Upper Peninsula Michigan and Auction Win Outcomes

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I was up in Wisconsin and the UP (upper peninsula) in Michigan. It was a lot of driving after launching/landing in Appleton WI. I got an item off the bucket list by driving across the "Mighty Mac". Altough it was built in the late '50s. It is still the longest suspension span in the Northern hemisphere. It is a crazy long bridge with a crazy long suspension span. It was good to see the bridge in context of the seemingly endless forests of Northern Wisconsin and Michigan. The culture in the two haves of Michigan are noticibly different as you might expect. Great time meeting with folks both in WI and MI. The tractor I won in auction, seems to have paid off. This time I beat the odds. It was a really good deal. I have the "no-key, non-running, may have hydraulic problems, unknown hours" -auction win, running well with minimal cost and time. I have some more tweaks, maintenance and minor fixes but the major risks are gone.
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Time moves fast. It moves faster as you get older. Maybe it is as simple as the ratio of your entire experience vs. recent experience or maybe it it is something different.

I went for a hike today. I hiked the next section I hadn't hiked on the Appalachian Trail. Reaching for the calculator, I have discovered that I will finish the entire trail at my current rate in about 22 years.

The forest was very quiet today only speaking with occasional squirrels, a grouse, occasional other birds and a couple of hikers. I am getting better at hiking. Today's hike was a short 8 miles with some very serious vertical. I rested quite a bit and spent 4 hours on the trail, ready for a lot more.

There was a cat that lives at the Hawk Mtn. shelter. That was a nice treat. Of course the cat (with several names in the register. I accepted "Bagel" as the cat's name) was a bit friendly. The cat enjoyed some of my ham and cheese. I enjoyed the cat and conversation with a hiker.

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