Ok so I don't know who has been keeping Southeast Michigan/Northeast Indiana from us, but these areas have NO BUSINESS being as nice as they are. I'm talking mega beachfront mansions (although with some actual non-McMansion charm) and immaculate private beaches. Like seriously, is this the outskirts of Chicago money or what? I was racing the sunset to squeeze in a trip to Michigan City's "Royale With Cheese" restaurant and the main beach at Indiana Dunes National Park, so wasn't able to take as many mansion photos as I would've liked, but trust me they are there. Today did not start out on a strong foot however. Pretty much as soon as I began riding, I had a pretty sharp pain in my left leg beneath my knee and it was making my ride significantly less pleasant. Just as I was seriously considering riding the train the rest of the way in, I saw a young man, "Cain," on the side of the road with his thumb in the air and a bike at his side. When I asked if he needed any help, he said he had a flat he didn't have anything to fix. I helped him patch up his tube and put his tire back on, and as I was doing so he told me about the bikepacking journey he was on from Saginaw, MI to Milwaukee. His bike clearly needed a lot of work, and he was riding around with a single water bottle and one of the biggest baffle bags I've seen strapped to his back- he was clearly a 19 year old who just decided he wanted to visit a friend In Milwaukee and would try and bike out to meet them. Then I asked him about his knee brace, and it turns out he's been been having some pains himself and the brace and multiple Ibuprofen's a day have worked wonders for his. When I heard that, and coupled it with the tenacity Cain had in just going out there and riding, I decided then and there that I had to finish out the ride (sorry this sounds so corny but I was genuinely moved lol). Since we were going the same way, we biked into Saint Joseph together so he could hit up a bike shop before we continued on our separate ways. After an ibuprofen myself, I was able to lock in for the rest if the day and plan to finish things out tomorrow in full. While Cain clearly needs to work on his planning skills, I wish I had the same courage and grit as he does when I was 19.