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