U.P. ride report

[pbjman]

I had a few days available between jobs so I went for a ride. Made the decision to go about 1:30 on a Sunday and was rolling two hours later after packing some clothes, air mattress, tent, and a small cooler. I decided to head north and since I always wanted to motorcycle camp at Little Wolf Lake state forest campground, I headed toward Lewiston, MI. I went there because it was my favorite place on earth when I was a kid and my family used to take our camping vacations there, and because of the late start I figured it was about as far as I would go before dark. I got there and chose a site and finished setting up just as the sun was setting. I had to fill out the self-registration and put my tag on the post when it was almost too dark to see what I was doing. Here's my camp the next morning:

It's a small rustic campground and I had one side of the park to myself:

Like the big lakes, the water level in this small lake is up this year (higher than I've ever seen it). There is usually a little area of sand beach and a small sand island, but not at this time.

[pbjman]

I was packed up and loaded by 8:30 so I continued north, as usual I would be preferring the county roads to the interstate.

I came across this sign somewhere around Atlanta, MI and thought it was cool so I turned around and grabbed a pic:

closer view of the sign:

By midday I was in Grand Marais, MI and taking a quick break before heading to ride H-58 to Munising. Here's a picture of the harbor/beach at Grand Marais.

Along H-58 there are signs for scenic stops, as it is part of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Here is a high bluff overlooking Lake Superior. It is a place called the "Log Slide" and it was a stunning view. (I also met a couple from Columbus, OH who were there on their Harley. The man said I had a 'nice v-star' and he had one once but it was too small for long trips.)

A bit later I reached Munising and stopped in town to get this pic of my bike with one of the Pictured Rocks tour boats leaving in the background.

[pbjman]

From Munising, I headed toward Marquette. Once in town I stopped for a meal and looked on my phone for where I might be able to camp. There was a place nearby called Marquette Tourist Campground so I went there and got my tent set up by 8pm which still left time for a shower and a walk around the campground. Only picture I took was this one by the swimming beach at the reservoir, just before dark:

The next day would be a bigger riding day. I've never been further in the U.P. than Marquette, so I decided to go up the peninsula to Copper Harbor. My intent was to get there, have a quick look around and see if I could make it back out of the U.P. by nightfall. I arrived in Copper Harbor around 12:30 and got a great cheesburger at some little diner. I was chatting with a waitress who told me she saw "triplets up on Brockway" this morning on her way to work. I knew Brockway meant Brockway Mountain Drive, but I has to ask "what triplets?" She said "Oh, 3 fawns. The most adorable little deer!" Apparently they have a thing where they feed deer in town all winter long, and then they become attached to them and get excited to see the babies the following summer! I told her that it was very cool that she still gets excited about natural beauty and seeing animals, even though she lives there all the time.

After my lunch and going across the street to buy a T-shirt, I headed back out of town, and up Brockway Mountain Drive. If you've been there or read about it you know it's paved but kind of rough, twisty, and steep. 4 miles later, at the top, I stopped in the lot for a few pics:

It was such a beautiful, clear day and you could see many miles in all directions.

Don't forget to watch your step if you go past the stone wall:

Fit for a postcard!

Sign says "Steep Hill Down"

Edited August 5, 2017 by pbjman

[Statussymbol]

Nice Pics...... Is that an F4 Shield on the bike? Was looking to get one with the vent.... How is it? What size? And how big are you? If you don't mind me asking.

 

Stat

[pbjman]

Nice Pics...... Is that an F4 Shield on the bike? Was looking to get one with the vent.... How is it? What size? And how big are you? If you don't mind me asking.

 

Stat

 

Hi. That is the F4 tallest/widest. One of the best things I've done to the bike! I'm 5'11" and the wind was never an issue for me anyway. Mostly got the tallest one because my wife rides with me a lot and at 5'6 she was getting heavy wind buffeting from the stock windshield. Now it's minimal as it is goes mostly over her head. The windshield is clear and scratch resistant, sheds water well, the vent is nice but funnels bugs straight into my helmet so I put a screen on the vent. Some guys prefer to see over a windshield rather than through it, but I don't mind. The protection is so good and the only time I don't like looking through it is if it's dark and raining with oncoming headlights, which is a situation I wouldn't ride in much anyway.

 

 

Now to finish the ride report but there's not much more to it. I left Brockway and descended to Eagle Harbor along 26 and then back the way I came once I reached 41. Eagle Harbor was charming because the town and roadway were right along the water. There were people at beaches and out enjoying the great weather.

Another nice view from roadside:

I continued east along 41 for a while and pulled off at a roadside rest area for a quick break and there was a nice brook with a small bridge adjacent to the parking lot.

My route took me through Seney and then east on 28. This is through the middle of the Eastern U.P., and there isn't much there. When I got on this road, my GPS indicated the next turn was 51 miles. Other than one roadside rest area, it seemed like a long, flat, straight road with no intersections, houses, towns, or traffic. Kind of peaceful but I could see how someone could get lonely or bored with it. (I'm sure it's nothing compared to the vast expanses out west, though.)

I only took that picture because it amused me that I was finally approaching a hill after 37 miles of flat/straight. (Nice clear pic taken through the F4, Statussymbol )

 

So to wrap it up, I made it across the Mackinac Bridge and through the town of Cheboygan where I grabbed some takeout from a Chinese Buffet. I made it into Cheboygan State park and got set up as it was getting dark and ate my yummy meal in the tent. The next morning I awoke to rain and the radar from my phone suggested that if I timed it right, an upcoming brief break in the rain would be my opportunity to pack up and scram! I encountered the rain on the first leg of the ride home for about an hour then things dried up, although still under cloudy skies and checking periodically on a larger system moving west-to-east across the northern 2/3 of the lower peninsula. I kept moving and got south enough to Saginaw before the bad weather got across, then from there an uneventful ride home.

Final tally was 3 nights camping, 3-1/2 days riding, just under 1400 miles, countless good sights, 1 new T-shirt

[Statussymbol]

If you ever make it down to wisconsin dells look me up

 

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[Ky. Rider]

Great pictures and nice RSV. Thanks for posting. I have an Army buddy that lives in Sault Ste. Marie. I would like to get up that way sometime.