White Pine Trail - Reed City to LeRoy, MI

Reed City Crossroads

We began our ride Wednesday morning around 10:00 am at the Reed City trailhead.  Skies were clear and the temperature this fine August morning was 69 F.

Two railroad crossings

This trailhead is located where the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad cross the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad.  Both of these rail lines have been transformed to rail trails for biking, hiking, and snowmobiling. 

Reed City Depot 

The depot provides parking, restrooms, information, and picnic tables. 

Covered bridge in Reed City

Heading north we cross the Hersey River via a covered bridge.

Newly paved trail

We chose the north route because we had not biked this section of the White Pine Trail and in the fall of 2018 this section of the trail was newly paved.  

Mile marker 307

The old railroads used mile markers similar to our highways today.  This concrete mile marker indicates that the trail is 307 miles north of a beginning point near Indianapolis.

Newer mile marker

The newer wooden mile markers indicate the miles north of Grand Rapids.

Deer on the trail

This deer had not spotted us yet.  Once it did, it was gone in a flash.

Oops!  Gravel

Fortunately one of the bikers we met in Reed City informed us that there was a 1/4 mile section left to be paved approximately half way to Leroy.  Once there, our pace went from about 9 mph to 2 mph.

Department of Natural Resources 

There aren't any legal motorized vehicles on the trail except those of the DNR.  I asked  the officer about the gravel section.  He said a culvert needed to be repaired before that section could be paved.  He spoke very kindly to us.

Aspens?

Aspens and birch have a similar look, but have noticeable differences.  Aspen bark doesn't peal.  Birch leaves are pointy with jagged edges whereas aspen leaves are more round.  I think these might be aspen.  Either way, the color in the fall would be amazing.

Tunnel under highway

This tunnel was approximately 50 yards in length.

Exit towards LeRoy

The tunnel was the highest point on our trek.  We gained a bit over 200 feet in elevation from Reed City.  Our return trip will be a much easier pedal.

Playground?

Well, there is a bike trail here.

Museum 

And a museum.

Restaurant 

And a restaurant.

Massive burger and homemade chips

These small town eateries are incredible.

Dutch apple pie, a la mode 

The burger was so big we had to split the dessert.

Friends

Some of the neatest people in this world are those you've never met, so we like to meet them.  Debbie and I noticed a couple, (wearing bike garb), entering the restaurant.  We both went to their table and introduced ourselves and for the next 20 minutes or so, we had a great conversation. We are now Facebook friends with Ken and Mary from Plano, TX. 

White Pines

Our complete trip was 26 miles, and yes, there were white pines on the trail.

Point Betsie Excursion

Point Betsie  Lighthouse

Our primary goal for the day turned out to be touring the Point Betsie Lighthouse. It's good to be flexible. We were planning to do a bike ride but sightseeing around the Frankfort area made for a wonderful day .

Arcadia Bluffs Lookout

On the way we stopped at a scenic lookout.  In the above pic we are looking south towards the town of Arcadia at the upper far left and Lake Michigan on the right.

One happy couple

Yes, this is July 22nd.  It was a cool morning.

Action off the wave breaks

Surfing anyone? 

Betsie Point Lighthouse 

The lighthouse sits atop the beach north of Frankfort.  The location overlooks where several shipping lanes combine to form one lane heading north toward the Mackinaw bridge. It is still a working lighthouse.

Stairway to the light

The stairway was steep, narrow,  and low overhead,  but we made the climb up  34 steps.

An original casting for the light

Fog signal building 

The fog signal building is now an art gallery.  All the art depicted the lighthouse.  Half of the art had "sold" on it.  There was also a gift shop and a boat house on the property. The boat house had doubled as a history museum. Reading about the history of an amazing rescue was well worth the time .

Former Coastguard Quarters 

Lunch stop in Frankfort

World Record Brown Trout

This was caught in Betsie Lake in 2007 and hangs in the restaurant.  If I hook one like this, "Dave, we're going to need a bigger net!"

Betsie Valley Bike Trail

The bike trail is under water near Frankfort on a small section.  Lake Michigan, which determines the level of Betsie Lake, is approximately 2 1/2 feet above average.  Sandy beaches have shrunk and some lakefront homes have water in the basement. 

Lighthouse at Frankfort 

Lake Michigan has many lighthouses.  I noticed one tourist getting a booklet stamped at the Point Betsie Lighthouse. It would be an interesting challenge to tour ten or twenty Lighthouses along the lake.  Most would not have a way to stamp the booklet though.  No bike ride but we had an eventful day.

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.

Upper Macatawa Greenway Trail - Zeeland, MI

We arrived at the Upper Macatawa Greenway Trailhead around 10:00 am on Monday June 18.  The area is a natural area with a primary biking trail, but there are also hiking trails and mountain bike trails scattered throughout.

I had to determine which path to take at one point.  The hiking trails were obvious but at first it was a little confusing as to the difference between the bike trail and the mountain bike trail.   Oh, the asphalt becomes dirt on the mountain bike trail.  We stayed on the asphalt trail.

The 3 mile trail (6 mile round trip) was completed in 2015 so the bridges and bike trail are in great condition.  If you want to ride more miles, this trail connects to the Fred Meijer Kenowa Trail on the north and the Holland Area trails to the south.

 Debbie and I trade off on who rides the trike and who rides the bike.  If a hill is involved, Debbie rides the trike for stability reasons.  On the flats, she gets the bike for speed reasons.

 The trail is full of curves, reasonable hills, bridges and scenery which make it very interesting.

The creek crossings were definitely worth an observation stop.

Near the top of the hill was a scenic overlook.  There were several small lakes in the lowland marsh.

There goes a mountain bike trail underneath the wooden bike-trail-bridge.

Towards the bottom of the hill, Debbie is riding through a clump of willows.

Now we are near the marsh level looking back on the hill we biked through.

The wildflowers are always worth stopping for.

The songbirds were abundant on the trail.  One homeowner near the trail erected this bird condo to attract them.  That's a Red-winged Blackbird sitting on top of the condo.

One more scenic shot on the return trip through the natural area.

We gathered our bikes and traveled, through Zeeland and on to Holland for lunch.  Holland, Michigan was settled years ago by Dutch farmers, (obviously).  I met a man on the street, (while Debbie shopped the eclectic stores), who was actually from the Netherlands.  He was visiting his aunt who had settled here just after WWII.

Holland is a patriotic town as depicted by the bronze children saluting the flag.

Our favorite spot for lunch in Holland is Cranes.

Soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts are on the menu.

We split the City Cristo sandwich.  It's turkey, provolone cheese, honey mustard, apple slices, grilled on apple butter bread, and sprinkled with powdered sugar.   It was pretty good but a bit sweet for us.

We did not split pie.  We each had one.  Oh well, back on healthier eating tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.