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.

White Pine Trail - Comstock Park to Rockford (MI)

It had been several years since Chris and I biked through Rockford, MI on the White Pine Trail.  At the time we were heading south and meeting my sister for pick up so there was no time to go exploring.  Friday July 15 was different.

By 9:15am we had dropped Schooner off at doggie day care and were on our way to Grand Rapids, MI to ride the Forest Hills Trail on the east side of Grand Rapids.  Because of the name of the trail, especially the word "Hills" we thought it best to drive the trail before committing.  Upon close inspection of what appeared to be an adequately maintained but somewhat narrow trail which sometimes forced the rider onto the road, as well as a good number of hills to traverse, we decided to head for the White Pine Trail instead.

Actually finding the trailhead for the White Pine proved to be somewhat of a challenge.  The Michigan Trails magazine is a great source for bikers in MI, but was a bit vague as to where the trailhead at Comstock Park was located.  We discovered there is a Comstock Park community and there is a Comstock Park recreational area.  We were unable to find the staging area at the first location, so we opted to park at the Michigan Whitecaps baseball stadium which is next to the trail. This was not a game day so we had many spaces from which to choose.

Whitecaps Baseball Stadium

It was 11am and 69 degrees (in JULY!) and we were on the trail headed north toward Rockford.

The trail is 10 feet wide, asphalt paved, and well maintained.  For much of the ride both sides of the trail are shielded by tall lush trees. From time to time the trail crosses the Grand River or in the photo on the right it crosses US 131.

The Rogue River Park staging area near Belmont offers parking, restrooms, and water. 

 Riding toward Rockford offers much scenery and photo ops!

As we approach town  we notice a very nice park with walking or dog walking paths to the east.  There are a good number of cyclists and walkers out today enjoying the weather.  Because of some trail maintenance we are directed to make a slight detour into town.  

Found this old train as we followed the detour

The detour gives us the opportunity to see a little more of town than we might have otherwise.  There are boutiques (having sidewalk sales) and eateries along the trail.  The town is small but very busy.

On the left is one of many places to park near the trail.

On the right and below is a walking path along the Grand River.
(Click on any picture to enlarge)

It is noon and time for lunch.  We chose Ramona's Table for our dining experience.  Bike racks were nearby and all along the trail.

My selection was the Maui Wowie Fish Tacos.  Those who know me also know that I'm a sucker for fish tacos.  Very difficult for me to pass them up.  EVER!  These tacos were seasoned and grilled Mahi Mahi with a black bean mango salsa, with chipolte, feta, and lettuce.
The pic on the right was Chris' selection of soup (French Onion) and 1/2 a Turkey sandwich on a toasted cranberry bread.  Both meals were excellent!

After lunch we walked around the park and dams.

Picture perfect view of the dams in Rockford

 We decided to jump back on our tandem and head north a little further.  There is a walking path and wooden bridge across the river from our bike path.

We biked 1.5 miles north of Rockford and turned around to head back.

 On our ride south we decided to try to find the REAL trailhead in Comstock Park as mentioned in our trail magazine.  We bypassed the car and kept on cruising.
On the left we are at a scenic overlook of the Grand River.  Anyone notice the ominous clouds in the pictures?  We had the clouds most of the day, but thankfully did not get rained on during the ride.



A few miles past the stadium the trail stops and makes a T.  We are the little blue dot in the picture on the left.  Still no park in site, but we do find it on the map.  We took the trail to the east and crossed the Grand River.  There is a bike trail all of the way to Comstock Park but a portion of it meant we had to cross a fairly busy intersection with no traffic light and ride on the street briefly in a biking lane.

Doing it all over again I would definitely park at or near the stadium or drive to Belmont for a staging area.  Comstock Park is not all that user friendly for the ride north!

We arrived back to our car at 3pm after riding 24 miles.  Checked the weather app and it was still 69 degrees!

What a fun day!  Would I do it again?  Oh yes!  You know how I like those fish tacos!!!

