Forgotten River Towns Tour
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DAY THREE -
It was Sunday morning and we decided to get an early start.
We headed south on US-41, passing again through Baraga and L'Anse and had an uneventful and cool ride through a lot of forested wilderness to Ishpeming and then into Marquette.
Home of Northern Michigan University, I was surprised at how big a city Marquette is. Sprawled out along the shoreline of Lake Superior, it seemed to stretch on for a good long way with all of the modern amenities you would need. There was even a Harley dealership.
Here we were faced with a decision. What was the best way to cross the balance of the Upper Peninsula? We chose M-28.
M-28 was as straight as an arrow for 40 miles as we headed east. Near Newberry, and the Tahquamenon Falls area, we spotted a gas station and restaurant complex and since I was leading, I led us in. We went right for the Sunday buffet at the Country Kitchen and had a decent meal while reminiscing about a family trip to the area probably 25 years ago. I surprised dad with how much I could remember, including the first time I heard my mother swear.
We rode out on M-28, soon found M-123, and headed south towards I-75 and St. Ignace.
St Ignace is a town which in my opinion always plays second fiddle to Mackinaw City across the straights. I'm sure that there is plenty to do there, but we were undecided at that point as to how much more riding we would do for the day. Since it was only 3:30, the decision was made to cross the bridge, find a room in Mackinac and see what we felt like doing then.
We crossed the mighty Mackinaw Bridge last year on our trip around the state and it's a pretty big deal to us Michiganders. We're proud of the "Big Mac," one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. Last time it was a challenge, as we were forced to ride on the mile or so of grated roadway in the center two lanes. This time we could ride on the paved outer lane, but we had to deal with an extremely strong cross wind. We were prepared for it and it wasn't too unnerving and none of us got blown off into the drink several hundred feet below, I'd call it a successful crossing.
We found a motel, got some dinner, and then (what else?) we enjoyed the best pool and hot tub of the trip.
We decided that although most of the roads we had traversed that day were not as challenging or exciting as we had experienced on the previous day, the trip was about riding and enjoying riding for what it is. And that we did.
DAY FOUR -
Today was all about getting home. Dad had to be back in town in time for a 3:00 meeting. Being roughly 3 hours from home, that gave us plenty of time, even with a couple of stops.
We took US-31 south to Petoskey and then set out following US-131. South of Boyne Falls, sight of the famous ski area. The temperature was taking its sweet time in climbing as we passed through the familiar little towns of Alba, Mancelona and Kalkaska. I take this route by car with my family several times a year and there is a big gas station near the town of South Boardman that is a natural stopping point. We stood around and tried to warm up with a cup of coffee before continuing on home via the freeway.
As I pulled into my driveway - I was certainly glad to be home, but I was also thrilled to have had the experience of this trip. Ever since I started riding I had dreamed of going to the U.P. We will definitely be back to the UP again in the future, maybe many times, looking for more roads and just enjoying the ride.
