Tulsa River Parks (OK)

On Sunday, October 12, we arrived in Tulsa, OK and pulled into our favorite "campground" which is a mobile home park.  The heavily wooded park is home to many mobile homes, 5th wheels, travel trailers, and motor homes.  They also have reserved short-term sites for travelers staying less than a week.  We are here for 2 months in the spring and 2 months in the fall.  It is a beautiful place for us to stay in addition to being convenient for visiting our two sons who live in Tulsa, close to shopping amenities, and in particular it is just a few hundred feet to bicycle to our trail at the Tulsa River Parks.

Downtown Tulsa from the West side of the river

The River Parks includes 800 acres of land along the Arkansas River and features 26 miles of asphalt-surfaced trails weaving past playgrounds, wildlife sculptures, fountains, and rest areas.  Improvements over the past few years have included a divided path separating walkers/joggers from the bicyclists on most of the East trail.  We enjoy riding the Tulsa River Parks Trails whenever we can while here.  This particular 14.5 mile ride was selected for being especially level.  This particular day was chosen because of the mild temp of 65 and low winds of less than 15 mph.  A perfect fall day for riding along the river.

Divided trail

One of many places to stop, rest, and enjoy the view

 Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness area offers 45 miles of dirt trails for hiking, dirt bike riding, and horseback riding.  The bicycle trail passes through the Turkey Mountain area and is quite a challenge.  We have made the climb on our bike but normally I try to avoid this area in search of the more level trails.

 

This is the pedestrian bridge which allows cyclists and walkers/joggers to cross the river.  There are benches to sit and enjoy the view, and there are lookout areas.  The river is not very deep and there are always people fishing from the water.

While on the trail we ride next to old Route 66.  There are monuments depicting the old model T encountering a horse and buggy.  A sign of the changing times from days gone by.  

A ride on the Tulsa trails  provides a workout to challenge all levels of fitness as well as providing a few hours of simple relaxation.

Berry Junction Trail - Muskegon (Duck Creek Park) to Whitehall (MI)

It is late morning when Chris and I decide to do our "Pekadills" ride.  This ride utilizes the Fred Meijer Berry Junction Trail that we hop on just outside of our campground in North Muskegon.  There are several reasons this is a favorite trail of ours.  The trail is accessible from our park.  It is paved, well traveled, well maintained, and absolutely beautiful--spring, summer, and fall.  And the other reason it is a favorite, after riding a very reasonable distance of 7.5 miles we find ourselves at Pekadills!  

Riding North toward Whitehall many of the trees are beginning to turn.

Another view of our favorite trail sporting new autumn colors

This is one of 3 wood bridges that we cross.

After peddling 7.5 miles we have reached our destination.  Pekadills! 

                                 

Notice the flag to the left says "open".  That is always a welcome flag to find upon arrival.  We did ride up on two different occasions to discover the restaurant was closed.  One time the electricity was out everywhere in Whitehall so we stayed on the trail another mile and dined elsewhere.  The other time we figured out that it is a really good idea to check operating hours of local establishments after Labor Day.

On the left is a pic of owners John and Sue (in background). Their lunch special is soup and a sandwich.  The soups vary each day throughout the week and are OUTSTANDING!

Here comes my favorite part of Pekadills.  Just out the back door of the main building,  John and Sue maintain a beautiful garden with tables along a path that runs between beautiful flowers, shrubs, trees, and fountains.  There is also a large deck area that can accommodate diners.  It doesn't matter where we choose to sit for lunch...every choice is perfect!

The beautiful garden at Pekadills 

The best part of any dining experience is spending time with friends.  Pictured below are Bob and Nona!  These two Michiganders are winter Texans and had to travel all the way to Texas to meet us in the little town of Kerrville two years ago.  We have spent two Texas winters together and they are starting to resemble "family".  This weekend they came to camp and visit us in Muskegon, MI!  So fun to renew our friendship.  Special friends visiting means a trip to our favorite restaurant!

                             

Heartland Trail - Edmore to Riverdale (MI)

It is 9:15 am Friday, September 19, cloudy and 50 degrees, and we are on our way to Edmore, MI to ride the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail.  The trip is about 1 hour 20 minutes via what seem to be back roads.  When dressing for the trip we "layered up", long pants on top of bicycle shorts, long sleeve tops and vests.  I packed a bag with ear muffs, gloves, and fleece jackets just in case.  
When we arrived in Edmore, MI we found a good place to park next to the trail.  Chris unloaded the bike and I checked the temperature.  It is now 55 degrees and the sun is peeking out from behind the clouds.  Going to be a beautiful day for a ride.  The bag stayed in the car and we began our 11 mile ride to Riverdale, MI.  Riverdale is a very small town and was chosen as a destination because of the comfortable distance for us to ride to lunch and then make a return trip.

