August 23 to 25 PA Trip

We went for a trip to Pennsylvania last weekend. We left after work and made our way to Allegany State park in NY. It was a 250km ride and a border crossing (that went surprisingly fast), but we still arrived after dark. Initially we were told that the camp ground is full, but they found one open site and was able to fit us in.

We had wine, crackers & mussels with us, so need to go look for food. Although it is still officially summer, we spend a cold night in the tent.
The next morning we had to go back to the main administration building to pay for our camp site. They let us in the previous night without paying (such trusting people). They also had a great breakfast restaurant that we made use of.

Beautiful administration building. And Denise has a field day taking pictures with her new DSLR.

 The plan for today was to make our way to Rickets Glen State Park in PA. It was about 550km away on some nice Pennsylvania twisties. The first 100km was not as exciting as we expected, but it was still a lot better that riding the Ontario grid. We had a stop for Denise to take some pictures, and for me to have a siggie. And then the road got a lot better, actually GREAT. This was real Pennsylvania twisting roads. Real foot peg dragging turns, if you know what I mean. The bottom and sides of my riding boots are carrying the scars of being scrapped on the road on the tight turns. Motorcycle heaven.

We took turns riding in front, and had a ball of a time. Denise saw a sign for a lookout point, and slammed on the breaks. Man, that woke me up.
Here are some pics at the lookout point.

We didn't stick to our original plan when we realized that we will get to our intended destination to late (after dark) We cut the last 100km of our route and started to look for a place to camp. We saw signs for Bald Eagle State Park and decided to check it out. The minute I saw it, I loved it. The landscape was dry, the grass was scorched brown and it was hot as hell. It reminded me of Africa, and I loved it.
We set up camp, and rode to a nearby town to get food. That night we feasted on tinned spaghetti and meat balls.

That night was cold again, but Denise used the space blanket from her first aid kit to keep her warm. The next morning we woke up to find the whole are covered in a beautiful mist. We went for a short hike round the park.

Here is a short video clip.

The plan for today was to take the Fastest route home. We have to be back at work tomorrow (I have not won the lottery yet). Set the GPS to take us home on the fastest route, and off we go. It was still misty and the scenery was breathtaking. We also had some nice twisty roads. Next the GPS tells us to make a right hand turn onto a dirt road. No problem, our bikes are made for this kind of terrain, and since we are following the FASTEST route this dirt road will just be a short section. WRONG.
The dirt road was in good condition and we had a blast.

After about 12km we stopped to take some pictures and have a look at how long we are going to stay on this road. The GPS said the next turn off is in 6km. After the 6km we got to the turn off, but the road was still dirt. We decided to continue, since we did not want to waist time turning around and retracing our steps. The road, if you can still call it a road, became worse and worse. Up hill and down hill at 30 degree angle. Tight switchbacks with big rocks. The road was covered in baby head size rock. Sheer cliff on the one side, and sheer drop off on the other side. Our speed dropped considerably and it became very technical riding. I guess that's why it's called adventure riding.
Denise, you can add a comment if you feel like it.
After being on this road (looked more like a goat track) for an hour, we reached asphalt again. Now my GPS started acting up. It showed us roads to turn on to, that did not exist. I reset the route to take us home, but at this point the GPS routing was completely fucked up. I had to reset (reboot) the GPS multiple times to get it working again.

From that point on home it was smooth sailing. Apart from sitting in line at the border for over an hour, the rest of the ride home was uneventful.

Michigan Aug 2012 Day 6

We took off round 9am that morning, looking forward to explore the West coat of Michigan. During our stay the last two days, many people came over to our camp site with suggestions of sites to see on the West coast. The plan was to follow Hwy 31 South along the coast to Traverse City, then go up North into the 2 peninsulas, and them make our way down to the town of Arcadia, where we were planning to camp again.

We had a relaxed and scenic ride down to Traverse City, but did not stop for pictures. I need to work out a plan to take pictures from the bike wile moving (a GoPro helmet cam will work, if you are looking for gift ideas). At Traverse City we went West up the first peninsula to Old Mission State park to have a look at the light house up there. It was a out-and-back route. Apparently, Madonna (the singer, if you don't know who I,m talking about) bought her dad a wine farm on that route, but the farm's name now escapes me.

Here is a pic of the light house. Inside there's a gift shop. I must mention that entrance to the park and visiting the light house is all FREE. If you so wish, you can still blow your well earned dollars at the gift shop.

Here is Denise going into the gift shop. She did the fiscally responsible thing, and did not buy anything.

This looks like a US Marine Corp recruiting picture to me? The flag and the cammo pants just give it that feel.

At the same location is the Hessler Log Home.

Some history of the log home.

An interesting thing about our location is that we were very close to the 45th parallel, the half way point between the Equator and the North Pole.

After we left there, we had to take the same road back down the peninsula to Traverse City, and then we went North on the second peninsula on Hwy 22 Northport. Again it was a nice scenic circular route follow the lake shores. Enjoyed the ride so much, we never stopped for pictures. In Northport we stopped for gas, and took a short break. Dominique was getting tired on the back of the bike. You judge for yourself (picture below)

Our next place to visit, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, was not to far away, so I told her to hang in there. Long break coming up at the dunes.
Now the Sleeping Bear Dunes were a place we heard a lot of, and according to everybody we spoke to, it's a Must See when in Michigan. Something that should be on your bucket list. Apparently it was voted the most scenic spot in the US. So lets go see what all the hoopla is about.

