Luther, MI to Clare, MI 63 Miles July 6

We rolled out of Luther this morning with everything calm and the streets clean. There was no broken glass or cans littering our way and no bodies passed out anywhere in sight. A few miles along our route I noticed a black carriage with a slow moving vehicle sign on the back. I did not know we would be in an Amish community. Then I saw a gentleman with a horse hitched to his buggy in his front yard. I stopped and asked permission to take a picture. He did allow me to photograph the horse and buggy, but he made sure not to be in the photo himself. After a few inquiries about my trip, he smiled and went back into the house as I took a photo of the horse and buggy.

Carol and I arrived in Clare exhausted from our lack of sleep. Pam had ridden ahead, because she wanted to arrive in time for the Sunday church service. She took a short cut and arrived in plenty of time for the service and to meet the people. When Carol and I arrived we had been invited to spend the night with Merle and Wilma Phillips and to have join a dinner party at Tom and Marsha Franklin's home on Lake Bailey. We hurried to get cleaned up and take a nap. Before a delicious homemade dinner Tom Franklin gathered everyone together to hear about our Ride For Habitat. He then told everyone he was putting a container out for Habitat donations. At the end of a lovely evening we had an additional $200.

Merle and Wilma drove us back to their home. Wilma shared some of her life story with us. She worked her way through teachers college while being a waitress. Then she got married to a doctor who wanted her to run a nursing home, so she went back to school to become a nurse and administrator, ran her own nursing home and raised two sons. Now she is retired, teaches Sunday School and leads an adult bible study group. In between she housed two women who were Vietnam refugees and raised funds to track down their sister and bring her to the US.

I am amazed how the people we meet continue to inspire me while they keep telling us what an excellent job we are doing.