The Circle Tour

[emptysea]

I had a great day of riding with offroad. I'll let him hit the highlights in a ride report, but it started out rainy and ended sunny. 372 miles for me and got home in time to grill burgers and sweet corn. offroad is a great riding companion. I hope that we get to spend some more two-wheeled time together soon.
Ohhh.... and homemade blueberry pie!!

 

[SportsterDoc]

I had a great day of riding with offroad. I'll let him hit the highlights in a ride report, but it started out rainy and ended sunny. 372 miles for me and got home in time to grill burgers and sweet corn. offroad is a great riding companion. I hope that we get to spend some more two-wheeled time together soon.
Ohhh.... and homemade blueberry pie!!

Ummmmmmmmmmm...looks really good!

 

[Stichill]

You can just box up the rest of that pie and ship it down here, Sea!

 

[LongRanger_imp]

That does look good!

I thought for a long time that I should spend my retirement years riding around the U.S., sampling and rating local steakhouses, writing a tour book about them, and then writing off the cost of my journey as a business expense. But boy oh boy, does that pie look good. Perhaps I should consider a second volume, "Motorcyclist's Guide to the Best Pie in the U.S."

 

[SportsterDoc]

Well, here are a couple starters:
1. The Original Veyo Pies - Veyo Utah - Bakery - (435) 574-2132 in Veyo, UT, only 635 miles from you
2. Pie Town, New Mexico, almost the middle of nowhere, only 555 miles from you

 

[the Ferret]

we passed a place in Illinois on the way back from Missouri yesterday (on I-70 I believe) that advertised Foot-Hi pies called the Blue Springs Cafe

 

[Offroad]

Thanks to Empty Sea for giving up his Sunday despite the weather to give me a great tour of his back yard.

After hearing about his 500 mile straight ride from PA, I feel like a wimp with only 950 miles in 3 days.

We ran into a train...

Then he took me to the Sunday meeting of motorcycle riders.....great group.....

I had to take a picture of one's comedy on his side bags:

For those not familiar with the song:

After MTC started back home (370 mile day for him!) I got on the Circle Tour and Scenic Road at the same time!

Here's MTC's CB at Hika Bay.....beautiful bike and view!

I made it to the tip of the peninsula where they had a ferry.....the last two miles had several "switchbacks" in succession.

Sister Bay is just short of the tip. Cool little town, very hopping with people, restaurants, bars, etc.

BIG marina, picture doesn't do it justice.....took a video but imgur doesn't do videos....guess I need to open a You Tube account.

Today I found this guy at Geano Beach....my wife said I should have put on my yellow rain suit before I took the picture ;-)

It was a beautiful place....word of warning...many of the local restaurants are closed on Mondays.

For several reasons....I baled on the Lake Superior northern run and decided to stay with mostly the Circle Tour of Lake Michigan.

I'm at Mackinaw City tonight....came across that bridge.....I was advised to stop and look through the metal grates but 1) It says don't stop 2) For the most part all I could see were the support beams underneath. Messed with the depth perception on how high you really are.

Road 2 had the best view of the lake. Many times other roads were near the lake but trees blocked the view.

I may run up into Canada tomorrow. At this way I can be sure and be in Battle Creek Saturday for my grand sons graduation from the Navy Sea Cadet's training.

I almost forgot....temps have been in high 60's to low 70's almost the entire time.....just what I was looking for!

 

[emptysea]

If you have the time, you should ride on M123 to Paradise and then continue on to Whitefish Point on Lake Superior. If you do that, when you come back, turn right on 123 in Paradise and follow that through Tahquamenon Falls State Park. https://www.michigan.org/property/tahquamenon-falls-state-park Visit the falls if you have time, but the road through the forest is very nice. Don't recall the pavement being great, but it's really pretty through there. Also, stop at Gene's General Store http://genestahquamenongeneralstore.com/ It would be a shame to be in the UP and not get up to Lake Superior or through Tahquamenon Falls SP.

When you get to Sutton's Bay, MI there's a little bar/restaurant, VI Grill, that is very good. There's also a micro brewery called Hop Lot that has great beer. In Traverse City, there's Sleder's, an old (one of the oldest) restaurants in MI.

You can do all of this and still be in Battle Creek by Saturday.

Also, I didn't 'give up' my Sunday. I spent it with a friend doing something I love. I only wish that the morning weather was better so I could have showed off my city a little.

Ride Safe!

 

[Offroad]

Main objective accomplished!

