Great Lakes/Michigan…finished!

August 25 – September 23, 2025

Suamico to Suamico, Wisconsin via Upper Peninsula and Lower Peninsula Michigan

Final Stats:

Total Days of Trip: 30

Total Days riding: 27

Total Layover/Rest days: 3

Total Miles: 1202

Avg miles/day: 44.5

Shortest day: 23 miles (2x)

Longest day: 65 miles

Total AIS (Ass in Saddle): 110:12 (hrs:min)

Avg. overall Speed: 10.9 mph

Fastest day avg speed: 12.5 mph

Slowest day avg speed: 9.6 mph

Total Elevation climbing: 19,268 ft.

Highest elevation climbing day: 1643 ft

Lowest elevation climbing day: 226 ft

Incidental Stats:

Camping nights: 15 (14 campgrounds/1 stealth)

Bed & Breakfast Inn: 1

Motels: 11

WarmShowers guests: 1

Guests of friends: 2

0 flats … we run tubeless

9 friendly honks

1 unfriendly blast

Several friendly waves

1 asshole with a follow-up apology

O dogs chasing

3 walks uphill ( Suzy )

1 walk uphill Jim

Wardrobe issues: 2 new pair of bike shorts. 1 pr forgotten at home, 1 pr lost enroute while drying

Gear issues: 1 broken and repaired zipper on Jim’s rainbow boot cover 

Lost: 1 earring and 1 pr bike shorts (!)

Packed gear not used: Kindle book, rain pants (but a must have)

Four cardinals spotted

Ferry rides: 3

Mechanical issues: Extra parts used: zip tie for fender, washer-spacer for my disc brake

Critter issues: 0

Hottest day: Grand Rapids (Day 25)

Coldest day: Sleeping Bear Dunes (Day 12)

Rainy days: 2

High…Low…Buffalo (unexpected)

*High: We were happy to find so many small towns with city or county campgrounds which include bathrooms and showers in their city park

*Low: lack of good bicycle infrastructure in Bay City for a town that size.

* Buffalo – Olive burger… yum!

*Buffalo – we both usually use electric toothbrushes and 30 days using a manual brush was challenging. Neither of us felt like our teeth were ever very clean🤣

Trip Summary…

Another successful long distance bicycle adventure! We’re delighted that we pulled this off. Jim planned the route this winter based off a Facebook post I’d seen regarding one guys ride using many of the rail trails in Michigan. Then I read about the maps that the Michigan DOT provides free of charge specifying their trails, bicycle highways and even gives traffic volume info on the highways. These maps are divided into 8 or 9 regions…all FREE! Based on all that information Jim planned our route with stops for camp/motel and nearby restaurants for dinners each day.

We used parts of the Facebook route but expanded it to start in Green Bay where we could leave our vehicle and also to enjoy more of the Lake Michigan shoreline and include the Upper Peninsula.

Michigan turned out to be a fantastic state to take a big long ride around. I was so impressed with their trails but also the friendly people, the towns, the neat and tidy farms, the courteous drivers and the magnificent sand beaches. I enjoyed hearing the Michigan figures of speech/dialect and learning about the mitten. It’s truly a big beautiful state that I basically knew very little about before I arrived.

Trails vs Roads:

While we recently did a ride a year ago in October on the Katy Trail that was ALL one long rail trail, this particular trip we had a mix of trails and roads.

Trails…

I always enjoy the part of a trail ride that allows me to not feel like I’m “driving” my bicycle. I can relax and enjoy the freedom from cars and road noise. It’s especially enjoyable when the surface is smooth. Even if it’s not paved but crushed limestone it CAN be smooth and fast if it is packed down well.

The part of riding long distances on rail trails that I don’t like as much is the monotony of the long straight stretches in a tunnel of trees. While it feels cooler on a hot day it still gets monotonous. Every once in a while you catch a break in the trees to see the landscape but it’s fleeting.. often just glimpses.

Often when we were on the long rail trails I would disassociate with my earbuds and listen to podcasts and such. This worked really well for me.

The other negative to rail trails are the often common road crossings that you are supposed to “Stop”, but mostly you slow down enough to look both directions then roll through. Actually having to come to a complete stop with a 70-80 lb. bike+ load takes alot of energy to get going again. Just having to slow down that much can be very annoying but you have to…the consequences are too high. Usually the one in the lead slows down the most then lets the next one know by yelling either Stop or Clear!

Roads:

We have a lot of road experience so we can navigate without panic just about any type of traffic but lighter traffic is always preferable. Goes without saying that light traffic lets you relax and enjoy the ride more. Roads vary by width and shoulder size and also by pavement quality. There can be some uncomfortable rough road surfaces and also bad shoulders and many combinations of one or the other.

What I like about backroads with light traffic (ideal) is that I can enjoy the scenery, the farm houses, the crops, livestock and wildlife. I always enjoy the small communities we ride through.

So there are pros and cons of each type of bicycle traveling. This ride was great because we had quite a bit of both. We had two whole weeks of almost 100% rail trails! That in itself is unusual. Michigan is to be commended for having a strong community of rail trail supporters and benefactors that put up the monetary resources to build the initial trails. For that we are grateful because we’ve never had so many trails to ride.

Things that make me go hmmm🤔….

I observed a couple at least 30 years younger than me (I’m 69) drive to the bathroom at the RV campground in their big, full size pickup to take a shower! Their RV is parked within sight of the bathroom and it takes less than a minute to walk to the bathroom building. It took 10 seconds to drive there! It always amazes me how inactive people can be. Neither of them had any physically observant handicap that would prevent them from walking that short distance carrying a small bag of shower essentials. Prior to this the man was outside polishing up his pickup truck so I thought he was going somewhere special. I couldn’t believe it and I just wonder why he drove??! I have always thought that “camping” meant you like to be in the outdoors and don’t mind walking about. Hmmm…

Thank you… friends and family that have followed my blog posts either once or twice or every single day! I’ve been told that it feels like you are with us without the effort! I’m glad you enjoy reading your way down the road. It seems the most common adventure sharing platforms today are video but I really enjoy capturing my day in print. Guess that makes me “ old school” but it gives me a chance to share how I think and feel everyday. The good, the bad and the ugly. What was surprising was how smoothly this long trip went compared to some long ones in the past. Typically there had been “something” that has caused us to pivot or be disrupted. Not this time! Our bodies, our equipment, the weather were all working in our favor for this adventure! And we got to enjoy 10 days of it with my brother, Paul. He made us laugh with his sarcastic humor, he’s easy going and he’s a really effortless cyclist too! Thanks Paul 🥰

Next?…

There’s so much of the US, Canada and Europe that there is to see at 10 mph. We don’t have a specific bicycle plan but something might come up. Places that interest me include Ontario to Montreal to Vermont and upstate New York. I feel the east coast New England calling me. Just about anything in Europe on their “routes“ would be awesome!

We do have a long Adventure Van trip we’re going to plan for Alberta, BC and Alaska next summer. I might blog that… we’ll see.