Grand Rapids and Lowell

Michigan Day 2

Today we had a paddle race event scheduled. The 22nd Annual Riverwalk Kayak/SUP/Canoe race in Lowell. We packed up the van, ate a little hotel breakfast and left Grand Rapids for the 20 minute drive.

Then the rear brakes on the van really started grinding. Only now the noise didn’t go away if I pressed and released the pedal. The noise seemingly was louder now.

Since the race was starting at 10:00, we’d be done with the event by 11:30 or so. During the drive to the event, Mary did some quick searching for a shop that would be open on Saturday afternoon, and close to Lowell. We were going to stay in Lowell that night and it would be very nice to find a shop there. Unfortunately, no local shop was open after noon that day.

So we searched the Grand Rapids area and found a Firestone shop that was open all day. We made an appointment for 1:00 PM and were able to rest a little easier for the race.

We met and talked with a lot of friendly people. They were interested in our boats and where we were from. It was a lot of fun.

I’ve written about the different types of races/events we attend and the general vibes. Club sponsored races can be a little cliquish. Championships or national competitions (which we had on the schedule later that week) are focused and bring a high level of competitiveness.

Community events, such as the Lowell race are much more friendly and relaxed. It’s our ‘race environment’ of choice. They are, however, getting harder to find.

After the medals were awarded, there was a raffle. Every racer was able to pick a prize. I got a nice insulated beach bag. You take the wins where you can get them.

We had a little time before we needed to return to Grand Rapids so after loading the boats, we walked around the fair and ended up at a food truck. I had a “smash burger” and Mary had the spicy chicken sandwich. Both tasted really good. Yelp review search provided pictures of the truck and the two sandwiches (we forgot to take pictures of the sandwiches-so hungry!) I also must say that while food trucks are not high cuisine, we don’t remember ever being disappointed with food-truck food. Maybe it’s because the food is generally fresh and cooked to order or maybe it’s because we’re usually very hungry when we order. I’d really think that the trucks are always bringing their “A” game because of the competition with other vendors and the goal of providing something tasty that we’ll want to eat again.

We met back up around 12:30 and drove back to Grand Rapids, noisy brakes and all.

Our first concern when we got to the Firestone shop was will our van with the boats on top fit inside the shop and not hit the overhead door or anything else. I had made it clear that we could take the boats off easily if need be. The service manager said that shouldn’t be a problem.

When the tech pulled the van into the bay, I wasn’t so sure. A group of four mechanics were gathered around pointing and discussing. They moved the van a foot forward, rechecked clearances, then moved it again. This time it cleared all the obstructions-by about 6″. Whew.

We hung around in the waiting room for a while until all the parts arrived. Then we walked across the road to Culvers for ice cream and an order of French fries.

It took about two hours for the repair. It seems the right rear caliper was hanging up. No reason was given, the tech replaced the whole assembly including the hose (which only one shop in town had in inventory). 4:15 and we were on our way back to Lowell-again, to check into our hotel, Main Street Inn.

We checked in and were happy with the view; we had access to the deck overlooking Flat River where we had raced earlier in the day. We were still in our race clothes from the morning, so cleaned up then walked a few blocks to Saturday church. On our walk back, we both decided we’d visit the food truck at the festival again. But to our surprise, the festival was over. Everyone had picked up and cleared out including the aforementioned food trucks! We’d have to find another place to eat.

Just down the block was Los Portales. It too was right on the water front. They were busy but we got a table right away. Soon after that, the waiting line got longer. We’d timed it just right.

I ordered the stuffed burrito which was tasty. Mary ordered something I had never heard of. The Molcajete. When it came to the table, it was quite a sight. The restaurant’s description reads, “Served in a hot stone bowl filled with grilled steak, chicken and shrimp smothered in a red sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese. Served with rice, beans, guacamole salad and warm tortillas”.

Take a look at the video Los Portales posted. Mary gave me the onions which were incredibly sweet. The roasted jalapeno pepper they included was very spicy hot but I scraped the insides and it was by far the sweetest jalapeno I’d ever tasted. We decided that two or even three people could have split that meal.

We took a quick tour of downtown and walked back to the hotel. We were tired and ready to wind down for the night.

Looking back on the day and all the events, it suddenly dawned on us that we survived the whole day on only one cup of coffee and it was from the hotel. How did that happen? We must be slipping just a little. We’ll try harder tomorrow.