 

[CA200_imp]

Keep this up, I love the pictures.

 

[the Ferret]

I agree with Tahquamenon Falls. The UP is a special place...another planet on this one. Very Cool.

You look very happy offroad (but you always look happy). I think touring agrees with you. Love the train pic with you and Sea. (love all the pics actually) and I agree with your wife about the yellow slicker lol.

Wish I could have made this one.

 

[Cormanus]

And why wouldn’t a man on a bike on a tour look happy?

Go offroad. Loving it.

 

[use2b_imp]

Loving all the photo's and salivated like pavlov's dog looking at the blueberry pie. , photos are worth so much more than words = thanks

 

[Offroad]

That does look good!

I thought for a long time that I should spend my retirement years riding around the U.S., sampling and rating local steakhouses, writing a tour book about them, and then writing off the cost of my journey as a business expense. But boy oh boy, does that pie look good. Perhaps I should consider a second volume, "Motorcyclist's Guide to the Best Pie in the U.S."

Great Idea Long Ranger! You write it, I'll buy it!
Day 4....Technical difficulties with my phone made GPS and pictures end about mid day. I should have brought a small camera like Ferret and Empty Sea keeps around their necks.

I actually had to break down and buy a paper map and tape it to my gas tank with gaff tape like Empty Sea did in Berea.

Luckily I had my Garmin, not as friendly as Google Maps....but I'm learning. It does keep track of my route.

Here is my route....424 miles

H58 was the high light of the trip....thanks Allen K!

I thought I could pick it up early and took 407 north to deer park but it ended up being a 40 mile round trip dead end. A sign just said pavement ends.....and to think 2 weeks ago I was disappointed with the chip and seal on the BRP.....I would have gladly ridden on chip and seal today LoL

I did get a picture of the mackinac bridge....pretty impressive engineering.

A local restaurant had a unique stove....they are serious about logging and burning wood up here. I've never seen so many trees on relatively flat ground. Saw lots of logging truck with about 20+ wheels on them.

I made it up to Whitefish Point on Lake Superior.

After that phone died....I have to get a GPS tracker like the "Spot One" Empty Sea has.....my family was pretty worried when my dot stopped moving about mid day.

I think I'll make another loop tomorrow from Mackinaw City before I move south on Thursday.

 

[SCCBrider_imp]

Looks like a good time. Ride safe. In other words, lookout for the fools in cages.

 

[emptysea]

Some points of interest (they are plentiful and this is not a complete list):

Legs Inn
Tunnel of Trees
Petosky
M22
Hop Lot - micro brewery with outdoor seating.
VI Tavern - Sutton’s Bay
Leelanau State Park
Art’s Tavern - Glen Arbor (M22 store across street)
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - take M109 through, rather than M22 around (or do a loop that includes both)

 

[the Ferret]

Hey I've been to Whitefish Point. Very Cool. Also been to Copper Harbor but not sure that was worth the ride lol.

 

[Offroad]

Had technical difficulties with my phone the rest of the trip.....would only charge wirelessly at night so the battery didn't last long during the day. I stopped using Google Maps and just tried to save it for pictures.

Day 5

I slept in....I was going to go to Sault Ste. Marie just to say I went to Canada, but the bridge was backed up like 2 miles, so I went SE along Lake Huron.

It was nice and cool along the lakes, but I could actually see the water only about 5% of the time so pictures were few and far between.

I woke up to seeing people standing in line for the Mackinac Island Ferry from the balcony of my Days Inn hotel in Mackinaw City.

I had lunch at a restaurant recommended by locals called Toast A Go-Go. They had hand dipped and fried mushrooms....the breading is carbs but couldn't resist.

The road side parks were nice.....all the state parks wanted like $10 just to go in and look around....I'll need a season pass next time.

Hammon Bay Harbor was nice.

Went to the 40 Mile Post Lighthouse but it was closed.

This was the longest stretch of open water I could see.

 

[Cormanus]

Danged, new-tangled gadgets!

Good to hear from you offroad. Those lakes look amazing. Anything with that much water and a horizon in Australia would be the ocean.

 

[the Ferret]

They are amazingly large lakes Cormanus. My son and his wife run mini marathons on Mackinac Island. Cormanus, Mackinac Island is closed to motor traffic. Walk, bicycle, horse drawn carriage are the only means of transportation allowed.

Looks good offroad. Ahh the life of being free to point your front wheel anywhere and just go. How are you liking the new Michelins.