Michigan Cycling Trip July 2001 - page 1
Bob Schmidt & Rupa Hamal & CRES Cycling club
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Michigan Cycling Trip July 2001 - page 1 Bob Schmidt & Rupa Hamal & CRES Cycling club |
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Background
Rupa had a month vacation from Dental school, so we decided to join the CRES cycling club on a trip to Michigan. 12 Club members went on the trip: Bob Schmidt, Rupa Hamal, Dave Jeffords, Tricia Kovacs, Bob Shamansky, Barb Renick, Michael Dreiling, Shou-Shen Chen, Sharon Green, Karl King, Ray Murphy, and Marvin Darling.
Thanks to Bob Shamansky and Tricia Kovacs for doing most of the trip planning. The route was selected for moderate distances - about 55 to 70 miles per day.
20 July 2001- Gahanna Ohio
We rented a large Van. Dave and crew fitted bike racks. Due to an unusual roof design, they were forced to go out and quickly buy parts to extend the height of the Yakima bicycle racks in order to fit properly on the van. Using chewing gum and baling wire, they crafted a workable solution. Thanks team!
Bike racks held 11 bikes - ten singles and one tandem (for Bob & Rupa). Other folks gathered that evening to load bikes and eat sandwiches at Rupa and Bob's house.
21 July 2001 - drive to Petosky Michigan
The group got everything loaded and ready Saturday morning, and we were on the road by 8 AM. Marvin put the pedal to the metal and we sped northward. Van carried 7 people, as 2 cars traveled separately for logistical reasons (separate trips before or after cycling). Carl and Ray spent much of the trip discussing fancy cars they would like to own. Arrived in Petosky in good time around 5 PM. Bob Schmidt's Uncle (also named Bob Schmidt) met us at the hotel for a visit before we started cycling. He drove up from his cabin in Baldwin Michigan that day. All logistics worked and everyone arrived at the right place that evening.
The only real incident occurred when Marvin & Shamansky became unruly after learning there was cold beer that Uncle Bob had stored in our room. They barged into the room, accused us of hoarding the precious liquid, and ransacked our supply. This left Rupa and Bob and Uncle Bob with only soft drinks to slake our thirst.
After dinner Rupa and Bob and Uncle Bob drove a few miles to Harbor Springs, which is a fashionable resort community on the lake. Many large pleasure boats were docked there, some from as far away as Philadelphia and Florida. Several were bigger than our houses. The town is very pretty, with a classic Main street and tennis courts right next to the boat docks.
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22 July 2001 - Petosky to St. Ignace
Sunday morning was warm and humid with bright sunshine. Uncle Bob kindly took some group pictures (wrestling with 10 different cameras) before we started riding. Most of us wore the Club cycling jerseys - note Barb's eye-catching design.
We said farewell to Uncle Bob and rode out of town. First stop was a state park with beaches overlooking the Bay. A few miles later, we left the main road (M-119) and rode along the beautiful waterfront cottages near Harbor Springs. The bright sunshine gave Lake Michigan a beautiful blue color set against the sand and green trees. Leaving town we took a little detour out on more wooded roads with fancy cottages. This is one of the nicest towns in Michigan.
Back on M-119, the road turned north and followed the coastline. Most of the route is under a tree canopy which kept the temperature moderate. We were happy to have very light traffic since the road is narrow and parts are winding. We ate lunch in an unusual Polish-American restaurant in Cross Village. The interior was all heavy carved wood with deer antlers and outdoor motif. As with many places in Northern Michigan, this place did not have air conditioning and it was very warm that day. The Polish food was quite good however. Rupa surprised the Polish owner by speaking some Russian with him. At another table, Shou-Shen surprised a waitress from Taiwan by showing up (this particular restaurant rarely seeing Asian visitors) and speaking Chinese with her.
Continuing North, the road turned inland through very sparsely settled areas. Rupa and Bob accompanied Carl when he unleashed a burst of speed to arrive in Mackinac City. We could see the Mackinac bridge (one of the longest in the world) for many miles before actually arriving in town, where we took a few photos with Carl.
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Most of the group took their bikes on a ferry from Mackinac City to Mackinac Island, which is a nice place to tour and ride and eat fudge (the island's specialty). Rupa and Bob skipped this trip since they had already visited Mackinac Island during July 2000. Instead we rode in the van over the Mackinac bridge to the Upper Peninsula and the town of St. Ignace where our hotel was located.
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