54.5 miles/ +2273.7 ft/ Total miles 1384.5/ Tailwind
Today my bike wanted to hang out with the big guys:
The ride today was the best so far for views of Lake Michigan. It reminds me of the dunes and pines on Cape Cod — without the salt.
And I ended the day with a ride (in a Bridge Authority pickup truck) aross the Mackinac Bridge.
Once again I lucked out with the weather. There was a lot of rain, thunder and lightning during the night but by 7 AM the rain stopped. I said goodbye and left my wonderful Warmshowers hosts behind, and headed off to the bike trail, which took me to Harbor Springs. I passed one of the staff from Latitude 45 (bike shop) on his way to work and said hi. They did a great job making some adjustments on my bike so all is working flawlessly. Thanks, Latitude 45!
From Harbor Springs, the ride continued on M119, in a section called the Tunnel of Trees scenic route. It is basically an old state highway, very narrow and winding, with trees right on the edge of the road. Traffic was very light – other than the remodeling contractors in their pickups, there were almost no vehicles on the road.
I stopped at Cross Village for lunch and another post office stop (3rd pacakage of stuff sent home). I think I have finally fine-tuned my systems and know what I need to have and what is not necessary for now. If I need to pick up a few things later for cold weather in the mountains (Montana), that should be easy enough. No need to carry extra stuff from here to there.
I got to Mackinaw City by mid-afternoon and decided to get across the bridge today and get an early start tomorrow on the UP ride. It was easy to find the Bridge Authority, and my driver and pickup happened to be right there and available, so I didn’t even have to call them and wait. The State Park where I am camping tonight is right at the end of the bridge on the St. Ignace side. Now I have seen 4 of the 5 Great Lakes. That’s it for this trip – I won’t make it to Lake Superior.
View of the bridge from campground at Straits State Park:
I have really had good luck with the weather. Most days have been dry, cloudy to sunny, with temperatures in the 60s and 70s. Here’s the one-month recap:
- Rain – 3 ½ days
- Headwind – 4 days
- Tailwind – 5 days
- Hot weather (above 85 and humid) – 4 days
I’m only counting drenching rain, not drizzle, and wind that made a difference. On lots of days, the wind changes during the day, or I’m riding in the trees, or I change directions enough times that I have some headwind (or tailwind) and some cross-wind, so wind is not a factor.
The humidity really bothers me the most in the mornings. I often feel like I am having to plow through the heavy air and it’s even hard to breathe if I have a big hill. I never walk up hills in Washington (well, almost never) but on this ride, I have walked up quite a few.
Overall, I have been holding up pretty well. No problems with feet, knees, back, shoulders, neck, or “seat.” A few mental issues from time to time, but less as the ride goes on. I think that having the right bike — that really fits — is making a huge difference compared to previous bike tours. Of course, it might help if I would run through the yoga routine on a more routine basis. I almost always do some of the poses …
Judy's Bike Ride 2017 
Sounds like a wonderful day Judy. Your great photos validate my 40 year recollection of what that part of Michigan looks like. As for the occasional mental issues I would not be concerned. I get those here in Seattle simply sitting on my couch!
I really like the pictures. Please post them as much as you can each day. Thanks. You’re doing good
I like pictures too but some days I just don’t get any. I will try to do better – at least one each day.
Its fun to see the country through your camera. Your doing fine. Thank you
Glad to see that you stopped at Legs Inn and that you enjoyed the Tunnel of Trees. Depending on winds, you should enjoy the stretch along the north shore of Lake Michigan. Then before you know it you’ll be into the part of Wisconsin that the down-state locals call “Up North.” Just you and the mosquitoes.
Keep it up! We’re rooting for you. If you go through Houghton, MI on your UP ride go to the Library, it’s really good!
http://www.librarybrewpub.com/
Would be interested to know what you are sending home since I read your original packing list. We always ended up shipping things
home on our tours, so I can relate!
That’s the Lake I remember. Beautiful photo of the bridge.
Wonderful photos – I chuckled over your bike with the big guys! And a great shot of the bridge. I’m glad the physical components of your self-check are doing well. I can only imagine what it takes to manage your mental state over all this time on the road – no familiarity to sink into at the end of the day, always a little on the stretch. The kindness of strangers seems wonderful though.