You knew the rules of the road many years ago

July 5, 2024

Day Seven: South Bend to Chesterton

No trip goes entirely to plan. Every day there are surprises, good and bad. You have to adjust, improvise, make new plans. Those are the rules. If you can’t accept them, you should stay home. I had to remind myself of those facts a few times today.

We left the hotel a little after 8 am picked up breakfast at Trader Joe’s and picnicked on the Notre Dame campus. Yogurt, fruit, ciabatta rolls and an iced latte. It was perfect, actually. Quicker, healthier and less expensive than the hotel restaurant, and with better views!

We headed north from campus looking at darkening skies. Suddenly, the clouds opened up. We donned ponchos and pressed on. The rain stopped then started again. Not great but it could get worse and it did.

Michelle’s rear tire went flat. We huddled under some trees to make the repair. Luckily, she found the culprit quickly: a tiny piece of wire that must have been lying on the shoulder. Wire removed, tube replaced, and we were on our way.

At this point, the sun returned. The route took us into Michigan’s southwest corner for 25 miles or so the Lake Michigan coastline. It included quite a few rolling hills, though not so tough as our ride to Shipshewana.

The St. Joseph River running through South Bend’s downtown.

One of the bike lanes that Mayor Pete Buttegieg championed when he was mayor.

Michigan farmers win the award for the tallest corn.

Just a dinosaur skeleton sculpture in front of a farmhouse.

Look at that sky! And they say New England weather changes all the time.

Finally, we headed south on Lakeshore Drive. Nothing had prepared us for this section of road. A narrow ribbon of pavement sandwiched between incredible waterfront homes pressed against each other. The road was busy with people headed to the beach in flip-flops and bathing suits, on bikes, and in Suburbans and other large SUVs. The beach was a light, clean sand; the water, shades of turquoise and blue. It went on this way for 6-plus miles. Along the way, the beach grew wider until there were dunes between the houses and the water.

These houses were pretty nice, but there were mansions on this road.

But for the waves it looked just like an ocean beach

It was 2:30 pm, we were 45-plus miles into the day and we hadn’t eaten. The Shoreline Brewery made for the perfect stop. They were hopping busy, but we got a table after a reasonable wait. Good beers and burgers!

We picked up the Dunelands bike trail to find that it was closed. But we took it anyway. It was not closed. That led to the Calumet Trail, which was open but overgrown. After picking up a tick or two, we got back on local roads.

The next road closure turned out to be for real. A bridge about a mile from our hotel was missing. Evel Knievel could have jumped the gap, but not us. The detour added a few more miles to the day, getting us nearly to 60.

A word about the hotel: it is an old railroad station converted to a bed and breakfast. It’s a nice idea and quite unique. One thing we didn’t know is that the old railroad station is next to a still active railroad track. We’ve been sitting on the porch and watching kids wait for trains. And we are preparing ourselves for whatever comes next.

The old 8:30 pm freight train rumbles through town to the delight of the train fans.

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Today's ride: 59 miles (95 km)
Total: 327 miles (526 km)

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