Betsie Valley Trail - Beulah to Frankfort (MI)

 Some would think it odd to be invited to join in a 21 mile bike ride, but not our friends Charlie and Gisela!  They eagerly accepted our invite to explore the Betsie Valley Trail this last Saturday, June 27, 2015.  It is about a 2 hour drive from Muskegon to Beulah, where we want to park and begin our bike ride to Frankfort, MI.   The Betsie Trail was built on the former Ann Arbor Railroad bed.  Above is the replicated railroad depot and the Beulah Trailhead.

It is 74 degrees around 11:15 am when we leave from the Beulah staging area.  The trail is crushed limestone from Beulah to Mollineaux Rd.  On this section of the trail we see expanses of natural wildlife areas filled with wild flowers, trees and shrubs.

On another section of trail there are lakefront cottages on one side of the trail and the beautiful Crystal Lake on the other side.

Crystal Lake is about 25 miles southwest of Traverse City

Taking a moment to enjoy Crystal Lake

In 1873 an effort was made to try to connect Crystal Lake with Lake Michigan.  Because the water level of Crystal Lake was higher than that of Lake Michigan the project failed.  The result was a drop in the water level of Crystal Lake by about 20 ft.  Because the water level dropped sandy beaches were uncovered.  This lake is probably the bluest and clearest lake I have ever seen.

These bikes make frequent stops!

When we reach Mollineaux Road the trail becomes a very nice 10-foot-wide asphalt trail.  Locals know this.  There are cars parked in a small parking area off of Hwy 115.  Many cars are parked off the side of the road along the highway as well.  Guess they prefer riding the asphalt part of the trail into Frankfort.  It is afternoon on a beautiful Saturday and trail traffic begins to pick up.
For awhile we ride along the 54-mile-long Betsie River.  (Picture on the left)  The Betsie River eventually widens (pictures below) to form Betsie Lake.

 It is 12:30pm when we reach Frankfort, MI.  Below are pictures of Betsie Lake.  Just a couple of miles further the Betsie River flows into Lake Michigan.  The lake is beautiful.  It is framed by lush rolling hills to the south.  Just off of the trail are marinas, boats (luxury and fishing), and town.  Today there are tents/booths along the main road offering all kinds of crafts, homemade foods, and market items.  We found out that the booths are here every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.  What fun!

We parked our bikes in a park next to the bike trail off of Main Street.  Across the street is the Bayview Grill (pic below).  There is a full menu and everything looks yummy.  Three of us chose the fish tacos pictured below.  They did not disappoint.

The best part of this trip was not the scenery- beautiful lakes, rivers, wildlife, flowers, or trees.  Nor was it the clear blue skies and temps in the 70s with a gentle breeze.  The best part was laughter and the gift of sharing the experience with our friends.  

Time with friends - priceless!

After lunch we walked a little, looked at a few of the remaining craft booths, and rode our bikes a little further along the lake shore.  Soon we all agreed it was time to make our journey back to Beulah.

 Once we reached Beulah and the guys had loaded our bikes, we drove over to the Blue Caribou Cafe where we topped off our day of exploration with a scoop of Moomers ice cream!  Here we sat at a table on their outdoor patio within sight of the beautiful Crystal Lake.  It was the perfect conclusion to our 21-mile ride on the Betsie Trail.

Blue Caribou Cafe

Hart-Montague Trail - Hart to New Era (MI)

 The William Field Memorial Hart-Montague Trail was dedicated in 1989, and was Michigan's first "paved" Rail Trail.  The 22.6 mile trail overlies the abandoned C & O Railroad right of way and stretches from Hart to Montigue, MI. The trail is asphalt and is a narrow 8 ft wide, but that is about to change.

Pre-construction work has begun and by November 2015 the trail will be repaved and will be 10 feet wide.  

Work has begun

The Hart staging/parking area is a 30 minute drive north from our campground and we arrive and unload our bike around 10:00 am.  It is the second full day of summer and currently 63 degrees.  Our destination is the Country Dairy in New Era, approximately 12 miles south of us.

 As we ride we pass from sections of canopy-encased trail to sections of rolling hills and orchards.  On the right is an apple orchard in Mears, with apples just coming on.

Another view of the canopy followed by a field of asparagus already going to seed.   We are riding in Oceana County which, according to locals, is the official "Asparagus Capital of the World", and Wikipedia agrees!

Field of Asparagus

Cherries almost ready to pick

Cherry Trees

To our west is a cherry orchard in the early stages of development.  To the east is a fully developed orchard and trees loaded with cherries which will be ready in just a few days.

Above is very nice place to stop and take a break in Shelby.  In the background is the old train depot converted to law offices.  On one of the buildings along the trail is the mural I used at the top of this blog.  Another place to plan a stop in Shelby is the Gem Factory.  You might want to bring a credit card along for this stop. 

The pic on the left is just one of the beautiful grain fields on rolling hills just outside Shelby.
After a leisurely 1 hour and 15 minute ride from Hart, which included many stops for taking pictures, we arrived at the Country Dairy.
The Country Dairy, located in New Era, is a producer-handler,  meaning that they do it all!  They have a herd of Holstein cattle and process the milk on site.  Their products are sold in stores around Michigan.

At this ice cream and deli we find a large selection of Country Dairy products and gift items.  We walk past the fresh meat and cheese, past the fresh homemade ice cream counter, and get in line to order from their deli.  A favorite for many is their "bottomless cup of milk" which comes with most of their menu items.