You have to pay $5 per person when you enter the park, or $10 per car. If I have to pay just to see something, it better be good. There are 11 lookout points in the park that you can stop at. At the entrance gate they give you a brochure with a description of all the lookouts. Being on bike, the park officer told us that lookouts 3, 9 and 11 are the ones not to be missed.
The ride to the lookouts are amazing. Single lane road with the trees forming a canopy covering the road side to side.

This picture is just before you enter the park. Taken by Dominique from the back of the bike.

We stop at lookout 3, and walk to the viewing platform. Big dunes, covered in vegetation. Mostly grass and a few trees. We look at each other with disappointment. Whoop ti Fen Do, is that what all the fuss is about? I thought to myself, maybe we've seen so many beautiful places on this trip, that we are getting spoiled and can not appreciate stunning views as we should. I also thought, tourist trap.

We get on the bikes and ride straight to lookout #9. Find parking and walk to where everybody is looking at the dunes. Then we see this.

Bloody awesome!! eh? The pictures does not do justice to the greatness of the views. I did my best, but you get the idea. From the top of the dune to Lake Michigan at the bottom, it's about 500 feet. You can see the people walking down the side of the dune down to the lake. Big warning signs about sand slides.

In this picture below, you can just see little dots on the water. Dominique said: "Look at the ducks on the water.

In this picture my camera is on full telephoto zoom. Taken from the same location, but zoomed in on the "ducks" below in the water.

It's actually people swimming. Just look at how clear the water is. Makes you think of the Caribbean, doesn't it? Definitely the most scenic spot in Michigan. And I am so glad I had the opportunity to see it. If you ever find yourself in Michigan. Take the time and go see Sleeping Bear Dunes.

It was getting late in the afternoon, and the weather was threatening with rain. We still had about 80km to go before we get to Arcadia. The next 80km down Hwy 22 was absolute "Riding Nirvana". The tarmac was in great condition, and it was fast and twisty. Good thing we did not encounter any cops, because we were flying. Gave the outer edges of our tires a good workout.

Arriving in Arcadia, we had some trouble finding the camp grounds. And once we got to it, nobody felt good about the setup. Looked a bit "zeff". Being tired and hungry, with rain threatening, we made an executive decision, and found a motel.

Great clean place, with a firm bed and a shower. Just what we needed.

That evening we went to the "Rigger's Bar & Grill" for an awesome dinner. Great local restaurant. We can surely recommend.

Michigan Aug 2012 Day 4&5

The next morning we woke up to the sound of birds singing and the the water lapping on the shores of Anderson Lake. The sun was shining and we looked forward to riding. The tents were still wet from the previous night's rain, so we had to pack them wet.
The plan was to make our way to Wilderness State Park, near Mackinaw City. It's located on the Northern end of the Michigan West coast. After you cross the Mackinac Bridge from North to South, you hang a right and you're there.
We were hoping to get there early in the afternoon to give the tents some time to dry out in the sun. So Wilderness State Park route loaded into the GPS, and we were off.
We were going to ride down highway 2 on the Northern shore of Lake Michigan, called the Lake Michigan Scenic Highway, and then cross the Mackinac Bridge onto the main land. The GPS took us down some back roads to get to Hwy2.
At one point we were turned onto a gravel road. I stopped and asked Denise if she is up for doing some dirt with a loaded bike. It looked like a well groomed dirt road, and she said let's do it. We were riding along at about 60km/h enjoying the wild bushed area, when all of a sudden we hits sand. It was about 20cm deep, and the bikes were fish tailing all over the road. We both stayed on the gas (when in doubt, gas it) and made it thru.We stopped, and were all a bit shaken up. If we dropped the bikes, we would not have been able to pick them up filly loaded. And my leg was still hurting from the injury on the first day.
This is what people look like after they did a bit of unexpected sand riding.

We had 2 options. Turn around, and go back thru the sand, or keep going another 3km until we hit asphalt again. We all decided to keep going. We hit about another 5 or 6 patches of sand like that one, but this time we were ready. We would slow down to about 40km/h just before the sand, and then just give her gas and accelerate thru it.

Once we got to Hwy 2 along the shores of Lake Michigan, the scenery was absolutely beautiful. It's hard to believe it's a fresh water lake. Looks like the ocean to me.

And here is my riding buddies enjoying the views.

We had to cross the Mackinac bridge next. The bridge is 8km long, and is the third longest suspension bridge in the world. With the high winds we experienced on the bridge crossing into the US, we were all a bit nervous. Although the crossing was very windy, traffic moved well and we did not have to stop on the bridge at any point. Dominique was still nervous but we made it across.
After the bridge it was a short distance to Wilderness State Park on a fast and twisty section of road. Lots of fun on a bike.

We got to the gate and booked a camp site for 2 nights. Time to relax, and spend some time of the bikes, soaking in the sun on the beach.

We set up camp, and had a wonderful beach vacation.

Relaxing in our camp site.

Going to a near by store to buy some food and wine.

Sun set over Lake Michigan.

We met some great people during our stay at Wilderness State Park. Shortly after we arrived, people came over to our camp site, and introduced themselves. They wanted to know where we are from, where we are going, and told us of sites to see during our travel in their wonderful state. Americans are wonderful hosts, and love to share about attractions in their country with you. I guess that comes with being a proud and patriotic people.
On our second night there, we went over to our neighbors for some drinks. 3 Brothers. 2 from Detroit MI, and one from Baltimore ML. They had some interesting stories to tell about sport, politics and crime in the good old US of A.

Dominique also made friends and it seemed like she had a wonderful time mixing with friends her own age again, after spending so much time in the presence of her parents.

On the morning of our fifth day of travel, we packed up our camp, and we are off to explore the West coast of Michigan.