Riding around Sleeping Bear Dunes, part 1

 

Indian Trails bus, East Lansing to Traverse City

Sunday September 8, 2024, 4 miles (6 km) - Total so far: 4 miles (6 km)

I rode to the bus stop in E.Lansing on the Lansing River Trail. When I got there I took the tarp we use for the grill off the back of the bike and covered it. Indian Trails does not charge extra for the bike. Their only requirement is that it be boxed or bagged. The grill cover worked perfectly.

The first driver was a Barney Fife kind of stickler. He complained to me that the bike took up half of one of his storage bins. I'm thinking . . .so? . . . because the bus is half empty, so too, the bays under the bus. After Grand Rapids there was maybe only 8 of us on the big motor coach. The second driver was much more chill. Then there were 4 passengers--possibly less, as I got left at the MacDonald dinner stop. No joke. We all got off and I went in, bought a hamburger, and came out with my bag--no bathroom, no side trip--the bus was gone. I was confounded, thinking it couldn't have gone far. I stood there for a second and saw it pull out behind the restaurant and was about to cross the intersection. I ran like crazy through weird tall grass and a little roadside gully to catch it. The driver was sorry, she said she counted three. I reminded her there's four of us.

We arrived on time at 6:50. The waterfront trail is torn up with street renovations etc. so I biked over on city streets, not too busy or crowded. A nice downtown vibe. Really within 10 minutes I was at my host's house-- a beautiful one hundred year old place on a tree-lined street. The houses remind me of old sea captain houses, looking out into the bay. The room they gave me was one they Airbnb during the summer.
So far using public transportation has worked out. The bike arrived unscathed. All I did was uncover it, roll up the cover, and bungee it to the bike rack. Within arrival at Traverse City BATA station, I was ready to go in less than 5 minutes.