With only a couple of weeks of summer remaining before the kids go back to school, we found a week to squeeze in our summer vacation. This year we decided to spend a week at our family cottage in Traverse City, Michigan. We've spent a few long weekends there this year but it's a rare thing to have a full week there. Plans were made, necessities were packed, and I would ride the bike while the rest of my family would drive up separately.
We set out on a Sunday morning, with beautiful weather and little traffic.
Riding my Italian motorcycle, I encountered another Italian beauty. So we stopped to stare...
As soon as I got on the tollway, the clouds began rolling in.
I rode over the quarry near South Holland, IL.
And passed the Illinois/Indiana border under dark clouds.
Almost my entire time spent in Indiana was spent in the rain, so the camera went safely away until things dried out as I crossed into "Pure" Michigan.
Along my route I passed Chalet on the Lake, where I spent some time in the A frame houses as a kid while on family vacations.
Lakeshore Drive in St. Joseph Michigan affords nice views of Lake Michigan.
Back on the highway I passed through Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Wanting to make good time, I stayed on the highway for many miles until I took an exit before Cadillac Michigan in search of more interesting travels. On my big adventure bike, I'm ready for any road that comes my way.
On this trip I have my new crash guards on the bike with the hope that I'd never use them.
As I approached Kingsley and Traverse City Michigan, I found the first "seasonal road" that was really fun to ride down.
In over an hour, I didn't see another person or vehicle...
I took the back way in towards our cottage, through a beautiful open field....
Past the west shoreline of Arbutus Lake...
And arriving at the cottage.
A local from the advrider.com forums suggested that I check out an area of the Manistee River between the Tippy Dam and the Hodenpyl Dam. With the River Road plugged into my GPS, I set off the next morning to explore.
The Hodenpyl Dam area is fenced off from the road but I caught a glimpse of it.
The Manistee River in the area is beautiful.
River Road is made up of a whole lot of sand with occasional gravel mixed it. On a heavy bike without knobbies, it was smart to take it very easy.
This sign made me laugh because while traveling through this area I never saw a soul. I can't imagine how there could be congestion here...
Eventually I reached a trailhead parking area where there were a few cars.
I continued along River Road and took in some more nice views.
This side road caught my eye so I went exploring.
On my way back out onto River Road, I took a spill at about 2 miles per hour. No harm done, just a slightly dirtier bike. It was not fun to pick up a 500 lb bike in loose sand...
At the end of River Road near the Tippy Dam, I explored some more seasonal roads through the forest.
At the end of my route I had to decide if I wanted to head back on paved roads, or double my fun by backtracking on River Road. I opted for River Road.
With my River Road adventure complete, I pointed my bike back towards the cottage, ready for some lunch and a rest.
After a nice afternoon and evening with the family, my plans the next day included a ride up to Northport Michigan. I would follow the beautiful shoreline of the west part of Grand Traverse Bay.
Passing through downtown Traverse City, I encountered the blue waters of the bay.
Passing through the city the road curved north, and I followed it.
I made a quick stop in Suttons Bay to check out the lakefront and the beach.
Back on the road, I was really making progress. I had already made it halfway to the North Pole!
The area in the northern part of the peninsula is beautiful.
Passing through Northport, I reach Leelanau State Park, which is as far north as I can go without running into Lake Michigan.
With the bike pointed west, I reach the western edge of the peninsula.
Heading south on more seasonal roads, I'm enjoying the solitude.
On my way south, I head slightly east and pass along the shores of Lake Leelanau in the center part of the peninsula.
It's been a lot of riding and I haven't eaten since breakfast. Convenient time to spot an ice cream shop in the town of Cedar.
After a delicious strawberry shake, I'm ready for the final leg of today's riding and I set the cottage as my next destination. I think that Garmin has learned that I'm enjoying the seasonal roads in the area because my GPS sends me down several more along the way.
My day wraps up with dinner and s'mores with the family, a swim in the lake, and time spent together. We spent the next day as a family, horseback riding, swimming, and messing around at the cottage. It was a low key day in which we made plans for the following day at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
While my family set up camp at the dunes, I spend some time exploring the area. Once again, there were lots of scenic roads to take in.
This sign wasn't kidding. The elevation changes here were fairly serious and I summoned my best riding skills to keep upright on the loose surface.
It was worth all of the effort to reach the top. A dead end sand road brought me to an overlook where I could see the Sleeping Bear Dunes off in the distance across Tucker Lake. It's a shame about the power lines ruining the shot, but it was impressive how steeply they ran down the hill.
