined some bike trails in Hillsdale.  Knowing this, I stopped briefly to fill up my gas tank at the local Meijer (1250).  After that, I continued following the NCT in my car until I found the trailhead at Wicker Place.  Noticing a steep, paved trail that joined city sidewalks there, I took a break from trail hunting and made my way to the nearby campus of Hillsdale College.  I've supported them financially ever since my friend, Don T (a professor there), passed away in 2018.  They have good online courses (Adult Continuing Education) and send out a stimulating newsletters each month.  In any case, there wasn't much to the place - they had some amazing examples of Midwestern Architecture and statues of the Founding Fathers but, for a school almost as old as Notre Dame, I was a bit underwhelmed.  One point of hope, though, was evidence for large building projects nearby.  I'll keep an eye on the institution...  From the campus, I resumed my search for the NCT, finding it again at the corner of West Street and Monroe Street.  I thought maybe I could count some of the trail here while driving but then noticed that the route intersected the start of the Baw Beese (Rail) Trail.  I did park and walk around in the area for a little while here and got some good photos as the weather conditions continued to improve (1315).  Hoping to find some more drivable sections, I got back on MI-99 and headed east.  The rail trail paralleled my route for a while, although it was nearly inaccessible as it passed through marshes and lakes to the north.  Eventually, I was able to access it by driving down roads that were perpendicular to the State Highway and later found a trailhead (near the Baptist Church on Beecher Street in Osseo) where the Baw Beese ended.  From that point, I started driving another NCT section from there.  The trail continued to the south for 1.5 hours until it crossed MI-34 - there was a trailhead just east of the Otto Drain where the NCT went south into the woods and I gave up trying to follow it.  Instead, I drove east to the town of Pittsford (arrived at 1410) and started searching for the place where the NCT came back out of the woods.  I located this spot on Pittsford Road, just north of Losey Road.  From there, I started counting the miles on my odometer again.  However, this time the trail followed a series of snowy dirt roads across the prairie.  I'll admit to some trepidation about reaching a dead end or drift I couldn't navigate but I was impressed by the signage in this area; several times, I stopped to get photos of blue blazes and signs that indicated I was going the correct way.  Before long, I reached Squawfield Road, a place I'd noted on the map when I was last in the area (MAY 2025).  Soon after that, I located the last road (Tuttle) that would take me to the place where I last followed the NCT in Michigan.  My project concluded when I reached 10.2 miles on the odometer at Territorial Road (1445).  Overall, I logged 14.5 new NCT miles in Michigan today (a negligible amount was on foot) and learned a lot more about its routing through the State.  Noting the late time of day, I gave up on the NCT for a little while and started following roads that paralleled the MI/OH border.  By 1455, I entered Lenawee County 1455 - turned south on Meyerholtz Highway, which turned into OH-23 when I arrived in Fulton County, Ohio (1500).  I didn't realize it at the time, but I stayed in that county for more than an hour after that point.  A bit later, I got on US-20 and headed east.  I continued until I reached the town of Oakshade and then took OH-108.  My driving target was Wauseon, a place where I knew I'd again find the North Country Trail.  Once I was near the Wabash Cannonball Trail and knew I could resume my trail search, I stopped for late lunch at Arby's and ate in the restaurant (1530).  With my meal completed, I drove a short distance and found the turnaround spot from my last visit (MAY 2025).  After reaching the NCT/WCT trailhead on CR-13 (1545), I followed CR-F, which paralleled the bike trail.  To continue my pursuit of trailheads and drivable NCT section, I had to use CR-5 and CR-EF for a while.  At one point(1605), I was able to do some hiking on the NCT/WCT near the Fraker Mill (Covered) Bridge.  I found it interesting that the trail was mostly plowed and wished I had more time to log some actual distance on foot.  However, my eastward progression required me to resume my drive...  After that, I was off and on CR-F and CR-EF for several miles.  Just after I saw signs that indicated I was entering Lucas County (1620), I finally discovered that the NCT disconnected from the Wabash Cannonball (North Fork) on Waterville-Swanton Road in Oak Openings Preserve Metropark.  To find it again, I used a map I located during a stop at the park and, with some creative divining, I located a trailhead on the corner of OH-64 and Berridge Road.  From there, I drove 0.8 miles until I located the Wabash Cannonball Trail South Fork.  Strangely, the NCT then headed east on this rail trail - towards the town of Whitehouse.  I took some more back roads to find this place and arrived there at 1655.  Unlike some of the other stops this afternoon, I didn't even stop and continued driving on back roads and OH-64 until I reached the next trailhead, which was where the WCT (South Fork) crossed Flinzel Street in Whitehouse.  From there, the NCT required a road walk (or drive, in my case) and I followed the route (all OH-64) until I reached the parking area for the Farnsworth Roche de Bout Shelter, located on the banks of the Maumee River.  By then, I'd logged 4.3 new miles of NCT for the section and reached 5.1 miles of NCT in Ohio today.  When I consulted my trail log later in the evening, I found I'd just passed 100 miles for the entire trail (out of 4730).  I did feel pretty good about my efforts at the time!  Starting at 1705, I walked on Maumee River Tow Path and encountered lots of birds.  Sadly, I also (unintentionally) got to watch hunters killing geese - they shot them right out of the sky while they were walking around on the frozen river surface!  Feeling a bit shaken about observing that event, I departed the park at 1730.  Using OH-64 and OH-65, I made my way to US-20 (entered Wood County at 1735) and passed through Hessville at 1755.  With the sun setting and temps dropping rapidly, I decided it might be a good idea to make lodging arrangements.  To this end, I stopped on the side of road (just before the US-20 Bypass Split for the town of Fremont) and made a reservation online.  Next, I drove on the Bypass (this allowed for really good speeds and avoided downtown Fremont).  At 1845, I arrived at my hotel, the Red Roof Inn in Clyde.  At the desk, I found that I had a room but the clerk was unable to confirm whether I'd paid already.  Hopefully, there won't be too much of a problem down the line.  During this encountered, the clerk reactivated my dormant Red Roof Inn loyalty account (it did have Nicky's name but my email address).  After getting to my room, I worked on getting organized and then headed to the gym for a workout.  Ultimately, I completed 8 miles of biking (40 minutes) and tried out the elliptical.  With only two miles worth of steps completed for the day, I walked around in the hotel to achieve my 10K goal.  I also planned to go swimming but, when I was changing in my room (2100), Kerith called.  We ended up talking for nearly two hours!  Afterwards, I gave up the idea of any more workouts so, instead, got to reading.  Perhaps I might have gone to bed but there were some VERY loud people in the hallway until well past midnight.  Because of them, I couldn't sleep, even after I turned out the light (2330).  Ultimately, I probably wasn't asleep until at least 0030.  What a day - lots of driving and interesting NCT encounters!  Hope I can be as productive/efficient tomorrow...  North Country Trail Today = 19.6 miles / Grand Total NCT = 100.3 miles