9/8/2025 Monday
Ludington to Montague MI
Stats: Miles: 45. AIS: 4:21. Speed: 10.4 mph. Elev. 1121 ft.
Another chilly morning start 44’ . Because we were warm in a hotel we had our earliest start yet… 8am. Had all the warm layers going but as usual after a few miles and the first climb or two, the extra jackets start to come off. Little by little today it got warmer… the gloves and headband come off, the leggings come off and today… all the jackets came off. Down to my long sleeved bike jersey for the last 5 miles!
The sun was shining and we did have headwind (again) coming out of the south. It was a chilly wind until the last 5 miles and you could feel it warm up. We ended up in the low 60’s at the warmest today. Felt pretty good when you were out of the wind.
We didn’t have alot of stops today. The first 23 miles were a bit hilly with a few glimpses of Lake Michigan but we were mostly a few miles inland. We rode through a few little towns.
We were on a backroad near a lake called Bass Lake. It was dark and woodsy and mostly trailer homes and older rundown cottages. Seemed like something out of Duck Dynasty. Haven’t seen much of that until today. I guess we’re out of the touristy and wealthier part of Michigan.
The first town was Pentwater. It had a nice harbor that we rode along. The next town was Hart. We never went into Hart but we picked up a trail we would ride for the final 22 miles today.
On the outskirts of Hart we picked up a really great trail. It was smooth and fast without a lot of crossroads for stopping. Our next town was Shelby.. we stopped there for lunch.
This Hart Montague trail is 22 miles long. It was the first Rail to Trail in Michigan. It was developed in 1989. It is now a linear State Park.
There were a handful of cyclists and walkers on the trail today. We encountered 5 Tri-cycles (. 2 couples and 1 solo). Then there was a tandem recumbent! Not bad for a Monday.
got on the trail
As we were riding through Shelby the air smelled really sweet. Then we went past a plant of some sort. Turns out it was a fruit processing plant. They process apples, cherries, peaches and blueberries. They make frozen fruit, cut up fruit, purées and juices.
After lunch we had 14 miles to our campground in the city of Montague. We made it to camp at 2pm. One of our shortest days yet. The campground is operated by the city so it’s right in town. There are 4 tent sites. It is well designed.. the tent separate from the RV’s and a marsh on the other side of us. We can hear the Sandhill Cranes as I write this blog.
We set up early, showered, hand washed today’s bike clothes… lots of time in the sun to dry today. Time to relax in the tent (little nap for me😊). Just a block away was a brewery with dinner. Jim had good tacos and I had a Reuben sandwich. (no shortage of sauerkraut!). By the time we came back to our tent our clothes were dry!
We were early to the brewery… about 4:45. Just about the only people there. A nice couple sat next to us at the bar. They were also bicycling the trail. We crossed paths earlier. They were on and out and back ride. They gave us some intel on the trails we will be travelling. By the time we ate and left the joint was jumping. Trivia night.
Things I notice…
Since we started I have noticed all the Dutch Colonial style homes along the way. The pictures below are what Dutch Colonials look like. We’ve seen small ones, big ones and even a double. I’ve always liked them. As a matter of fact we owned a Dutch Colonual when we lived in South Milwaukee WI! Ours was rather small but I liked it!
of course😜
Tomorrow we have a longer day.., 56!! Jim found out from some other cyclists who came into the brewery. We were suppose to be all on trail tomorrow but a section is closed for maintenance. Weather will be warmer and still some wind from the south. We are headed southeast towards Grand Rapids.
cinnicrew 