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.

Hart Montague Trail - Whitehall to Country Dairy

Tree tunnel on Hart - Montague Trail

The scenery of this trail brings a smile to our faces year after year.

Road closure due to high water between Whitehall and Montague

Although the storms in western Michigan haven't been as severe as in Oklahoma, there has been more than enough rainfall to cause problems.  The road between Whitehall and Montague was closed from flooding.  No problem for us since the bike trail crossing the river was still open.  I wonder if a delivery truck for Montague Foods might park at the Visitor Center (see next picture) and run his groceries across the bike trail.   It would be about a 20 mile detour if he chose to drive around the flooding or a 1/2 mile tote of goods.  I suspect the 20 mile workaround would be best.  

Visitor Center (old rail stop at Whitehall)

We begin our ride at the Visitor Center in Whitehall rather than the gazebo in Montague.  This only added about a mile total to our planned ride.

The caboose shows the Chesapeake and Ohio ran their train along this route in olden times.

Trikes are a little slower than conventional bikes, but stopping for pictures is easier.

The White River delta, (Michigan)

This marshy area is just before the river flows into White Lake.

Debbie looking over White River off the trail bridge.  

The White River begins near White Cloud, Michigan and flows into 

White Lake which flows into Lake Michigan which flows into Lake Huron which flows into Lake Erie which flows through Niagara Falls and into Lake Ontario which flows into the St. Lawrence River which flows into the Atlantic Ocean.  Perhaps Debbie is wondering how long it takes a drop of water falling at White Cloud to make it to the Atlantic.  

A crop of wildflowers that come out each year

I think God likes purple

Selfies at a creek crossing

I think I see a few fish or is it just moss swirling

The trail from Montague to Hart is the oldest converted rail-trail in Michigan, but the surface and bridges were redone just a couple of years back. 

The smooth trail makes for a great ride

The trail approaching New Era

All along the trail are these pink honeysuckle bushes.

The white variety is more predominate than the pink

Dogwoods are now in bloom - but not for long

Our final destination on this trip is the Country Dairy which lies between New Era and Shelby

Our roundtrip from Whitehall and the Country Dairy and back was about 24 miles.

Gathering Place and Tulsa River Trails - OK

After several years of construction,  Gathering Place is now open and free to the public.  It surrounds Riverside Dr. between 27th and 33rd avenues and incorporates a portion of the Tulsa River Trails.  If urban parks across our nation were ranked for quality, this one would undoubtedly rise to the top.  As a result, it is now one of our favorite trike ride destinations.

We began our ride from Cherry Hill RV Park and headed north on the River Parks West Trail.  Fall colors are just beginning to show.  We caught a glimpse of a bobcat near this point but it didn't hang around for picture taking.

The Tulsa River trails are very popular.  Even though the bike trail is separate from the walking trail, we had to ride single file much of the way to allow passing traffic.

Approaching the 21st Street Bridge we catch a shot of  downtown Tulsa and the Arkansas River.  With all the recent rains, the river has rapids and would be extremely treacherous for kayakers. 

The 21st Street Bridge has a steep ramp on the east side of the river.  It's much easier coming down versus going up.

Entering Gathering Place from the west side of Riverside is now simple from the trail.  Rather than crossing traffic at about the 2700 block, ride 2 more blocks and cross over Riverside at about the 2900 block.  Here there is an overpass walking/biking bridge that reminds me of the I-44 overpass facility near Vinita, Oklahoma.

We are now on the Midland Valley Trail that wraps around the east side of Gathering Place.  Then the trail heads north towards downtown Tulsa.  Via connector routes and trail, you can actually ride all the way to Skiatook, if you are so inclined.

 In this portion of the park, bikes, and other toys, are permitted only on the perimeter trails.

Bike parking is plentiful around the park - not quite so much for car parking although it's available as well.

Inside the park there is a mountain of activities to exhaust kids, parents, and grandparents. 

There is also a couple of restaurants and of course, ice cream.  I recommend the salted butterscotch, or carmel butter percan, or chocolate raspberry,  or all three.

For us older kids there is a scooter track, skateboard track, and basketball/volleyball courts.  Well, I might do the basketball.   The scooter track did look fun though.

Heading south down the River Parks East trail we notice the maple trees are in full color.

Crossing the 71st street bridge and heading to the park halfway up Turkey mountain was our biggest challenge of the day.   We generally take one rest stop on the climb.

The Turkey Mountain Park has lots of hiking and mountain biking trails that are worth the effort but not today.

Don't let the climb up Turkey Mountain scare you off seeing this portion of the trail especially this time of the year.  The sandstone cliffs and fall foliage are worth the view.  Our loop around the river which included a short jaunt up the Midland Valley Trail totaled a little over 15 miles.  It was a gorgeous day.