We will often order a hamburger here, which is exceptional, but today we went with wraps.  It came with one side, cheese curds, pickle, and the bottomless cup of milk.  The wrap is huge and could have easily fed both of us.

A popular stop along the trail

Adjacent to their building is their Moo School, which we attended a few years ago and found educational.   After Moo School be sure to head on over for a free tour of their beautiful facility.
It is 11:45 and we are ready to head back to our car which awaits in Hart.  It is now 67 degrees and sunny skies.

We had not previously stopped in Mears at The Wood Shed Bike Shop.  Today we dropped in to meet one half of the husband-wife team who have owned the shop for many, many years.  We were impressed with the number of bicycles, tandems, and recumbents that were available for rent.  The owner also sells new bikes and does bike repairs.  We so enjoy meeting people and visiting as we travel.

After the bike shop stop we pulled over to get a picture of this field of some sort of grain.  We thought it was wheat but were not sure because of the height.  Chris is standing in the field to give an idea of the grain height.

After riding 23.5 miles total we are back to our car by 1:15pm.  While Chris is loading our bike I spot this Rennhack Orchards Market across the street.  We are hoping for fresh strawberries, but evidently the strawberries are almost played out.  Thus, the strawberry selection is not great.  However they have a large and varied selection of jams, syrups, salad dressings, salsas, and toppings.  Most of these involved "fruit" of one variety or another.  We will need to come back another day to purchase some delectable gifts here.  Another beautiful day of biking in Michigan!

Pere Marquette State Trail - Reed City to Evart (MI)

We started our day early today.  It is Saturday, June 19 and overnight temperatures were in the 50s.  Highs today are expected to be in the lower 70s by afternoon.  An ideal day for a bicycle ride into parts unknown.  After loading our tandem on the back of our car and Schooner in the back seat we headed for the Dog Star Ranch which is about a mile from us.  The ranch is maintained on approximately 48 acres and dog care is done well!  Schooner is scheduled for doggie day care and grooming today.  One pampered pup!  She is going to have a ball!  We dropped Schooner off and were on our way by 8:00am.

 

The above map shows two bicycle trails in purple.  The east/west trail is the Pere Marquette Trail and the north/south trail is the White Pine Trail.  The place where the trails intersect is Reed City and that is where we are headed.  Reed City is about 1.5 hours from our campground and the drive is picturesque.  We take back roads to reach the highway.  There are many farms and fields along the way.  We are in an Amish community and signs along the way warn drivers to be alert to horse-drawn carriages on the road.  We see two.  One "driven" by a man and another was driven by a woman.  Both adults were dressed in traditional attire.  Not something we see everyday. 

We always enjoy riding Rail-Trails.  These paths were once used by trains.  Many states have converted the no-longer-used tracks to paved bicycle trails.  They normally will not have more than a 3% grade.  That is the part that I really like.  The Pere Marquette trail is a 56-mile east/west trail on the former CSX Railroad line.  It runs from Baldwin to Clare, MI.  The White Pine Trail is along the former Penn Central Railroad.  Reed City is a crossroads of the two tracks.  There is a staging area at the Reed City Depot for us to park and begin our ride.

We began our ride at 10:00 am under clear skies and a chilly 61 degrees.  Our destination is Evart, MI.  The trail is asphalt and well maintained as are most trails in Michigan.  Along the route we observe a number of farms with long perfectly parallel rows of crops growing.  Some cattle are out enjoying the sun as well.
 The pic below shows mounds of gravel, dirt, and sand.  Beside the mounds are huge holes in the ground.  Evidently trucks come here for loads of dirt/sand to distribute around the state.

Around 11:30 am we made our way into the community of Evart, MI.  (Pronounced ev-art)  Evart has a population, as of 2013, of 1,890.  Michigan highway 10 runs through the middle of town.  Above left is a picture of the depot and the old rail switch.  We asked a local where we might find a good lunch and he recommended the Lamplighter Cafe.  (pic above on the right)  After a leisurely lunch we are energized and ready for the return trip of 14 miles.  It is now 12:30 and 63 degrees.  We both agreed that the day could not be more perfect.

On our way back to Reed City we took advantage of a scenic pull over to take a break and view the Muskegon River.  In this selfie the Muskegon River is in the background.  

On the right is the Muskegon River without bicyclists in the pic.

 The above pic gives an idea of how pretty the day and how well maintained the trail is.

Along the trail and near Hersey is an interesting building.  Above the door it says "The Get Away".  It is not listed as a bed and breakfast.  It appears the owners just wanted to name their home.

Pictured on the left is the Hersey River.  We stopped on the wood bridge to take pics when another rider came by.  We were thrilled when he stopped to visit with us.

Pictured below is Chris visiting with "Gordie Payne, the biggest pain in Hersey," he said.  Hersey (population 344 in 2013) is a little community just off our trail.  Our map shows our trail passes through Hersey, but if it does, I didn't see it.  Like I said, it is a small community.  Among several topics, Chris and Gordie discussed fishing here in Michigan.  Imagine that!

Chris and Gordie visit on the Hersey River bridge

 Just before 2:00 pm we are completing our 28 mile ride.  The sign below is on the trail just as we enter Reed City.  We don't have these signs in Oklahoma.

Such a beautiful entrance into the Reed City staging area.  Our ride is now complete.  I checked the weather app to confirm my suspicions that the weather was still perfect.  It was 67 degrees, sunny, light wind, and deep blue clear skies.  Indeed, the weather was still perfect!