Five minutes into the ride I was thinking the ear muffs and gloves would have been a great idea to slip on before leaving the car behind.  Oh well.  
I cannot take a bike ride without making multiple stops to take pictures.  This process serves several purposes.  It allows blood to return and circulate to the bottom, we get a little break, and we have beautiful digital memories.
The background in this pic gives an idea of the beauty surrounding us and the first breath of autumn in Michigan.

"No Motor Vehicles" may seem like a given on a walking/bicycling trail, but it isn't.  Many trails in Michigan convert to snowmobile trails in the winter, but not this one.  On the return trip we were passed by one young man who was terribly confused or could not read all that well.  Had his motor cycle on the trail.  Stopped in front of us and checked his smart phone as if seeking directions.  

The corn is tall and ready for harvest.  On the right is a pic of the beautiful Heartland Trail.

The Riverdale Tavern is located in Riverdale, and is known for serving excellent fish.  We were told by one bicyclist that people had been known to drive in from Muskegon for the fish dinners. Just to the right of the building was bicycle parking and a picnic area.  We dined inside and each of us enjoyed a shrimp basket with fries and coleslaw, which was a lunch special.

Library located in Riverdale

A sign near Edmore

Abandoned grain elevator along the trail

Mackinaw Island (MI)

Our trip to Mackinaw Island in July of 2014 was full of new sights and breathtaking views. The picture above is the Mackinaw Bridge (the 5th longest suspension bridge in the world) connecting Michigan's upper and lower Peninsula.  
Being a southern girl I did not know that the folks living in the UP are called Yoopers (pronounced YOU-PERS) and those folks living in the lower peninsula are called TROLLS (because they live "below" the bridge.  So much to learn!  LOL  Also heard that those of us who partake of the Mackinac Island fudge are called FUDGIES by the locals.  I was particularly fond of the fudge from JoAnn's Fudge Shop.  Yip, I'm a Fudgie!

Our ride to the Island

View from under the bridge

We drove our RV to Mackinaw City and camped at the Mill Creek RV park. The park is huge! At check-in time the rigs are lined up in 2 lanes to enter the park. Multiple windows are open in the park office to make the check-in process go quickly.  Upon check in we learn there is a shuttle which comes into the park to pick anyone (and their bike) up for transport to the Mackinac Island Star Line Ferry.  We registered for the next morning's shuttle service and purchased our tickets for the ferry.

The next morning our friends and us (along with our tandem bicycle) board the shuttle and head for the ferry.  It is July and it is northern Michigan so we layered up. Several layers of light clothing should be plenty.  It is July!  We boarded the ferry and began our ride to the island.  Oh my goodness!  It is flat out COLD!  I zipped anything I could zip. Buttoned anything that would button.  Raised my hoodie over my cap and thought I was going to freeze!  I should note that we sat "outside" so we could get good pictures. There was an inside area of the ferry we could have ridden. It would have been warmer but not as scenic.                          

The sun was shining and we quickly adjusted to the cool temperature.  The ferry ride to the island included a view from under the bridge and a look from the other side of the bridge.  All for no additional charge!

There are no motorized vehicles permitted on the island.  Therefore, travel is limited to carriages, horses, or bicycles.  The temperature warms up and the sun is bright.  We decided to make our ride around the island our first objective!

The streets were not all that busy when we arrived

Chris and I on our tandem

Our friends ride ahead of us

A beautiful and very comfortable 8 mile ride around Mackinac Island. 

The names Mackinac (used for the island) and Mackinaw (used for the city) are both pronounced with the "aw" sound at the end. The "ac" ending was the way the French spelled the name.  When the British heard the word they spelled it the way it sounded -- with the "aw" on the end.

We make occasional photo stops as we ride around the island.  Sometimes it is difficult to take in all the beauty.  

We are not in any particular hurry to finish the ride.  It took about an hour.  Next we parked our bike and walked to the Grand Hotel where we enjoyed a delicious buffet lunch.  After lunch we walked around the hotel taking in all the sites, sounds, and smells of the area.

The Grand Hotel seen from our ferry

The Grand Hotel is magnificent!  So elegant.  Not by today's modern standards, but because it maintains the grandeur of the early 1900's.  The Grand Hotel is the setting for the movie "Somewhere in Time" starring Christopher Reeve.

We walked the 1/4 mile down the hill from the Grand Hotel to find that it is "rush hour" on Mackinac Island!  People are to use the sidewalks so the carriages and bicycles can have the road.  I'm not sure where all the people came from in such a short time.  Guessing the ferries must have been busy while we were sightseeing.  We took about 30 minutes for shopping in town, then located our bike to catch the next ferry back to Mackinaw City.  It was a fun day.