The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Lake Michigan Ramble 2019

September 4th to September 19th

Ride Director: Dorothy Stock
Ride Co-Director: Alexandra Wagner
Ride Driver: Ann Barten
Report by: Lary Schiller

The Lake Michigan Ramble would never had occurred if the Ice Age hadn't ended 14,000 years ago (global warming?),  leaving behind the incredible Great Lakes, taken together the largest fresh body of water by area in the world (but not in volume - Fudgie Question*,  to be explained and answered later). Skipping 14K years ahead, 24 hardy BAC cyclists gathered this Sept. for the 4th or 5th version of the LMR.  Our fearless leaders, Alex and Dorothy, had led this trip before and their planning and experience showed in every aspect of this adventure.  The van driver and Keeper of All Things Happy Hour was Ann Barten who came all the way from Minnesota to support us.  We came from California, Michigan, Texas, Georgia, Colorado, Florida and Wisconsin;  a compatible, friendly and cooperative group.  Our scheduled hotel in Mackinaw City had to cancel at the last minute due to a water leak and we were re-booked at a new hotel which was not leaking at all.   At Happy Hour (and a half) Alex led us in a game that urged us -with a bit of memory and and lot of laughs - to learn each others names; a great icebreaker. 

An explanation of the above mentioned Fudgie questions: Residents of Mackinac Island, our final destination, call tourists "Fudgies" since fudge shops dominate the main street.  Each day we got fresh handouts  with cue sheets and highlights of that day's ride. At Happy Hour,  Dorothy presided over a Fudgie question contest to see who could answer questions about today's or previous highlights. It was a bit like chaotic Jeopardy with 23 contestants; whoever raised their hand first (maybe) or blurted out the answer got to choose from a variety of prizes including fudge.  Eventually everyone took home a prize or three as momentos of our ride.  Some of the most original prizes were clothes designed by Frank Lamitola, our strong, lanky 100K Ann Arbor rider,  and key chains and luggage tags with scenic photos by Alex. *(Answer to above-Lake Baikal in southern Siberia)

I must give credit to a former rider in 2017, Alexis Armao, since I have used her tripper report as a template. Michigan seems pollution free, beautiful, with generally good roads and little traffic. Much of this area was saved from development over 20 years ago by a dedicated group of citizens and conservationists which is detailed in the book Saving Arcadia by Heather Shumaker. The small towns on our routes exude charm and one is never far from an inland lake. Cherry, apple orchards and vineyards abound. We consumed all sorts of cherry treats – pies, cookies, ice cream, dried cherries in salads and hiding in other dishes. And maybe because of the cherries, we had plenty of pit stops.  The weather was mixed, a few sunny days, many cloudy ones, some wind of course but happily no rain during the day.  Judy, our weather reporter, was aided by several other techies in the group.  All in all, she was as accurate as a Channel 4 weather reporter.

We parked our cars in Mackinaw City and were bused with our luggage and bikes to  Ludington, staying at the lovely Summers Inn, owned by the sister of Mark Hodges, one of our Ann Arbor riders and a LMR veteran.  The next day, after a decadent breakfast, most of us rode 33 miles to Pentwater and back. Leaving Ludington on day 2, our 44-mile ride to Portage Point passed through Manistee, with its Ramsdell Theater where James Earl Jones got his start, and Onekama (“1,”), where we viewed the opening where a drowned rivermouth lake was converted into a channel to Lake Michigan. We lodged at the Portage Point Inn, a 1902 resort hotel at the tip of the bay.

Pushing on.  After a hearty breakfast at cafe M22 (named for the iconic Michigan scenic highway which begins here) we pedaled on to Frankfort, passing through Arcadia and Elberta, where some of us enjoyed  lunch overlooking the river from the fabled Cabbage Shed restaurant. (In Michigan, everyplace is either iconic, fabled, charming or award-winning). There were three riding options – a 30-mile direct ride to Frankfort, a 9.4-mile detour to the Gwen Frostic Studio, and an additional 5-mile ride ending in a half mile of sandy trail to the Point Betsie Lighthouse. Day 4 took us on the Betsie Valley Trail around sparkling Crystal Lake with a stop at the Cherry Hut in Beulah, offering everything that can be made with or out of cherries.  Many of us stopped on the way to Empire to see the salmon congregating at the fish weir. But the highlight of the day was the Heritage bike trail in Sleeping Bear Dunes Park with a stop to go barefoot and climb the huge sand dune before continuing on the trail to the charming old Sylvan Inn in Glen Arbor, home of the original Cherry Republic, which made the Cherry Hut look like a neglected cousin. Here we had an extra day to explore Sleeping Bear Dunes and many of us went on a lovely but challenging hike on the Dunes Loop trail overlooking Lake Michigan and the Manitou islands.

On the sixth day (does this sound like Genesis?) we cycled across the Glen Lake narrows to an inspiring view at Inspiration Point, and then around Big Glen Lake. Our 30-mile ride ended at the historic fishing village of Leland, an old Ottawa village where mail boats depart for the Manitou Islands. From Leland we rode to Traverse City on Day 7 following various routes – some venturing to the Grand Traverse Lighthouse, Northport, and Suttons Bay and others shortcutting to ride along the shores of Lake Leelanau. Almost all of us stopped at Alex’s friend Pat’s home on the lake for delicious cherry pie and local ice cream before arriving for a 2-day stay on the shore of Traverse City’s Bay Shore. The next day was an optional rest day or shopping at Haystack ( the women's clothing store answer to the Cherry Republic) or a 43-mile ride to the lighthouse on Old Mission Peninsula where winds from the bay almost blew several of the hardy riders off their bikes.  Day 8 was a long rolling hill 51-mile day to Shanty Creek golf and ski resort. We passed through Elk Rapids and along the southern portion of Torch Lake to Alden and then Bellaire. The 1.7-mile climb to Shanty Creek was long and but not as bad as it looked on the ride profile. The resort was luxurious and most of dined together that evening in the spacious dining room trying to avoid the hundred or so golfers also staying at the resort.

But no rest for the weary.  On Day 9 (We're now into Exodus), we rode 37 miles to beautiful Charlevoix, lodging at the Weathervane Inn, designed by Earl Young, a famous builder and architect who collected gigantic boulders and built his homes without blueprints. The following morning we had a tour by a local historian of many of Young’s historic and whimsical boulder houses. On penultimate day 10 there were options – a relaxing, partial NW State Trail path to Petoskey (19 mi) (and another Haystack); an extension to Alanson (37 mi);  a 46-mile challenge: “the Wall,”  with an 18% grade; or  Walloon Lake near where Ernest Hemingway's family had a cottage.  And finally, we rode 52 miles on the worst roads of the trip to Mackinaw City and took the Star Ferry to car-free Mackinaw Island, where walking, cycling and horses are the only means of transportation.  The weather had become warm and beautiful for our two nights on the Island and the pungent odor in the air probably did not come from the bicycles. We Fudgies enjoyed riding through the hills and forests (including the airport and the forts) on the inner island and the 8 mile island periphery. On the last night, we were invited to ramble along the quarter mile porch of the grand Grand Hotel, have overpriced drinks in the cupola and enjoy a sumptuous final meal at the Jockey Club  where we took turns relating our favorite highlights of the trip.  It was bittersweet saying our goodbyes as we took ahorse drawn carriage back to our hotel, with great memories of a wonderful "Ramble" shared with old and new friends.