Up Over: 7/6/16 Doing the "Pinkie"

What itinerary? Plans to cross into the UP were thwarted today when the little finger of the Michigan mitten beckoned us.

We gratefully rode out into another weather-perfect day, again congratulating ourselves on the fact that we did not take the Chicago route, as heavy storms swept through that area. We roared up route 31, a motorcycle dream with rolling sweepers that Rascal leaned into with joy. Passing Bear Lake we dodged happy tourists flocking to the beaches or shopping, enjoying Michigan's short summer. Lines for ice cream wound around street corners as families lined up for sweet treats. Reminiscent of the Jersey Shore, these sandy beaches live up to their nickname, "The Third Coast".

At lunch we studied the map and decided we weren't done with this part of Michigan, so we veered off 31at Benzonia to follow route 22 along Crystal Lake and up the Leelanau Penninsula. More beach towns dotted our path. Between the towns ,trees red with cherries filled countless orchards at this peak of the harvest season. Michigan produces 75% of the tart cherries in the US, but as we discovered, they also grow some mouth watering sweet varieties also.

At Northport we crossed to the other side of the Penninsula and headed south. Stunning views of Suttons Bay and then West Arm Grand Traverse Bay rolled by as we swept the coast of this spit of land, the "pinkie" of Michigan. Traverse, the end of our side trip, was packed to the gills. Traffic, both foot and wheeled, slowed us to a near halt. Because we are wanderers and not planners, we had unknowingly landed in the heart of the National Cherry Festival. Phobic of traffic and crowds, we high tailed it down the road, missing the adult cherry pie eating event and the cherry pit spit contest.

Any disappointment we may have felt at missing these events abated as we flew up the East side of Grand Traverse Bay to Charlevoix, where we put our kickstand down for the night and enjoyed the evening sights by a drawbridge, a lake and a bay.

Water has been our side kick since our foray into Michigan. Hugging the coast, we have travelled by innumerable lakes, rivers and bays. Never far from a source of recreation, residents equip their yards with boats, kayaks, and any other water toy known to man. What a wonderful place to live - in July. In 4 months, ice will form on the lake and snow will begin to fall in feet. But Michiganders will break out their winter tools and toys and skate into the cold. Pure Michigan - pure heaven and pure enjoyment for these two riders as we plan tomorrow's jump to the UP.

Side note: Every trip we take Jules and I look for giant replicas of animals, people, etc. used to advertise or promote. We hit the mother lode today as seen in my pictures. There are so many quirky sights to see on this long and winding road.