T1 Day 44 (Liz)

 7/20/23


(To preface: In order to get from the UP to the LP of Michigan, we had to take a ferry from St. Ignace to Mackinac Island, and then another ferry from Mackinac Island to Mackinaw City. Mackinac Bridge does not allow bikes, but you can pay someone to drive you over. Mackinac Island does not allow motor vehicles so it is full of bikes and horse drawn carriages.)


Spirits were not high when we woke this morning at 5:45am to more rain. It had rained all night long and looked like it would continue all day, our tents were very wet. We were so excited for today, would it be too rainy to enjoy the sights? We considered our options 1. take the ferry and then bike 60ish miles to the campground in Petoskey (the original plan), 2. take the ferry and stay in Mackinaw City to shelter from rain, 3. say screw it, get a hotel in St. Ignace, and bike tomorrow. We decided to get to the ferry terminal and then go from there. 


At the ferry terminal, the dock master was so excited to hear about our trip and encouraged us to get on the ferry to Mackinac Island. (She also informed us we overpaid for our ferry tickets, somehow buying tickets was incredibly confusing!) Clearly the 7:15am ferry was the commuter ferry for people working on the island. We ooo-ed and aww-ed at the Mackinac bridge as the people around us played games on their phones. 


Once we got to the island, we stopped for breakfast in a little diner recommended by the dock master. Now, with food in our stomachs, we felt a bit better. And the rain had stopped! We thought maybe we could bike around the island before the rain started again. 


Turns out the rainy forecast (along with the early start) was a blessing in disguise. We were the only ones biking on the 8 mile road around the island. We biked past endless views of Lake Huron, cool rock formations, beautiful houses and inns, and forested bluffs. Once back in the town center, I could feel how busy and chaotic this place must get (someone called it Disney for bikes). We struggled to find places to park our bikes, they seemed to be the only ones on the island without kickstands and there weren’t many bike racks. (We were also the only ones on the island wearing helmets, we definitely stood out.)


We stopped by a cafe to once again consider our options. The forecast called for more rain, but it was currently sunny and the forecast always seems to be wrong. So we decided to get on the ferry to Mackinaw City and then keep biking! But, before we left the island, we stopped in the grocery store to pick up food for today and tomorrow (nothing that needed fuel), and then in a fudge shop to get the famous Mackinac fudge. Then, we hopped on our second ferry of the day!


Somehow, the weather was perfect for the rest of the day. After some bike trails and some roads with lots of potholes, we ended up on a road following the Lake Michigan coastline. We biked through the Tunnel of Trees and then along forested bluffs overlooking the water. It was one of my favorite sections of biking this trip. The sun was peaking through the trees, and we’d get beautiful views of the lake as we passed through. I was in awe, smiling as we biked miles and miles.


Eventually, we made it to our campground at Petoskey State Park where we hung our tents to dry as we went for a swim in Lake Michigan! We finished the day with a beach picnic of pitas filled with an amazing bean and veggie salad. 


Turns out you can’t trust the forecast! Today was beautiful, and fun, and worked out just as it was supposed to. From dancing in the grocery store, to biking through the Tunnel of Trees, to swimming in Lake Michigan, I loved it all. I’m grateful for the way the world unfolds, completely unbeknownst to us.

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