Day 4: Traverse City to Benton Harbor

I've not spent any time in this part of Michigan, and I must say that I'm impressed.  I'll be back!  Some beautiful country, great people, wonderful roads and scenery, and great Harley riding!

We left Traverse City around 9am and headed to Northport, on the northern most point of the peninsula just north of Traverse City.  Beautiful riding, cool temperatures, and nice roads.  It was clear when we left, but within about an hour, dark ominous clouds moved in.  Never saw any rain, but it did keep us a bit anxious.

The welcome sign

The marina at Northport had some great ships.  :)

When you're a biker, you see the clouds, not the boats....

Kevin...

...and his daughter Devon.  

Then, we started heading south again, setting our sights on Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.  While I thought the ride to Northport was great riding, this stretch was even better.  We found our way to the Sleeping Bear Point Maritime Museum.  It wasn't open yet, so we walked around, and touched the water of Lake Michigan.

The walkway to the beach.

The ominous clouds still there...and, it was only about 50 degrees...

Looking out along the beach

Pat, checking out the beach.

Kevin and Pat, saying, "Can we find some hot coffee soon?"

Kevin finally touches Lake Michigan!

The Coast Guard station

Same, but wider view

A tugboat that you can walk around and see.

It was a windy day.  The good news is that it was a tailwind, resulting in our getting 50mpg!!

We enjoy trying to find local "mom and pop" places to eat.  But, all too often, they're not convenient to find, so we end up at a McDonalds, or something like that.  But, today, we found a nice place for lunch.  Our waitress apologized in advance that their deep fryer was broken, so no fries.  Then, while we were eating coleslaw instead of fries, the repair man showed up to work on the fryer.  Instantly, it seemed like we were all friends.  :)

This was the place where we had lunch.  We're getting ready to hit the road again.  

This was the entrance to the restaurant.  We figured that out after carefully reading the sign above the door...  

Tomorrow, we head home.  We don't expect to do much but ride hard.  Hopefully, we'll be home mid-afternoon.  Looks like some rain ahead, according to the current radar.  But, who cares?  It's been a great ride around Lake Michigan!

--Mike

Day 3: Escanaba to Traverse City

Another very cool morning start.  I'm not complaining...I prefer this to the heat, any day of the week!  It occurred to us that we had ridden all the way up the west coast of Lake Michigan, and we hadn't yet really seen the Great Lake!  But, today we did.  Just east of Escanaba, we finally rode along the coast, and the the views were great.  It's like looking at the ocean.

Looking east right into the rising sun.  The lake looked massive.

Pat decided to hydrate, and I caught this pic.  Looks like some kind of a Native American sacrificial sunrise ceremony!  :)

After the photo op, it's time to get back on the bikes and ride...

As we continued over the northern part of Lake Michigan, we got our first look at the Mackinaw Bridge.

This bridge is huge.  A real challenge on a motorcycle, because it has grates for the surface, which can mess with your mind.  It often feels like your bike has a mind of its own, veering side to side.  Trust the physics.  Look ahead, and know that the bike's mass will move forward.

Kevin, Devon, and me, with the bridge in the background.

Pat, ready for the bridge.  Only minutes away!

Devon, pointing at the Mackinaw Bridge.

After crossing back into Michigan from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we rode some very, very nice country roads.  These are not the kind of roads that the AAA maps will put you on.  We saw a bunch of wild turkeys hanging out on the side of the road.  They seemed fearless.  Well, until I gunned my engine as I got next to them.  We found our way to a road called "The Tunnel of Trees," named for obvious reasons.

The Tunnel of Trees, which runs right along the coast of Lake Michigan.

Not the kind of road you want to speed on.  It's basically a one-lane road.  Oncoming traffic???  Just slow it down and hope they do, too.  20 miles of this great ride!

Devon and Kevin enjoying the rest stop and the scenery.

Heading south toward Traverse City, we rode through some very nice little communities:  Harbor Springs, Petosky, Bay Harbor, Charlevoix.  We stopped for a break in Charlevoix, before the almost final run to Traverse City.  It just so happened that we pulled over in front of a fudge and ice cream shop.  :)

Across the street was the marina.  Lots of benches where we could rest our weary bodies.

...and, of course, enjoy a bowl of ice cream (with whipped cream on top!!!!!).  I have a soft spot for whipped cream, just in case you didn't know.

Tomorrow:  cruise along the coast south toward Benton Harbor, with our goal to land in St. Joseph...the home of my long time friend from college, Steve Machacek.  I'll let you know if he gave me good recommendations for where to stay there!!  :)

Day Escanaba to Traverse City to Suttons Bay to Traverse City

>Colder than expected temps requiring dorky outfits again...surprising how well they fit. >good waffles at Super 8 >one Honda with the Gerge Jetson trailer beat us out this morning...my guess is they aren't drinkers. >Great vistas of the lake finally appeared....it's humongous >gustafson's in the middle of no where sells great Jerky of all kinds. We chose the safe bet of Turkey Jerky because as Mike says..it's fun to say and it's also from a recognizable animal. Delicious. >Crossed the Mackinac Bridge which was under construction making it more interesting. We had to ride on the metal grating lane....you need to let the bike run free trusting in physics...cool....cross winds and the bike running free a couple of hundred feet over the water...and only a $4 toll. >we (except for Devon) saw lots of wild turkeys and Pat decided to run over a snake sunning itself on a curve of a back road...oops. >"Tunnel of Trees" was very pretty with great views of the lake...narrow twisty road requiring concentration...so much for vacation...feels like work...Devon upset I ducked for low hanging branch without warning her...may leave a mark. >Stoped in a quaint little upscale town for fudge, ice cream and cookies...SUGAR HIGH...check Mike's blog for name of town....Alison and Cait you may have some fudge coming if we don't get to it first. >Traveled on to Traverse City...decided needed a hotel close to restaurants...Pat said Suttons Bay was the place to go...one hour later back in Traverse City at Best Western...Dinner at Cambrian Suites next door..surprisingly good...wine and good company may have had something to do with it >Time for Jack & Fudge...

Day 2: Lake Michigan Circle Ride

Started the morning in Milwaukee by stopping by the Harley museum.  Pretty cool place.  It was a chilly morning, so we welcomed the visit, hoping it would warm up a bit before we headed for Green Bay.

Devon, Kevin, and Pat arriving at the museum

I like the idea of a rifle mount on a bike.  I may have to design one of my own....

Who is that?  Is it Evel Kneival?

Well, Evil anyway.... Pat!

Devon trying out her next bike.

Could this be my bike in 2020?

Kevin living the dream

The museum had real bikes that newbies could actually run the bikes and run through the gears.  So, Devon got on there, and got excellent instruction from the H-D trainer.

She was taught how to use the controls and shift through gears.

And, here she is, running 'er up in third gear!

After all this fun in Milwaukee, off we were for Green Bay!  I love Green Bay.  We stopped at Lambeau Field for some classic photo ops, as well as a great lunch at Curly's.  It was great seeing my friend Claudia, whom I used to work with when living in Green Bay, some 20 years ago.  She's a hoot, and a great host for us.  She was a font of knowledge and trivia about the history of the Packers.

Lambeau Field!!  We're there!  Kevin, Devon, me, Claudia, and Pat

Devon is a closet Cheesehead

Three Great Men.

Group pic

Close up:  Kevin, Devon, me, Claudia, and Pat

Oh, yea...Lambeau Field

The horses napping in Escanaba after another long day of work...