I mentioned this trip to my friend Lane, and he told me "Let me know if you plan on doing it. I'll go with you!" And at that point we began making our plans. We booked motels, we studied Google Maps, and we each spend time preparing our motorcycles for the trip.
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Day 1
We made plans to meet on Saturday May 23rd at 6:30 am. On my way to meet Lane, I filled the tank.
We met at Joyful's Cafe in Downers Grove for breakfast and coffee.
Riding north on 53 near Schaumburg.
My view of Lane for the next thousand miles.
We rode north towards Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
I had my GPS and Google Maps to show me the way.
Approaching Lake Geneva.
After leaving Lake Geneva, it began raining on us. We stopped to get gas, and Lane put on his rain gear.
We rode for a while in the rain and on part of the Kettle Moraine scenic route.
We rode through Okomomowoc, Wisconsin with the weather still crummy.
Lane stuck behind me in the rain.
Another gas stop further north in Wisconsin.
Juneau, Wisconsin.
We were both becoming hungry and stopped for lunch at a Lyons Club brat fry.
We made it to the Michigan border on Route 41 in Menominee, Michigan.
We were treated to views of the Green Bay area of Lake Mighigan.
As we rode north on 35, the rain became heavy, so we stopped for about an hour at a gas station near Cedar River.
The rain stopped and the roads began to dry out. We got back on our bikes and set off.
When we rolled into Escanaba, we knew we were getting really close to our motel.
We pulled into Rapid River, where we stayed at the luxurious Sall Mar Resort.
This was my room. Very outdated, but clean and comfortable for the night.
Lane had a room at the other end of the motel.
At that point, we were both ready for dinner, a few beers, and a good nights sleep. We covered about 390 miles today.
Day 2
We were up early and walked over to Jack's Eat, where during dinner last night, we spied huge irresistible cinnamon rolls.
We spent a little time walking around town, waiting for the temperature to rise above the 34 degrees we awoke to.
Satisfied after putting down our huge cinnamon rolls and several cups of coffee, we set off east. Our destination today is to be Kinglsey Michigan.
Lane mugging it up for the camera.
We rode through Hiawatha National Forest.
We stopped at a roadside park with a great view of Lake Michigan.
We rode through Manistique, Michigan.
We continued east, making good time towards the Mackinaw Bridge.
We were finally within view of the famous Mackinaw Bridge!
We rode up to a visitors center just before the toll plaza for the bridge. They charge a $3.00 toll to cross it.
After paying the toll, we approached the bridge.
Lane followed me as we approached the grate section of the bridge.
Looking down from the bike, I could see Lake Michigan far below.
We rode on.
After riding over the bridge and through Mackinaw City, we went south and saw some stationary wind turbines.
We took 31 south so that we could eventually head west to find the Tunnel of Trees.
Entering the Tunnel of Trees. The road is not wide enough for 2 cars to pass, so cars need to use the shoulder to pass one another.
We rode through Harbor Springs and towards Traverse City.
We arrived at the cottage and Lane met the family. The kids were completely engaged with the kids at the neighboring cottage, and barely noticed us come in.
Lane went to his hotel to relax for a couple of hours. I drove over in the van and picked him up to have dinner with us.
After a dinner of hamburgers and hot dogs on the fire, with potato salad, beans, and chips, we all enjoyed smores. I dropped Lane back at his hotel, and everyone had a good nights sleep.
Day 3
Tamara and I were up early, had breakfast, and I raked all the leaves and twigs from the roof of the cottage. I spent some time with the kids as they got up, loaded up the bike with my luggage, and I geared up for the ride home. The skies were blue and the weather was perfect.
I hit the road, riding into Kingsley to meet up with Lane at his hotel. It's a whopping 2.5 miles away. Lane is ready to go, so we gas up and get on the road quickly. It was an absolutely gorgeous morning.
Rather than going west and following the lakeshore we decided to make good time and ride directly south through the Manistee National Forest. The forest is vast and it takes quite a while to get through it.
I honestly did not end up taking many pictures after Manistee. During my ride last summer I took a lot of them, and this was all familiar territory for me. It started raining as well, so the camera stayed in its pocket for the most part.
Once we reached St. Joseph, we elected to get on 94 and just get home before the weather and the traffic got worse. Here you can see ahead of us where traffic began backing up in Indiana.
Traffic was crawling for several miles, and then the heavy rain started coming down. Lane and I rode together until the split for 294 north, and 80 west. Lane took the I80 exit and waved goodbye. I pressed on in the rain, with traffic moving surprisingly well considering the construction and the weather.
I pulled into my driveway after putting about 350 miles behind me today. My riding gear was soaked, but the only water that got to me was at my collar.
Lane called to check in with me while I was unpacking my luggage and washing my jacket. He had made it home safely as well. I called Tamara and she and the kids were about an hour away, so I had time to unpack, get cleaned up, and pick up some dinner so that she didn't have to cook.
This trip was well worth the wait. Lane and I rode well together, and we took in a lot of great sights along the way. It was nice to spend time with the family and enjoy some good weather at the cottage.
Now, Lane and I need to figure out our destination for next summer!
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