July 29, 2023 to July 31, 2023
Day 43, 44, and 45 Manistique, Michigan to Harrisville, Michigan
Lake Michigan and Lake Huron
Hi, I haven’t updated the blog in a few days. The beginning of this starts on Saturday and ends with Monday night.
Saturday, July 29:
The Mediterranean…that is what sections of Lake Michigan reminded me of today; the water was sky blue at times and tranquil. I enjoyed views of it as we were riding down busy Route 2 East for 88 miles. You know, it didn’t bother us much for some reason. I guess because the shoulder was huge- mostly without debris, it was flat, and the constant trucks, cars, and campers rushing by weren’t so bad. Plus, there were many Pastie (pronounced: past-tee) shops to see entertaining us with vintage looking buildings and what they had to offer besides pasties: smoked fish, ice cream and fudge. I guess those are Upper Peninsula favorites when people come to this area to vacation.
We ended the day at Straits State Park Campground in the day use area - the campground was full, and I understand why. It is a nice one with view of “The Bridge” as locals call it. Plus, there is swimming and local access to the ferries for rides to Mackinac Island from the town of St. Ignace. We had a quite night after dinner of salad and pasties for Mike; he said they were worth eating. We have heard some tourists are stopping at as many pastie shops as possible - it’s a good budget friendly on-the-go meal.
Monday morning, July 31:
This morning I am watching the sunrise over Lake Huron; we arrived on Sunday to P.H. Hoeft State Park Campground outside of Rodgers City after riding an additional thirty-six miles because the first state park campground, Cheboygan, that we planned to stay at, was closed for renovations. Luckily, it was flattish and the winds were at our backs. On Sunday we left Straits State Park CG around 9:30 am to catch the ferry from St. Ignace to Mackinac Island. the ferry was really expensive, and we also had to pay to transport our bikes, which no ferry I have ever been on before charged fees; however, we had no choice. I wonder if there is a fee to encourage the rental of a bike on the island. Anyway, lots of people bring bikes or rent bike because the only way to get around the island is by foot, bike or horse carriage. Yes, it is very cool! The town is a mix of stately houses and mansions mixed in with touristy business. Most of the island is a state park.
We rode the eight-mile paved loop around the island which is what everyone does, and this made it some of the most dangerous riding we have had on the entire trip…no, I joke; however, we really did need to be careful as there were young and old inexperienced cyclists who were sometimes swerving or just not paying attention. I am glad to have had the experience though. If we had gone without our bikes and the gear, I would have liked to explore the inner island. There are many historical structures, museums and sites to see.
If you are interested in the history of the island, check this link out.
We departed Mackinac Island for the city of Mackinaw around 1:00 pm with a quick ferry ride; the ferry out to the island is a bit longer because the tour actually takes cruisers out to the Mackinac Bridge which separates Lake Michigan from Lake Huron. After disembarking, we thought we only had twenty-two miles to ride; however, this changed when we found out Cheboygan State Park campground was closed for renovations. I guess I need to call ahead and/or check websites before we choose camps from now on; I was doing a lot of this before but got comfortable because we knew we had the no turn-away policy with Michigan State Parks, and most of our stays in Michigan are mostly at state parks. Anyway, with the ride to the ferry, the eight miles around the island, and then the extra mileage after the original twenty-two, our day turned out to be a sixty-six mile day…plan for the unexpected, and that is what we have been doing. Our campsite was perfect, and there were many to choose from, so no day-use area for us. The beach was lovely yet again, and the campground was quite. After our typical meal of salad and burritos of some sort - peanut butter for Mike and hummus for me, we slept soundly.
Getting to this point seems like another milestone toward progress of our Maine goal but also a chance to take a breath and enjoy the sandy beaches, sunrises and this once in a life time opportunity. Yes, the days could get monotonous at points if you let them: eat, ride, sleep repeat, eat, ride, sleep, repeat, eat, ride, sleep, repeat…Say that to the cadence of your bike wheeling down the road and you know what I mean. However, taking in the small moments like this sunrise right now and finding the specialness in small things makes the difference.
Monday afternoon, July 31:
Plan to be ready to change plans; that should be our motto on this trip. Since we had to change our plans last night and ride further, we had fewer miles to travel today, so I thought a nice late start, easy day, and an early arrival to the originally planned campground sounded swell. Well, that changed. We did leave around 10:00 am ish, but instead of forty to fifty ish miles, we did seventy-five… It was fine. The scenery today was not as spectacular as yesterday, so there was not much to see, and putting pedal to the metal wasn’t so bad - especially after a stop for lunch in Alpena at the Hungry Hippy.
For the past two days, we have been riding Highway 23 south; the tailwinds have been much appreciated, and on Sunday afternoon, there was no traffic. We also had spectacular views of Lake Huron. Well, Monday, today, was a little different: more traffic - especially trucks, and fewer views, but we still had the wind mostly at our backs. Now we sit at another state park campground, Harrisville, after gorging on Hippy bowls and ice cream. If you are a tourist riding through Alpena some day, stop at the Hungry Hippy; you will be satisfied with a bowl or burrito of healthy goodness. At first it may seem like you have to sit outside with no shade, but just look for the Hippy Hideout, and you will enjoy shade and music of the Hippy genre.
Final thoughts: I have noticed that midwestern kids are really friendly, more so than Californias, and they are respectful. Second, we have noticed that all the states we have traveled through do really well at cleaning trash from their highways; they seem to have abundant Adopt A Highway Programs; even the eight miles around Mackinac was an official state highway and had an Adopt A Highway Sign. Yes, some highways, or more like the interstates, had really bad tire debris, but there is hardly any trash. I cannot say the same for California. California’s roads are especially trashy; so do other states have more respect, or are the programs better? Maybe both. Lastly, we have decided that Michigan drivers are the worst we have encountered. We have almost been hit several times by drivers pulling out in front of us; also, one guy almost hit us when we were walking in a crosswalk…I could have sworn he looked me in the eye and basically was saying F’you. From the moment we got into this state, I was feeling like pedestrians and cyclists had no right of way whatsoever.
Okay, time to decide what we are doing tomorrow. We are headed for Michigan’s Thumb, and I am very excited. Also, I got a swim tonight in my second Great Lake. Two down, and one to go: Lake Erie!
Good night,
Team Bean
Stats
- Cribbage Game Wins: Mike 8, Dawn 7
- Tortillas Eaten: Mike 114, Dawn 48
- Jars of Peanut Butter: 5
- Flats: Dawn 2, Mike 1
- Bike Haters: 4 (We had our first one in Montana yesterday.) None in North Dakota that we know of.
- Bags of Salad Consumed: 17
- Dog Encounters: 2
- Beers, too many to count
- Bags of M&M’s: 5 of various sizes
- Fritos: 8 of various sizes
- Bear Encounters: 1
Today's ride: 229 miles (369 km)
Total: 3,003 miles (4,833 km)
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