To Allegan and back

I thought of titling this "To Hell and Back." Nothing to do with Audey Murphy and the bike ride wasn't bad at all, but it would kind of sum up my feelings about the city Allegan. More on that later.

I rode down 57th Street to 118th Avenue, then due east to the city of Allegan. This is usually my return route, but I mixed it up a bit today. I'm livin' on the edge.

For about four-and-a-half miles, 118th lacks shoulders until 48th Street, but this isn't a huge concern. There's little traffic and the road is straight, for the most part, so drivers can see my glowing bike shirt and big butt swinging off the seat. After that, there's a generous shoulder on the recently paved road.

This route offers a glimpse at many small lakes, such as Round Lake, through the forest. Man, this looks like a toxic waste site. The weeds have overgrown the lake and the homes around the edge are, well, a handyman's dream. I caught glimpses of Lake Allegan as I moved along, but got a nice full view just as I was reaching the hill up to the city limits.

The city

So, I enter the city of Allegan by crossing M-40 and am prompty attacked by a dog. This pooch won't give up chase. Though a small dog, it was determined to get my leg. I shouted at it to stop and sprayed it with water from my water bottle.

It still chased me until the water bottle slipped out of my hand and scared the crap out of the dog when it slammed to the ground.

I had to turn around and walk back to retrieve it.

This fits my view of Allegan. I just never had good experiences there.

When I worked there, I disliked my boss and hated being in the office. I found the residents full of a false self-importance, thinking that because they lived in the county seat, they were better than folks who didn't. The streets are a hodge-podge of odd one-way streets, the roads are in crumbling condition and the buildings harken back to a time when things were ugly and poorly made. If it wasn't for being the county seat, this town would be like Fennville but without the charm.

Even the riverfront, which tries to be nice, has a faded glory to it. The boardwalk is badly weathered and splintered and the buildings that face the river are run down and lack charm. It all has a Dickensian feel to it, like the law offices in August described in "Bleak House."

But, that said, I did enjoy the fruit smoothie at the ice cream shop along the river. The woman behind the counter was talkative and friendly, and I enjoyed the conversation very much. And the big drink was only $2.50. In Saugatuck, that would have cost $6 and been served with a healthy dose of snooty.

Back home

I headed back out River Road and passed Dumont Lake and the county offices there. Again, I see badly designed government at its best, but I've railed about that before.

When I hit M-89, I felt good heading home, but a strong west wind hit me in the face. I was disappointed -- the local weather predicted an east wind. I really slowed down and was happy to coast over the tracks and home.

Thought: About 30 miles and lots of time to think.