DAY 6 - ROTHBURY, MI TO HOLLAND, MI

Mileage: 68.2 - Total Mileage: 348.6

Margarita Count - 12

Today was a long day on the bike, but also completes my first week of the trip with 348 miles. That may not seem like much to serious riders, but when you are lugging 40 extra pounds of gear on your bike it makes it a little more of a challenge. 

I felt good on the bike and didn't have any serious problems with the extra weight or rolling hills we had today. However, my backside has gone from a little tender, to sore, to fully tenderized in the last 3 days. It's a good thing that tomorrow is a rest day and it can get a break from the saddle. This is nothing unexpected but is definitely not a fun part of the trip! 

We woke up to another cold morning - it was 55. It was cold enough there was fog coming off the lake this morning. We made quick work of packing up since we knew we had over 60 miles today and wanted to get on the road a little earlier. We said goodbye to Dave and Elie, and our great support van. I think it took at least 10 miles for me to get feeling in all my fingers and toes. I'm going to have to find a pair of gloves on my rest day tomorrow. I'm sure there will be more cold mornings to come. 

We had more bike paths to start the day, and then another bike path around Lake Muskegon. It was a good way to start the day. We planned to stop for second breakfast in Muskegon, which was about 30 miles into the ride. About 10 miles before that we went by a church having a blueberry festival complete with blueberry pancakes. We stopped but the line was really long and we decided we didn't want to wait that long. I'm sure they would have been good! So into Muskegon we went. 

We've been following US Bicycle Route 35 much of the trip so far. They've done a great job of signing the route. 

I needed some extra breaks today to keep my backside as happy as possible. Rhonda and Jon went on to camp a little ahead of me as I tried to stop every 8 - 10 miles. It definitely helped some and I made it into camp a little after 4pm. 

It's not everyday you see a bunch of turkeys in someone's front yard!

Michigan State Parks have a policy that they will find a spot for hikers or bikers that arrive, even if they are full. We are staying at the Holland State Park and used the "no refusal policy" today. We have a nice little wooded area between two campsites and have settled in. 

We walked to a little restaurant at the park entrance for dinner. That was the best burger and tater tots I've ever had! Okay - probably not. But food and drinks just always seem to taste better after a day of riding. One of the joys of a trip like this!

DAY 5 - LUDINTON, MI TO ROTHBURY, MI

Mileage: 51.0 - Total Mileage: 280.4

Margarita Count - 10

Today was another good day on the bike. Okay, let's face it, pretty much any day on the bike beats going to work. 😊 I carried half my load today, to get ready for tomorrow when we would be on our own. 

It was cool this morning (about 55) when we woke up. The wind was still blowing and fortunately it was going to be another tailwind day. We all started the day in vests and I also needed my bolero to keep my arms and shoulders warm. It was a pretty clear morning and Lake Michigan was again in sight part of the day. 

The first 30 miles today was on quiet roads near the lake. Elie rode with us today during their last day before heading home. We had a lot if rolling hills with some really fun downhills! We made good time to Hart, MI, where I decided to eat lunch. Rhonda, Jon and Elie decided to go another 10 miles down the road before lunch. As I was headed to the main street to find food, I passed the local Ace Hardware. I needed some blue loctite for a bolt that wouldn't stay tight so took the opportunity to grab some there. Then it was a good lunch at the Pink Elephant before heading down the road again. I love all the small diners and stores in the towns we go through. There is a personal feel to it - people are very friendly and helpful. 

From Hart on, the last 20 miles of the day was on bike trails. It was shady and cool - so cool I almost put my bolero back on to stay warm. The high today was 73 degrees! We've transitioned into a more agricultural area. I saw a lot of corn fields and many orchards. We've seen many fruit stands with peaches and blueberries. We'll have to sample some soon. 

We had a campsite reserved at a little lake in Rothbury, MI. By the time I rolled in, everyone was there enjoying the breeze off the lake. I had a couple of camp margaritas to celebrate 5 days and 280 miles on the bike and still moving. 

It was only about 72 degrees and felt cooler with the breeze coming off the lake, so I decided a swim in the lake was not going to happen. I love water (my friend, Peri, says I must be part lab!), but I love being warm even more. I'll have to wait for another opportunity down the road. 

Dave cooked jambalaya for dinner, with fresh grilled corn and black beans. We are sure going to miss having him and Elie with us - not just for the great cooking but also for the great company! 

Tomorrow is a long day and I'll be carrying full gear again. Time to get some sleep. 

DAY 4 - ELBERTA, MI TO LUDINGTON, MI

Mileage: 64.4 - Total Mileage: 229.4

Margarita Count - 8

Last night, Dave cooked us a fabulous dinner in camp of filets on the grill, mashed potatoes and salad. Everyone enjoyed the great quality food!

We had some strong storms overnight. The seam tape on our fly had peeled off a couple days ago, so we were not in good shape for the storms. The fly leaked into the tent all night, leaving the bottoms of our pads and ends of our sleeping bags wet. It will have time to dry out this afternoon. 

