Did this approx 180 mi (290 km) ride over this last weekend. Mainly following Michigan Bicycle Route 35. I took the Lake Express Ferry to Milwaukee, WI and Amtracked back home to Chicago suburbs.
I took my tent as a backup but wound up not needing it, sorta wishing I never took it with all the little towns and motels along the way. I also stayed in some crummy $60-90 rooms, wishing I was in my tent at times too, but ah well.
Red Arrow Highway is a great, chill ride with plenty of public beaches along the way to cool your jets. The Blue Star Highway is even prettier with nice wide shoulders on both. Met lots of great people in Michigan, and a few pickup truck drivers too eager to flex their engines as the passed me, but that’s nothing new or unexpected. Great breweries and good along the way, causing me to actually gain a couple pounds, could also be water weight, as I drank more water than even I was expecting.
I also met a cool cyclist from Atlanta named Dennis and his dog, Angus, making their way to Maine (I believe). He was eager to share maps of his journeys in the US and Europe and gave be a full rundown of his ride.
I highly recommend this tour. The further north I got, the more beautiful the landscape became. I look forward to continuing up the bike route north of Muskegon someday.
by SuperCambot