This is a ride not to miss. In my quest to ride across each state I drove to Michigan to ride 420 miles northward on the west side of the state along Lake Michigan. There would be 488 riders on 38 tandems, 10 recumbents and 402 wedgie bikes. We went through some of the most beautiful country I've ever ridden through. I liked it so much that I want to eventually buy a lakefront retirement summer home there.

The organization was fantastic and the route has been honed over the years to an almost perfect ride. The total route is through country rich with tourist attractions. We had a ride schedule of 60+ miles per day in a low humidity and temperature environment. I had never been to this part of Michigan before and somehow pictured the shore of Lake Michigan to be like the Chesapeake Bay. It wasn't. It was extremely clean and sparkling clear. The shoreline was either woods or sand dunes. Yes, sand dunes so high that they were mountains.

Overnight stops were in Holland, Montague, Ludington, Frankfort, Sutton Bay, Elk Rapids, Petoskey and Macinaw City at high schools. They didn't have an option to sleep in the school gyms as we do here, but since it was around 50° each night it was more pleasant to sleep outside in a tent. Breakfast and dinner were included in the registration and was served at the school by a local volunteer group. I found the meals to be good and some were even great.

Sag support was extremely good. There were about 6 vans and a mobile bike shop, all with cell phones to remain in contact with each other and emergence vehicles. Sag wagons didn't keep moving like they usually do here. They went ahead and stopped besides the road until a certain number of cyclists got ahead of them. Then they moved up. When there was an emergency only the closest responded and the other re-spread themselves. They didn't have planned rest stops, but that was never a problem because there were so many stops with rest rooms and water along the way. Also all sag wagons had lots of water.

We were told that if we got to the next school before 3:00 PM we just weren't having enough fun. I was having so much fun that I usually got in at 5:00 to 6:00 PM. I rode with two couples on tandems and two others on single cycles. We rode fast (18+Avg), but stopped often because there was so much to do. We usually stopped each day at a beach for a swim. The first day alone I stopped to go for a jet ski ride, to watch a beach volleyball tournament, to watch a Harley Davidson motorcycle hill climb, to eat ice cream, to take a ferry boat ride, to eat lunch at the famous Red Rooster Tavern and to see the worlds largest weather vane. On another day I went for a dune buggy ride, a canoe ride, shopping, and a bakery stop. Along the whole route there were many roadside fruit stands to stop at. They had locally grown just picked cherries, blueberries, peaches, and apricots. Lunch stops were a highlight of the day as I was riding with locals who knew the hidden spots that we just couldn't miss. I even kissed a moose (stuffed).

All in all, it was an extremely great ride that I plan to do again next year. I'd love to go with a group from our club. Write or E-mail me if you are interested.