We knew we had a long day to get to Ludington State Park. We also knew we had quite a bit of climbing in the first half of the day. I finished with a little more than 2,100 feet.  I was riding "naked" again today which helped with all the climbing. Two of the hills were 10% - 11% in parts. At least I still had a few gears left. The legs get stronger everyday! The grades of the hills decreased some the further south we went. 

We stopped at a scenic overview to get a pretty shot of Lake Michigan. But we couldn't see much - it was obscured with fog this morning after the storms we had overnight. This was all the view we got!

We stopped in Onekama (O nek uma) for second breakfast/lunch at the only diner in town. We ran into Elie there waiting on his breakfast. He was driving the van today and Dave was riding. Like many of the small towns and diners so far, they were understaffed so it was a bit of a wait for food. But the food we got was very good! 

We didn't have any bike paths today but Adventure Cycling did a great job of routing us on back roads that were quieter than the highway. We rode along the shore of Lake Michigan for a while and were rewarded with nice views. 

Once we got to Manistee, we knew we were about halfway for the day. As we continued south, the roads started flattening out. What a relief that was! And even better than that, we had a nice tailwind pushing us south. The miles flew by, which was good since it was a long day! The scenery was beautiful again today - here's a couple of places that caught my eye. 

The only bad part was we turned and headed northwest to get to the state park. It was about 5 miles into camp, this time against the nice tailwind we had! We drove into town for dinner and then back to camp. We don't have any cell service down in camp so you'll get this tomorrow sometime when I remember to post it. Everyone was tired from the long day and we were in bed before it was dark!

Tomorrow is a shorter day and our last day and night with the luxury of the van. That also means no more riding "naked"! Let the games begin...

DAY 3 - LELAND, MI TO ELBERTA, MI

Mileage: 56.5 - Total Mileage: 165.0

Margarita Count - 6

Today was a fun day on the bike. I rode "naked" today - I left the panniers in the van and didn't carry all the extra weight. I needed a little bit of a recovery day as my legs were tired. Days 3 and 4 of a tour are always the hardest for me. It takes my body a few days to understand what's happening!

We spent a large portion of today on more bike paths, and a lot of those were in the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. One of the sections had some short steep climbs, which weren't fun! But there were also some great downhills - which WERE fun! We also had about a 5-mile section of gravel trail that was quiet and peaceful. 

The highlight of the day for Jon was going to the National Park Visitor Center in Empire, MI. Jon turned 62 about a week ago and was just waiting for an opportunity to get his senior lifetime pass for the national parks. 

We took a quick break at the Platte River. They were doing a great business for tubing, and kayak and canoe rentals. Rhonda needed to be sure she had a picture in the bear's lap. 

The last part of the day didn't have any stops but we rode along the shore of Crystal Lake. It was a beautiful lake, like all of the lakes we've seen so far. The water here is so clear and blue. 

All in all, a great day on the bike. Looking forward to what we'll see tomorrow. 

DAY 2 - ELK RAPIDS, MI TO LELAND, MI

Mileage: 47.4 - Total Mileage: 108.5

Margarita Count - 6

We had a "refreshing" shower about 4am this morning, accompanied by a light and sound show. Fortunately, it was short-lived and by the time we got up it was over and drying out.  

Dave rode with us today. It was a shorter day than yesterday, which was good for me because I needed time to recover from yesterday's long day. I ate every chance I had, whether I thought I was hungry or not. I definitely felt much better today even though my legs were tired. 

Almost all of today's route was on bike paths, so we could avoid most of the traffic through the towns. We also had significantly fewer hills today. There were beautiful views of Lake Michigan throughout the day. 

We saw these signs for tractor crossings all along the trail today for farmers to have access to their fields. 

We've had so many nice people help with clarifying directions and asking about the trip. The pace of life definitely feels slower than what we are used to in Houston! 

Tonight we are staying at a Warmshowers house that Rhonda arranged. What a fabulous place! It is a 100+ year-old house on Lake Michigan with a beach on the lake. We set up our tents on their front yard. Elie was a great domestique for us today. He had our tent set up for us and drying out. 

Once we got settled, we headed down to take a swim in Lake Michigan. The water is amazingly clear and it wasn't as cold as I was prepared for. It was a perfect day with good riding and good people. 

DAY 1 - PETOSKEY, MI TO ELK RAPIDS, MI

Miles: 61.1 -  Total Miles: 61.1

Margarita Count - 6

I was up about 5:30 am because it gets light so early this far north. It was a very pleasant 61 degrees - something unheard of in Houston this time of year. Dave made coffee for the coffee drinkers and made breakfast tacos to send us one our way. Elie rode today while Dave shuttled the van. 

We rolled out of camp about 8:30am and had a nice bike path to take us through the tourist towns on the coast. I got to walk my first hill today when we were detoured up into town from the coast because the bike path was washed out. Jon said it was a 15% grade and I only got about halfway before I had to walk. I don't think we had 10 miles under our wheels yet!

Dave played tourist and went swimming in Lake Michigan and then went up over the Mackinaw Straits Bridge (where Lake Huron dumps into Lake Michigan - or vice versa). He had lunch and dipped his feet in Lake Huron before heading south again to find our camp for tonight. 

