Leelanau Trail - Traverse City to Suttons Bay, MI

Our Wednesday ride takes us through farm country with multiple cherry orchards, rolling meadows, small forests, and the resort towns of Traverse City and Suttons Bay.  The Cherry Festival in Traverse City will take place this coming weekend.  Approximately 800,000 tourists are expected.  Some have come early as there were many bikers on the trail and traffic in town was slow.

Leelanau Trailhead

We began our ride on the Leelanau Trail at the trailhead off Cherry Bend Road.

Shady trail

The Leelanau trail is a rail-trail built on the former Leelanau Scenic Railroad right-of-way so the inclines and declines are very gradual.

Wildflowers

When we ride, we stop for pictures and take in the scenery.  We only average around 8 miles per hour.  Serious bikers will sometimes average between 15 and 25 mph but they miss a lot of the beauty.  One speed limit sign is posted on the trail for bikers at 10 mph.

Tractor Warning

Even though the train went away years ago, the farms remained.  Many times the trail intersects a farmer's road between two of his or her fields.  This sign warns bikers of a tractor crossing zone and to be nice to the farmers.  They gave permission for the bike path to be built.

Corn field

By this time of the year, the corn should be head high.  Because of all the rain this year, planting was very late.  I hope and pray that the farmers are able to make a harvest.

Hops field

The hops vines should be well up the poles by now.  Hops are used in the production of beer.  I suspect the price of beer may go up this fall.

Cherry Orchard

The cherry orchards are in good shape but the cherries were still green on these trees.  I guess the vendors at the Cherry Festival will have to pull cherries out of the freezer.

Not really the finish line

In the middle of the trail were these flags as if it was the finish line for a race.  Perhaps part of the festival includes a run.  "No Debbie, we have 7 more miles to go."

Restroom Trail

Normally, we would not stop for this but when you need to go ....

Trail Outhouse

If she comes out smiling, I'm good, if not, I'm in trouble.  Whew!  I'm good.  I noticed when I went in that they had serviced that outhouse the day before.  It was actually very clean.

Trail Bridge

 We always enjoy the creeks and bridges along the way.

Tree Canopy

Sometimes the trees just swallow the trail.

Small Lake beside the trail

Where's my fishing pole?

45th Parallel Cafe

 We made it to Suttons Bay.  We rode to the top of the world, that is, if you pass the 45th parallel going north, you are on the top half of the northern hemisphere.  Very few people ever see both the top and the bottom of the world.  Not sure we'll make the bottom of the southern hemisphere.

Soup and Sandwich

This was pretty good grub.

Suttons Bay storefronts

A lot of people come to Suttons Bay just to shop the quaint shops.

Ice Cream Shop

Why do we always find ice cream on these trails?  Because it tastes so good!

Bus for Bikers and Others

Sometimes trails have shuttles so that bikers only have to go one way rather than doubling back.  Unfortunately, trikes and other peculiar bikes can be a problem.  Even so, we decided to ride the bus back to the Cherry Bend trailhead, without our trikes, to catch our car.  Then we drove back to Suttons Bay to pick up our trikes.  Our total bike ride was 14.3 miles.

Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail - Dune Climb to Glen Arbor, MI

Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail

On Tuesday we left Muskegon, MI and drove 128 miles north to Dune Climb, MI.  We began our ride on the Sleeping Bear Dunes Heritage Trail at Dune Climb and rode toward Glen Arbor.

Bikes at the base of Dune Climb

The trail at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park is a favorite for bikers and hikers alike.

The trikes are a novelty to many along the trail so we stop to talk about them quite often.  The hikers we stopped to talk with were glad to take our picture.  We took their family picture as well.

We rode along with other bikers for awhile.

The scenic trail

The trail winds through a plush forest along the east side of the dunes.  It's amazing how well the foliage grows near the dunes on the east side.  If you go to the west side of the dunes, which receive the winds off Lake Michigan, there is hardly any foliage.

Glen Haven

On the way to Glen Arbor is the little town of Glen Haven.  Only a few buildings remain here.  The canning company pictured was not in business.

Debbie Looking over the clear waters of Lake Michigan

The beach at Glen Haven is worth checking out.

Trail between Glen Haven and Glen Arbor

Campground near Glen Arbor

The trail passes through a campground near Glen Arbor.  This campground is great for tents but would not work for large motorhomes.

Wildflowers along the way

Sleeping Bear Sweets

We arrived at Glen Arbor to discover a bike-friendly little town full of visitors, many on bikes.  We ate at Boondocks which offered outdoor seating as well as dining under a huge gazebo.  We split a pulled pork sandwich then walked over to Sleeping Bear Sweets and indulged in a scoop of ice cream.  Perfect!

Trail returning to Dune Climb

The ride from Dune Climb to Glen Arbor was 4.5 miles of beautiful scenery.  Round trip made a 9 mile ride.

Chris at the base of the Dune

Why climb a sand mountain?  Because it's there.  Kids and families were having a ball.

Chris at the top of the dune, so we thought.

I presumed I would see Lake Michigan from the top.  I just wasn't at the top, or even close.  I was only about a third of the way up.

The next rise from the 1st climb

Partially up the second rise

At the top of the 2nd rise

I could see a bit of Lake Michigan off to the north.  I would have had to hike further up to see where Lake Michigan meets the dune.  Debbie was already wondering where her husband was.  She called.  Thank goodness for cell phones.

After my descent, we drove to Traverse City to spend the night at a Bed and Breakfast.  A B&B is generally more economical that a hotel and will always have a better breakfast. This is the Oviatt House front entrance. The home was built in the early 1900s.

Oviatt House Side

Living room of B&B

Breakfast Table

We had Belgian waffles, eggs, fruit, yogurt, granola, and sausage to get ready for a bike ride up the Leelanau Trail to Suttons Bay.

Fred Meijer Berry Junction South Connector - Dalton, MI

The sassafras trees are beginning to show their colors all along this trail.  August 18th seems a little early.  Debbie and I once sampled tea that Michigander friends had made from dried and steeped sassafras roots.  It was okay.  The history is that sassafras roots were formerly used to flavor root beer.

We begin and end our ride from the Duck Creek RV Resort where we camp throughout the summer.  It is located directly across from Michigan's Adventure amusement park.  Screams from the roller-coaster can be heard all summer long.

The trail from our park heading south was just finished this year.  It connects the Fred Meijer Berry Junction Trail to the Bear Lake Trail and the Muskegon Lake Trail.
We now have over 50 miles of dedicated trail available out our front door.

This portion of the trail is not truly a rail trail in that the tracks are still in use.  The trail is not quite so straight or level as a result.

Along the way we met several riders from the Fetch Cycling Club (Fetch is a Whitehall, MI brewery).  They were heading to a pub in Muskegon.  I asked, "Now let me get this straight, you're riding from one brewery to another and then back?"  Their answer, "Exactly!"

Here are a couple of scenic shots along the trail.

For us flatlanders, this small hill at Ruddiman Avenue is challenge enough.

We do cross a few streets, but the major crossings, such as this one at Whitehall road, have crosswalk controls to enhance safety.

Our midpoint destination was Bernie O's Pizza.

They're famous for the pizza on the right called 'The Twist'.  It was once voted one of the top 3 pizzas in the nation by Pizza Today Magazine.  My favorites are their Fusion or Hot Wings style.

Roundtrip ride is about 15 miles.  Our vote is thumbs-up.