Mike Breiding's Epic Road Trips: May 2026

Michigan and Indiana Road Trip

Visiting Betsy's Kin, and Sew Fun! in NolotLand

And, our First Visit to the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail

NOTE: Best viewed with a tablet or larger display.

Pere Marquette Rail-Trail
Sunday, May 3 2026

A recent trip to visit Betsy's kin provided the opportunity to explore a new Rail-Trail for us, the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail.
Betsy's sister Charlotte and husband Joe live near Coleman MI. Getting there required 9 hours of busy interstate driving - not one of my favorite ways to get from Point A to Point B.

The 30 mile Pere Marquette Rail-Trail was originally part of a 180 mile rail corridor between Ludington and Flint.
The trail is named in honor of Father (Père) Jacques Marquette (1637–1675), a French Jesuit missionary and explorer.

Photo by Mike Breiding

The original plan was to ride both days, but Sunday was cloudy, windy, and in the forties, so we decided to walk instead.
This far north it was still a bit wintry-looking compared to Morgantown, which is almost 300 miles to the south of Coleman, MI.

Photo by Mike Breiding

This fancy outhouse is an example of the amount of money that has been invested in the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail. The Dow Chemical Company is headquartered in Midland and undoubtedly generated some tax revenue that was wisely used for projects such as the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail.

Photo by Mike Breiding

Does this Rail-Trail look flat? Does is look "straight as an arrow?" How very different from the sinuous Rail-Trails we are used to riding in WV and western PA.
To the right of Betsy, behind a row of trees is the parallel equestrian path and then Saginaw Road. To the north is Pere Marquette road, a local greavel road.

Photo by Mike Breiding

Opposite the restroom, an opening was cut in the trees and a bench placed. This is the view of the bench and restroom from the adjacent Pere Marquette Road, which we took back to our starting point.

Pere Marquette Rail-Trail
Sunday, May 4th 2026

Photo by Mike Breiding

Monday morning was clear, cool, and windy. About 10:30 I was on my bike and pedaling towards the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail, which is about a half mile from Charlotte and Joe's place.
The original plan was to ride about 20 miles to Midland so I could see the famous "Tridge." Then Betsy would pick me up and we would return to Charlotte and Joe's place.
Well, it didn't quite turn out that way. I never have trouble navigating when I am in the hills and hollers of West Virginia, but the flatlands always present a challenge for me. So, instead of turning east towards Midland, I turned west. Later, when I reluctantly admitted this to Joe, he said, "Didn't you see which way the sun was coming up?" No, I did not. I don't pay attention to that back home. I go by which way the creeks and rivers run, and that is just fine by me!

Photo by Mike Breiding

Where is that pesky sun!!!???

It was not long before I got to Coleman and realized my mistake. I admit it, I felt like a dummy. I thought about turning around and following the original plan—cycling to Midland to see the Tridge—but the mileage was over the top for me, so I continued on down the trail in the same direction—west.

Photo by Mike Breiding

It was delightful to be back amongst the White Birch of the Northwoods.

Photo by Mike Breiding

When seen from a distance, I thought this was some kind of arch over the trail. It turned out to be a white birch that probably succumbed to a snow load. Although I did not plan to ride west, I was glad I did because the further out I rode, the woodsier it got. It was quite beautiful.

Bonus Photo!

Betsy and White Birch near Baraga Michigan. This photo was taken the Summer of 2010 on Betsy's Retirement Trip.

That wraps up my 20 mile ride on the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail. And what of The Tridge? Keep scrolling...

Pere Marquette Rail-Trail
Tuesday, May 5th 2026

We departed Char and Joes around 8am. Next stop: NolotLand in Fort Wayne Indiana. But first, a little side trip.

Photo by Mike Breiding

And here it is, Midland's famous Tridge.

The Tridge is the formal name of a three-way wooden footbridge spanning the confluence of the Chippewa and Tittabawassee Rivers in Chippewassee Park near downtown Midland, Michigan, in the Tri-Cities region. Named as a portmanteau of "tri" and "bridge", the structure opened on October 4, 1981. It consists of one 31-foot (9.4 m) tall central pillar supporting three spokes. Each spoke is 180 feet (55 m) long by 8 feet (2.4 m) wide.