We had wonderful bike paths for the first 20+ miles this morning. There are lots of bike paths and they are very well maintained in Michigan. At one point, i had a huge thump to the front of my helmet. As I looked around I saw a small, yellow bird falling crumpled to the ground behind me. I guess he didn't judge how tall I was very well! Hopefully he was just stunned. 

After several short stops for pics, we rolled into Charlevoix for lunch. We stopped at the local bike shop to browse and then headed to the local pub for lunch on recommendation from the bike shop manager. Charleviox had a nice marina and it was a cute town with many old, beautifully kept houses along the main road. I made my first mistake at lunch and did not eat enough. I wasn't feeling hungry so I split a sandwich with Elie. At about 40 miles I was regretting that choice! 

After leaving Charlevoix,  the route headed a little inland. That's when the hills started. To be fair, they were mostly rolling hills but some of them were steep! Since Elie and I are from the flatlands, it was a little bit of a challenge. We did well, but were definitely slower than Rhonda and Jon since they have over 1,500 miles under their wheels. 

We took a rest stop at 41 miles and that's when I realized my mistake of not eating enough. I mainlined some Coke and a double decker Little Debbie fudge round. Then a protein bar for good measure! That sure helped but the last 20 miles were slower as I recovered.

Dave set up camp and met us at Elk Rapids for dinner at a nice place on the lake. We ate and drank a few. It was 6 miles to camp and there was a gravel road into camp. Since we'd all imbibed a little, we loaded everything in the van and drove to camp. 

Camp was on Elk Lake. As soon as I made my bed, Dave and I went down to the lake for a swim. The water was great - so clear. Then it was time for a shower and to bed. I am very tired - it was a long, hard day!

WE'RE ON THE ROAD - FINALLY!

TRAVEL DAYS

Margarita Count: 2

Saturday started early for us. The drive to meet up with Rhonda and Jon is about 22 hours from Houston, and we still needed to load our stuff into Elie's van. The loading process went quickly considering all that we packed into the van. We're pretty sure the kitchen sink is back there somewhere! 

Here's Elie with his van that he has generously offered to use for our trip. It has made the logistics so much easier!

We made it as far as Salem, IL - about 250 miles south of Chicago. We do not recommend the Days Inn in Salem if you happen to be passing through!

Today started with lightening and thunder that woke me up about 5am. We got a quick breakfast and hit the road about 7:30am. It was about 9 hours today to reach Petoskey State Park for our overnight. Tomorrow we get to start riding - yay!

I started the margarita count for those that are concerned I might not get the minimum requirement to keep me moving 😆. Count is based on a standard sized drink - grande's count as 2. Let the fun begin!

The trip up to Petoskey State Park took longer than anticipated today. Even though it is Sunday we had traffic around Chicago and Gary, IN. We also had to deal with several slow areas in Michigan because of road construction. I had forgotten how this time of year is "road construction season" up north! 

We finally pulled into camp about 7pm and made quick work of setting up tents and getting bikes ready to roll tomorrow. Then it was a quick trip down the road to Petoskey Brewing for a bite to eat and celebratory drink. We stopped at the beach on our way back to camp and got a pic of Rhonda and me at sunset. 

Not sure how well I'll sleep tonight - I'm tired but might be a little too excited to sleep well. Looking forward to being on my bike and heading down the road tomorrow!

UPDATED ROUTE AND SCHEDULE

We will leave Houston on Saturday, July 24 for the drive north to Michigan to meet up with Rhonda and Jon. We will meet them in Petosky, MI on Sunday evening.

I am busy working on last-minute shopping and packing. The fenders and racks were put on the bike last night and now I just need to pack everything in my panniers.

Here is the updated route. I'm not sure how far I will get before having to return to work. We will be too early to get into Canada to go around the northern shore of Lake Erie, and so it is a little farther to go around to the southern shore. We haven't mapped out the days yet, but will plan it a little at a time as we ride.

CHANGES BEFORE THE ADVENTURE EVEN BEGINS!

 And just like that, the plans have changed for my summer adventure. 

Rhonda and Jon had a family emergency and hopped an Amtrak train from East Glacier to  Fargo, ND. Honestly, with the horrible heat wave in Montana and North Dakota, neither one was sad to miss that part of their trip. It is country they have travelled frequently when going to visit Jon's family. Luckily, all is well. They will spend a few days with family in Fergus Falls, MN before getting back on the road.

What that means for me is that they are now 2 weeks ahead of schedule. Due to work constraints for me, and for my buddy, Elie, we will now be meeting them in eastern Michigan and won't get to do the portion of the ride around Lake Michigan and the UP. Oh well, that just means I have to go back for another tour later! 😄

After looking at maps yesterday and working out a schedule, it looks like I will get into Maine before coming home. I have been to select places in upstate New York but have not traveled through it so I am looking forward to being able to do that as part of this trip now. It doesn't matter where we ride, it will still be a great trip. I have started packing some items and am making a list of last minute items I still need to buy. 

We will leave Houston for the drive north the last week of July. We will discuss and select a day for departure. Until then....