White Pine Trail - LeRoy to Cadillac (MI)

 It is another beautiful sun-filled day day as we leave Muskegon at 8:30am to drive the hour and a half to LeRoy, MI.  Schooner is safe and secure at the nearby Dog Star Ranch and we are confident of a great day of biking on another Michigan rail-trail.  Today's goal is to ride 17 miles of the 93-mile Fred Meijer White Pine Trail.  Including the return trip we have an ambitious 34 mile ride planned.
The White Pine trail lies on the former Penn Central Railroad from Grand Rapids to Cadillac, MI.

It is 10 am on Friday July 11 under clear sunny skies with a temperature of 70 degrees F when we arrive in LeRoy, MI.  Once the bike is unloaded we seek out the nearest facilities for a pit stop before beginning the 1.5 hr ride to Cadillac.  As a trailhead, LeRoy is not the best.  Parking is sparse.  Facilities limited.  The pic on the left are the "facilities" that we found.
Just as we were preparing to get underway we met an interesting man just cycling in from the south.  His name was Terry and he was from Dallas at one time.  He said in 2003 he was told he had one year to live, max.  He and his wife decided to move to Howard, Michigan where she had family, in an effort to defy the diagnosis given to him.  He daily pursues a healthy lifestyle.  Would like to have visited longer with Terry, but he was completing a ride and we were starting one.  We concluded our visit feeling very glad to have met this living miracle.

The trail is approximately 10 feet wide and is paved with asphalt.  This is one of the nicest trails we have ridden in Michigan or anywhere.  It is well maintained, clear of debris, and so very scenic!  From wildlife to wild flowers the trail is filled with wonders.

A few miles up the trail is the village of Tustin.  The trailhead here provides ample public parking.  There is a cafe and museum nearby.  Pic on the left is the trailhead at Tustin.  Pic on the right gives a glimpse of the town.

A beautiful forest 

Because we are riding on a rail trail there is never more than a 3-5% change in grade, thankfully!  We are surrounded by gently rolling hills covered with forests of various types of trees as well as lush farms with crops either just harvested or ready to harvest.  When on a hill we gazed across the valley and could see over the tops of pines growing on the hills around us.  It was breathtaking.

Dense forest with tall ground cover

A farm beside the trail

Lake with beaver dam

Canopy-covered trail

Tunnel just before Cadillac

The staging area just south of Cadillac includes a large parking area, a porta-john, and, well, that's pretty much all it includes.  We kept riding north.

Soon we enter the town of Cadillac.  Below are pics of Cadillac Lake.

We parked our bike and walked a couple of blocks to the Simply Delightful Cafe.  The special of the day was a Turkey Rueben for $5.95.  The Rueben was delicious but they also had Moomers Ice Cream.  We shared a bowl of Red, White, and Blue-berry Cheesecake ice cream.  OH MY!

This contained a serious amount of YUM!  No calories, just yum!

On the left is the town of Cadillac.  On the right is the After 26 Cafe occupying the old train depot.  

It is now 1:20 and time to head back to LeRoy.  

We are about 6 miles down the trail and we see the gentleman pictured below.  A man we will not soon forget.  We stopped to see if he had a story to share with us, and he did just that.  

This is Wil Reding an interpretive naturalist.  He left Grand Rapids, MI 5 days earlier and was walking his way to Cadillac where his wife was scheduled to pick him up around 6:30 pm tonight.  At 69 he is eager to take a break and share with us.  

         Wil showed us his tatoo and explained that in 2006 (when he was 60) he and his wife set out to retrace John Muir's 1000 mile walk to the Gulf.  They used Muir's journals, Civil War maps, and did countless hours of research to recreate the journey.  It took the Redings 53 days to walk 800 of the 1000 miles.   He currently has plans for a walk in Spain (and surrounding countries) for his 70th birthday next year.  Meeting Wil Reding was definitely a highlight on our ride.

One of many beautiful farms as we head home

It is 3:15 when we conclude our ride on the White Pine Trail.  We begin our drive southwest toward Muskegon.  What a day filled with fun, adventure, and beauty beyond words.  I love our trail rides.  I love spending time with my sweetheart as we share the wonder of God's creation--the waters, the animals, the lands, and especially the people.