Pere Marquette Rail-Trail - Evart to Farwell, MI

It was 63 degrees Monday, July 24, 2017, at 11:00 am when we began our ride of the Pere Marquette State Trail out of Evart, MI.  The section we are riding today begins at Evart and goes east through Lake and then to Farwell.  Each of these towns offers staging areas, and Farwell has two staging areas.

The trail is paved with asphalt, is wide, and is well maintained.  The picture on the left is the old train depot which now serves as a community center and holds some city offices.  There is a huge parking area at this trailhead.  We noticed someone had brought their travel trailer and parked it in the lot.  There was plenty of room.

Almost immediately upon leaving town we found this beautiful old bridge taking us across the Muskegon River.  On the right is the Muskegon River viewed from the bridge.




Pictured here are 2 of the 3 tunnels we cycled through.



It is fun to ride the rail trails knowing that there was once a train that passed this way quite frequently, and most likely there were people on the train looking out the windows seeing some of the same beauty we are seeing.  This was a gorgeous trail and we had such a perfect day in which to take in all of nature's best!

We saw farmlands, lakes, marshes, wildflowers, and many trees.

Loved the "sled parts" sign!

Can you imagine being on the trail in the winter and needing "sled parts"!  Oh my!

From Evart it is 13.6 miles to the town of Lake (our Michigan Trails book says Lake Station).  The picture on the left is the old train station along with a section of the old train.
On the right is the Lakeside Bar and Grill where we had lunch.

Before leaving town we went to this old General Store to check it out.  It had a little of everything!
We selected a package of trail mix for an energy boost on our ride.
Rail Trails have a max of 3 - 5 % grades, which is one reason we prefer riding them over other trails.

From Evart we noticed a small change in elevation during most of our ride into Lake.  We had been slowly climbing!


Just outside of Lake is the coal chute or coaling station used to resupply the train.  We have seen refilling stations before and they are usually situated at the top of the grade.  So when we came to this coaling station we knew we would be going down hill on our way to Farwell.

Farwell is about 8 miles from Lake, where we had lunch.  The landscape remains every bit as enchanting.

One of my favorite sites on our rides is the remarkably tall trees. Pictured on the left are some of those trees.  Wow!
On the right is a field of wildflowers and  tree branches.
Picturesque!

This picture is of a marsh where a beaver or perhaps several beavers have made their home.  Their construction site looked massive!

After 21 miles we reached Farwell and turned around at Little Field Park.  We then began our ride back to Evart.  The total miles for this ride were 42.  It was our biggest ride of the year and our longest on our recumbent bikes to date.  We both did very well on the ride and the mild temperatures helped make that possible.  There was a moment on about mile 33 that I was wishing my bike seat could be "fluffed" a bit!  HaHa!  We arrived back at our car in Evart around 5:00 pm.

Clare, MI is on our way to Midland where we are staying a couple of nights while riding nearby trails.  In Clare there is a bakery which has been in constant business since 1896.  In 2009 when the business (Clare City Bakery) was within weeks of closing its doors, the police officers of Clare (all 9 of them) went together and saved the historic business.  Thus the name "Cops and Doughnuts"!  On an interesting side note, a friend in our RV park said that this bakery was in their family at one time, owned by her grandparents!  It is so fun to learn the history of such places!

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!