Source: WikiPedia

"...the structure opened on October 4th, 1981...". Talk about being ahead of your time! Considering all the trips we made to Michigan, I can't believe we missed this amazing pedestrian bridge.

Photo by Mike Breiding

Fort Wayne IN - Visiting Cindy and Rob
Sunday, May 5-6-7 2026

Sew Fun!

When we were planning the trip to Coleman MI, it seem like a good opportunity to take a detour on the way home and visit with Rob and Cindy before heading back to Morgantown. As mentioned previously we met them when they attended one of our hikes in the Tucson Mts. I can't remember the year but I think it was 2017.
Besides hiking they are part of the "Gang of Six". The other 4 being Robert and Debra of Idaho and Betsy and me. We have spent many fun-filled hours hiking and Happy Hour-ing with them.

Photo by Mike Breiding

Here is the "Gang of Six" less one—Betsy, Rob, Deb, Cindy, Robert.
This was taken in front of the entrance to the Black Sheep Cave in the Tucson Mountains.

Once upon a time I used to do a bit of sewing. One year, when we were in Tucson, I had a little sewing project I wanted to work on. Knowing Cindy was the crafty type I asked her if she had a sewing machine I could use for a bit. She said she did, but it was in Fort Wayne. I did not forget this.

So, how did I end up sewing? That is a long and winding road.

In the late 1970's, at the urging of friend Terry Nebel, I attended a WVU Student Grotto(caving club) meeting at the WVU Mountainlair. It was at one of the these meetings I met Geary Schindel. Geary was an avid rock climber and caver and it was not long before I was out top roping and rappelling from boulders at what was then Mont Chateau State Park

Photo by Mike Breiding

Betsy Beal at Mont Chateau State Park, watching her studly boy friend show off for her.

When not bouldering, we were getting wet, cold, and muddy at places like Bowden Cave in Randolph County or Sinnett-Thorn Cave in Pendleton County, West Virginia.
At that time there was a Q&A amongst cavers:
"Q. What do you call something that has been in a cave?"
"A: Trashed."

The caving environment is not only hard on people; it will wear out (trash) things like cave packs and caving clothes. So, what do you do with ripped pants or a torn cave pack? Sew them up, of course, and then get them back in service.
At that time I had not sewn one stitch. That changed when Geary taught me how to use a Speedy Stitcher.

Speeedy Stitcher

The Speedy Stitcher
"Sewing heavy material, by hand, in a snap. Since 1909."

It was not long before I ordered my own Speedy Stitcher and I was making repairs on caving and climbing gear and other items as well.
Speedy Stitchers work great, but they are slow sewing, especially in thick material like the heavy webbing I used to make seat harnesses.

OK, on with the tale of my "Sewing Journey."
At that time, a good source for cave packs and clothing were Army surplus stores. Morgantown had one such store, and I became friends with the proprietor, James M. "Mick" Madison. For a while, I worked part-time at his store, and we would swap stories about this and that, and of course, the topic of caving and climbing came up.
At that time Mick had an old, heavy-duty sewing machine at the store; he used it to modify packs and other items he had for sale. At some point I asked him if I could bring some items into the store I wanted to sew, and that was how I started sewing on a regular basis. I loved it. I was amazed at what that beast of a sewing machine could do. Unlike a conventional sewing machine, it had a walking foot, and that made material feeding much easier and efficient. Conventional household machines have a stationary presser foot, and a bottom feed dog.

Singer treadle sewing machine

This is what Mick's machine looked like. I cannot say for certain the one shown above is the exact year and model, but it is close. Mick's machine was not fitted out with a motor—it was arm and foot powered only.

I am no longer sure of the time line, but at some point Mick closed the store and he told me I could borrow the machine if I wanted to. Did I ever!

Photo by Betsy Breiding

I first set the machine up in the living room of 540 Elamina Street because it was warmer than the basement where I eventually moved it.

Photo by Betsy Breiding

Here I am sewing up a seat harness I used for vertical caving, rock climbing, and rappelling. Geary was the designer, and I was the sewer. Along with Geary, other grotto members would use the machine as well, including Tom Morley, Gary Arbogast and Terry Nebel.

