Memoirous

  Follow up--using public transportation Wednesday September 11, 2024, 4 miles (6 km) - Total so far: 103 miles (166 km) 1) using Indian Trails motor coach to get to Traverse City: I experienced NO problems, The first driver who picked me up in East Lansing was a curmudgeon. He complained that my bike took up half his bin. Not true. I had ridden the ten minutes to get to the bus stop with a bbq grill cover rolled up and bungeed to the back of my bike. Load in was easy. There was no baggage put on top of the bike--though it had to lay down in the bin (not upright). I made sure the gear-side was up. In Grand Rapids we changed drivers, but I did not have to transfer. All in all, it was a longish trip, but I could sit back and relax and read a book. Once in Traverse City, I did the reverse, rolled up the cover and was on my way in less than 5 minutes to my host's house. On Indian Trails you do not have to pay extra for the bike nor check a box when ordering tickets indicating you ...

  Leelanau Trail and Old Mission Peninsula (east arm of Traverse Bay) Tuesday September 10, 2024, 60 miles (97 km) - Total so far: 99 miles (159 km) I did A LOT of riding today and am seriously tired. I haven't done this many daily miles in about 3 months, plus temps climbed to 84 this afternoon. All this to say I did a killer couple of rides in one day. First, I started at 8:30 again at the BATA station taking the route 10 bus up to Sutton's Bay. I quickly got sorted to a public restroom, a trail map, and the actual start of the trail. It was a relaxing, event free 17 miles. Very pastoral, no big climbs, but also no views of the bay. You had no idea you were on a peninsula surrounded by water. It was mostly orchards, honeybee meadows, and forest. I certainly didn't overheat with so much nice shade. Then I made my way through Traverse City. The waterfront street and accompanying bike trail are torn up due to construction. So I had to follow detour signs and use a combinati...

  Monday September 9, 2024, 35 miles (56 km) - Total so far: 39 miles (63 km) What a wonderful day! I had no idea how some of this was going to work out as far as bus schedule, distances, room for the bike. You see the bus only takes 3 bikes and knowing this is a popular tourist destination plus the Heritage Trail, I wanted to be early. I was very excited and got to the BATA station a half hour before departure. I was the only one there. The bus, Route 11, took an hour to get to Glen Arbor. It was not immediately apparent where to pick up the trail. I finally saw a lone cyclist (it was 9:30 a.m. a bit early as it is past the season) and he told me where to go. Everything was well-signed and easy. At Glen Haven I met Mary also a newbie on the trail. I said I didn't know how much time it would take to get to Empire and if I'd need more water. She seemed to think one bottle was enough. I thought it was 20 miles to Empire, 40 round trip. I was there in maybe 10 miles. We rode toge...

  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, thin...

We’re about to turn a page in the calendar—August to September—which always leaves me wondering: Did I do enough? Did I wring enough summer out of summer? They’re already offering pumpkin lattes at the coffee shop. I’m seeing candy corn in the candy aisle. Despite the fact that meteorological summer is not over, for all other purposes, we’re moving on. In two weeks I will make a trip to Sleeping Bear dunes, something I’ve wanted to do even before moving to Michigan. When in Chicago we used to visit Indiana Dunes (now designated a national lakeshore) frequently. I loved climbing the steep hills of sand and hiking the trails that wandered between woods, scrub oak and sand, and then disappeared into the dunes. Sleeping Bear was a destination for me, but seemed out of reach either because of work schedules, the fact that it is an expensive area for accommodation etc, and getting there. I’ve worked out some of these difficulties. Indian Trails bus can take me and my bike all the way...