Back to ground level, I worked my way back towards Empire to join the family at the dunes.
The dune climb area is pretty impressive when you first approach it. It's about a 400 foot climb in powdery soft sand.
My daughters and I made it to the top with only a little complaining (I'm not naming names....).
I was under the mistaken impression that when I reached the top, I'd be greeted by the waters of Lake Michigan. I was wrong because this is what I found.
We climbed to the peak off in the distance with hopes of seeing Lake Michigan, only to be greeted with another surprise.
I learned later that it is over 2 miles from the parking lot to the lake. It was hot. I had no sun protection. It was time to turn back towards a picnic lunch.
Back at the shade of our picnic site, others were also taking time out of the sun.
Leaving the dune area, we traveled south to the Platte River. I arranged for an hour long tubing trip with the kids down the Platte, but I found out later that we needed to do the two hour trip in order to come out of the river at Lake Michigan. Next time....
Rested after floating down the river, I got back on the bike and started heading back to base.
Loon Lake.
The Boardman River.
Back at the cottage, we enjoyed our last evening of the trip together, and while the kids went to bed, I walked down the hill to our beach to take in a nice sunset.
The next morning, we packed the van, ate breakfast, closed things up at the cottage, and we hit the road.
Rather than going home using the fast route, I wanted to ride through the Manistee National Forest, so I headed west...
And then south.
I passed through Baldwin, Michigan.
Continuing south on newly paved blacktop.
I took a slight detour to ride over the Hardy Dam.
Seeing a sign for Newaygo State Park, I thought I'd stop in. Unfortunately I don't have a "recreation passport" so I couldn't get in.
With rain looming in the distance, I headed east towards the highway to try and make better time.
The rain came in with a vengeance the minute I reached paved roads. As I rode south, the temperatures dropped by 20 degrees and the wind was blowing me around the road enough that I decided to play it safe and pull off the highway in Saugatuck Michigan and take shelter under a gas station awning.
I don't think I've ever seen so much rain come down in a short period of time. I was soaking wet, having worn my summer gloves and without properly installing the rain liner in my riding pants. To keep the camera dry, it went into my luggage, and I spent a few more hours on the road in a downpour until I reached home.
After dumping the water out of my boots and hanging my gear to dry, it was time for a warm shower.
For these pictures embedded in a map, feel free to click here: Album Map
We set out on a Sunday morning, with beautiful weather and little traffic.
Riding my Italian motorcycle, I encountered another Italian beauty. So we stopped to stare...
As soon as I got on the tollway, the clouds began rolling in.
I rode over the quarry near South Holland, IL.
And passed the Illinois/Indiana border under dark clouds.
Almost my entire time spent in Indiana was spent in the rain, so the camera went safely away until things dried out as I crossed into "Pure" Michigan.
Along my route I passed Chalet on the Lake, where I spent some time in the A frame houses as a kid while on family vacations.
Lakeshore Drive in St. Joseph Michigan affords nice views of Lake Michigan.
Back on the highway I passed through Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Wanting to make good time, I stayed on the highway for many miles until I took an exit before Cadillac Michigan in search of more interesting travels. On my big adventure bike, I'm ready for any road that comes my way.
On this trip I have my new crash guards on the bike with the hope that I'd never use them.
As I approached Kingsley and Traverse City Michigan, I found the first "seasonal road" that was really fun to ride down.
In over an hour, I didn't see another person or vehicle...
I took the back way in towards our cottage, through a beautiful open field....
Past the west shoreline of Arbutus Lake...
And arriving at the cottage.
A local from the advrider.com forums suggested that I check out an area of the Manistee River between the Tippy Dam and the Hodenpyl Dam. With the River Road plugged into my GPS, I set off the next morning to explore.
The Hodenpyl Dam area is fenced off from the road but I caught a glimpse of it.
The Manistee River in the area is beautiful.
River Road is made up of a whole lot of sand with occasional gravel mixed it. On a heavy bike without knobbies, it was smart to take it very easy.
This sign made me laugh because while traveling through this area I never saw a soul. I can't imagine how there could be congestion here...
Eventually I reached a trailhead parking area where there were a few cars.
I continued along River Road and took in some more nice views.
This side road caught my eye so I went exploring.
On my way back out onto River Road, I took a spill at about 2 miles per hour. No harm done, just a slightly dirtier bike. It was not fun to pick up a 500 lb bike in loose sand...