Photo by Mike Breiding

This is the only photo I could find showing some of the work done on the mighty old Singer. These are EB climbing shoes. Geary suggested the addition of leather reinforcements. He knew from personal experience this area was likely to wear out before the soles. So, I went to Tanner's Alley, purchased the leather, and got it sewed up. The year all this happened...? It is foggy now, but I think it was around 1979. I am sure the climbers of today would see these EB's as quite the novelty item.
EB got its start in the late 1940s. You can read about that here.
Tanners Alley in Morgantown is still around and doing well.

Brother ZigZag sewing machine

I also did a bit of sewing on a then modern-day Brother sewing machine similar to the one above. At that time, Betsy and I were not yet married. When I mentioned I wanted to get the machine to modify the North Face VE-24 tent we were using on camping dates, she offered to go in on it with me. This impressed me mightily as I saw this as a clear statement she planned to stick around. And she did.
Needless to say, that was many years ago. I used the Brother on and off over the years, and then at some point I must have sold it or given it away. Neither Betsy nor I have any idea what happened to it.

OK. Let's fast forward 48 years. But first, let's go back nearly 60 years to a time when most of the Breidings were living in San Francisco. At that time I don't think any of us had heard the term "dumpster diving", let alone participated in the activity. But once we started, it was hard to stop. It is still hard for me to believe what some people will throw out.
So, to this day, I am always checking out what is being thrown out when on our neighborhood walks, or taking a peek into a dumper—just in case....

Photo by Mike Breiding

Recently, I saw what looked like a perfectly good day back out with our neighbors' trash. Without hesitation, I retrieved it. I thought, "Well, if I can't use it, maybe someone else will be able to."
However, as you can see from the above photo, it became evident why my neighbor had tossed it.
Remembering Cindy had a sewing machine and knowing we would be there in about a week, I emailed her with a heads-up that I would like to use her machine when we visited.
My hope was that using a sewing machine was like riding a bike or driving a stick shift car, once you learn how, you are not likely to forget. I was right. But, I knew I would still need some guidance from Cindy.

Photo by Mike Breiding

Here is that day back now in the hands of Cindy. The first thing that needed to be done before sewing could commence was trimming the edges of the tear and then pinning the seam line. Simple. Right? Not for fumble fingers me! So, it was Cindy to the rescue, and her practiced fingers had it pinned up in no time.

Photo by Mike Breiding

Oh, goody! Now I could get down to business. Sew Fun!

Photo by Mike Breiding

And here are the results. Not exactly professional looking, but adequate. Thanks, Cindy!

But wait—that's not all!! Being a bit of a gear head I feel I must talk a little bit about the trusty old machine I just used. And do mean old.

Photo by Mike Breiding

Cindy still had the original owner's manual, which I loved paging through. She has a Model 68 Sears Roebuck machine. The "68" means it was manufactured in 1968. That means Cindy has been using the same machine for 58 years. I can only imagine the miles of thread that have been run through this old workhorse. And, with occasional servicing, it still runs great. I wish I could say that about myself.

Photo by Mike Breiding

Listen up, Ladies!

Photo by Mike Breiding

I enjoyed reacquainting myself with all the working parts of the machine. Maybe someday I will find a used machine to take home and then I can keep practicing.

Photo by Mike Breiding

Reading this was like going back in time. "...10,000 fully equipped trucks" and "12,000 factory-trained technicians." This was Sears, Roebuck in its heyday.

And, one last thing—the term "Sew Fun" is from my birthday buddy Amy Sue. Amy has a sewing school in Richmond, VA. And what do you think the school is named? "Yep—"Sew Fun!"

Now it was on to the last leg of our trip. We plotted our route back to Morgantown with a little side trip along the way.
Char and Joe only recently moved to Coleman MI from Harlan IN where Charlotte, and then Joe, lived for 50 some years.
Over the years there were many delightful visits to their place for Thanksgiving, Christmas and summer cook-outs. Betsy wanted to see the place one more time, so we did a drive-by.

Over the years Joe and Char planted a small forest on what had been a sparsely wooded lot and they enjoyed many hours of outdoor sittin' while watching and listening to the birds who flocked to the little oasis wedged in between miles and miles of corn and soy bean fields.

After a final look we did an about face and started the drive back to Morgantown.
Chapter closed.

See you next time...
Mike and Betsy

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Bonus Photo
Loop Ride This is from my last ride on The Loop before leaving Tucson. I was getting out at 6:30 am to enjoy the coolness and the morning light and long shadows.