I made the last post from the library on the Island when a friend mandated that I go see the Grand Hotel. There was an entrance fee so I just did a bike fly bye.
After making to the Lower Pennisula, I saw a restaurant that serves Pasties. I don't like to admit that I watched the Travel Channel where some guy came to Michigan and ate one, but that was more than enough to entice me to try the Beef Pastie. I am glad I did but will likely pass on them in the future.
Now content on miner food, I found lots of bike path options and randomly took this one. It was heading more east then south, but I was able to stroll without my helmet, which was a nice change.
The first night in the Lower Peninsula I camped with at the Aloha State Park where a nice family fed me steak and potatoes. I gave their son Caleb the best career advice I could coming from the vagrant that I am. That night a crazy wind storm swept in, and it was still going into the morning.
I decide to go through the Pigeon River valley because there are pictures of Elk and Moose on my map in this area. I found a remote bike path that went right through the middle of it but nothing more than deer.
I rode all the way to Kalkaska and stealth camped on a random vacant street a few blocks off the main drag 131. On my way into Kalkaska, I found a beat up quarter on the ground. I turned around and picked it up. In turn for the offering the land gave me, I gave sunglasses to the pacement 15 minutes later. It was dusky so I folded my glasses and put them on my shirt. They must have fallen off while bombing down a hill into Mancelona.
Then next morning I took the short ride past the Turtle Creek Casino into Traverse City. This was the view as I entered the Township Limits.
After following the signs to downtown, here is a tour of this quaint downtown. We only painted the town red one night, but we all enjoyed our 2:30 am hot dogs.
The real reason I was in Traverse City or Michigan for that matter was the Kritcher-Wu Wedding. Ying and Annie brought my gangster brown and white pinstripe suit from California so I could look presentable at their wedding.
After the wedding and reception, I rode out west to try to meet some of the bride's maids at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Instead, I found country roads that took me well south of our meeting destination. I was unable to meet up, but I did catch some Zzz on the Empire Beach before the Park Ranger showed up. I took more country roads down close to Manistee where I camped in the Michigan Audubon Wildlife Reserve. I definitely wasn't supposed to be there, but I couldn't help but want to camp up on a hill with the gentle sounds of Lake Michigan lapping up against the shore wooing me to sleep.
I got up early and hit the road. I was fed into more country roads, and there was even a loose dog that chased me. I kicked the pooch in the face with my right heel and dazed him. He collected his mind and went right back to trying to bite me. This lasted only 15 seconds before the dog was winded, but my heart rate was equally elevated. This was the perfect opportunity to use my mace, but I had it in the bottom of my handlebar bag. It now sits comfortably at a close distance in my pocket.
I rode down to Muskegon and found some nice bike paths.
As I was wandering aimlessly down the path, I was concerned by my map and a sign pointing to the ferry. Basically, it turns out my map is wrong, but the walkers who helps quell my fears suggested I skip Muskegon for Grand Haven. I took their advice and kept going south until near total darkness. I managed to make two new friends and had a place to sleep with a roof over my head and a hot water shower at my disposal.
With major comfort on my side, I struggled to get moving. I lumbered myself and my bike out of their condo around 11am and before reaching my day's destination, I found myself:
My day's destination was South Haven. It is another quaint Michigan town:
I found some mowed grass behind a building with no windows and no nearby lights. While setting up my tent, I was massacred by mosquitoes. I was getting bit about 3 times per second as I hastily, which made my set up slower, set up my tent. I choose to abandon the rainfly for the night to be more stealth. As my luck, it began to rain at 2:30 am. I put my rainfly on and woke up at 7am to the sound of some trucks in the nearby parking lot. I scrambled to get packed up, and no one saw me or at least came to complain.
I kept south on A-2 until I saw signs for a bike path. I followed these, which ultimately took me on a circuitous route traversing I-94 five times until the bike path was pointing the wrong direction. I opted to follow my compass South and West. I rode into New Buffalo which is near the Indiana-Michigan State Border.
This post is coming live from the New Buffalo Public Library, and I will cross to Indiana in just a few minutes. A few last thoughts on Michigan before I depart:
1) There are more churches per mile ridden than anywhere I have seen (even a Greek Orthodox)
2) More golf courses per mile ridden but very few golfers
3) Tons of U-Pick'em blueberry fields. Tom Sawyer would be proud.
4) Ridiculous amount of road kill. Everything that lives here including but not limited to: small birds, turtles, snakes, dogs, cats, raccoon, squirrels, and even a deer.
5) This is the best state for biking I have experienced. The shoulders are large, and there are tons of dedicated bike trails. Go Michigan!
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