At the end of River Road near the Tippy Dam, I explored some more seasonal roads through the forest.
At the end of my route I had to decide if I wanted to head back on paved roads, or double my fun by backtracking on River Road. I opted for River Road.
With my River Road adventure complete, I pointed my bike back towards the cottage, ready for some lunch and a rest.
After a nice afternoon and evening with the family, my plans the next day included a ride up to Northport Michigan. I would follow the beautiful shoreline of the west part of Grand Traverse Bay.
Passing through downtown Traverse City, I encountered the blue waters of the bay.
Passing through the city the road curved north, and I followed it.
I made a quick stop in Suttons Bay to check out the lakefront and the beach.
Back on the road, I was really making progress. I had already made it halfway to the North Pole!
The area in the northern part of the peninsula is beautiful.
Passing through Northport, I reach Leelanau State Park, which is as far north as I can go without running into Lake Michigan.
With the bike pointed west, I reach the western edge of the peninsula.
Heading south on more seasonal roads, I'm enjoying the solitude.
On my way south, I head slightly east and pass along the shores of Lake Leelanau in the center part of the peninsula.
It's been a lot of riding and I haven't eaten since breakfast. Convenient time to spot an ice cream shop in the town of Cedar.
After a delicious strawberry shake, I'm ready for the final leg of today's riding and I set the cottage as my next destination. I think that Garmin has learned that I'm enjoying the seasonal roads in the area because my GPS sends me down several more along the way.
My day wraps up with dinner and s'mores with the family, a swim in the lake, and time spent together. We spent the next day as a family, horseback riding, swimming, and messing around at the cottage. It was a low key day in which we made plans for the following day at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
While my family set up camp at the dunes, I spend some time exploring the area. Once again, there were lots of scenic roads to take in.
This sign wasn't kidding. The elevation changes here were fairly serious and I summoned my best riding skills to keep upright on the loose surface.
It was worth all of the effort to reach the top. A dead end sand road brought me to an overlook where I could see the Sleeping Bear Dunes off in the distance across Tucker Lake. It's a shame about the power lines ruining the shot, but it was impressive how steeply they ran down the hill.
Back to ground level, I worked my way back towards Empire to join the family at the dunes.
The dune climb area is pretty impressive when you first approach it. It's about a 400 foot climb in powdery soft sand.
My daughters and I made it to the top with only a little complaining (I'm not naming names....).
I was under the mistaken impression that when I reached the top, I'd be greeted by the waters of Lake Michigan. I was wrong because this is what I found.
We climbed to the peak off in the distance with hopes of seeing Lake Michigan, only to be greeted with another surprise.
I learned later that it is over 2 miles from the parking lot to the lake. It was hot. I had no sun protection. It was time to turn back towards a picnic lunch.
Back at the shade of our picnic site, others were also taking time out of the sun.
Leaving the dune area, we traveled south to the Platte River. I arranged for an hour long tubing trip with the kids down the Platte, but I found out later that we needed to do the two hour trip in order to come out of the river at Lake Michigan. Next time....
Rested after floating down the river, I got back on the bike and started heading back to base.
Loon Lake.
The Boardman River.
Back at the cottage, we enjoyed our last evening of the trip together, and while the kids went to bed, I walked down the hill to our beach to take in a nice sunset.
The next morning, we packed the van, ate breakfast, closed things up at the cottage, and we hit the road.
Rather than going home using the fast route, I wanted to ride through the Manistee National Forest, so I headed west...
And then south.
I passed through Baldwin, Michigan.
Continuing south on newly paved blacktop.
I took a slight detour to ride over the Hardy Dam.
Seeing a sign for Newaygo State Park, I thought I'd stop in. Unfortunately I don't have a "recreation passport" so I couldn't get in.
With rain looming in the distance, I headed east towards the highway to try and make better time.
The rain came in with a vengeance the minute I reached paved roads. As I rode south, the temperatures dropped by 20 degrees and the wind was blowing me around the road enough that I decided to play it safe and pull off the highway in Saugatuck Michigan and take shelter under a gas station awning.
I don't think I've ever seen so much rain come down in a short period of time. I was soaking wet, having worn my summer gloves and without properly installing the rain liner in my riding pants. To keep the camera dry, it went into my luggage, and I spent a few more hours on the road in a downpour until I reached home.
After dumping the water out of my boots and hanging my gear to dry, it was time for a warm shower.
For these pictures embedded in a map, feel free to click here: Album Map
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