1st Annual Lake Michigan Circumferential Motorcycle Race

(The below is a message to Tait Trussell, a former Wall Street Journal journalist who writes about extreme events. He lives in Manistee, Michigan.)

Hello Tait,

The bike is all tuned up and gassed. All I have to do is put my raingear in the saddlebags and light the fire.

The 1st Annual Lake Michigan Circumferential Motorcycle Race starts tomorrow morning at 6:00 AM at the Navy Pier in downtown Chicago. The rules say that competitors "may race around lake Michigan either way - clockwise or counterclockwise. All that matters is the elapsed time from Chicago to Chicago."

I will take it counterclockwise, arriving at your place in Manistee, Michigan about noon, since that leg is only 297 of the 946 miles. The last leg will be in the dark, and only a fool would ride a motorcycle through the south side of Chicago in the dark. It will be better to approach Chicago from the north in those hours, where the congestion is much less and the roads much better.

Of course, foolishness is a relative thing.

I hope the ticker tape doesn't get too slippery on Lake Shore Drive.

I figure I can make it in 16 hours, not counting the time I spend having a hot dog with you. I'll call when I get to the front gate of your estate.

John