Day 18 - Return From The Frozen Tundra To The Sand Dunes Of Michigan

---

---

This morning we bid a sad goodby to the upper peninsula, though we technically left yesterday when we crossed the Mackinac Bridge, but we could still see it across the bay. After a quick hotel breakfast, we loaded up the bike and hit the road at about 8:00, about typical for us lately. It was warmer this time, mid-60's, jean jacket weather for me but still leather jacket weather for Jody. Our plan was to follow US-31 all the way from Mackinaw City down to Saugatuck and ride the dunes. Since our hotel was actually on the old US-31 it didn't take long to get on the right US-31S. In the first hour, we passed through a series of towns in what is somehow called Upper Michigan which actually means Upper Lower Michigan as opposed to the Upper Peninsula. Too confusing for me, but the towns were really pretty. With names like Petoskey, Charlevoix, and Traverse City, these were the prettiest little lakefront towns with Traverse City being the largest resort town. They are all situated on the shores of Lake Michigan and feature parks, boating, camping and all the summer leisure time activities. They are also noted for cherries and local wines. Evidently, in the winter there is a substantial amount of ski tourism, though I'm not sure how you ski without a lot of mountains nearby.

The weather was warming as we passed through these towns and the locals were in t-shirts and shorts, while the best I could do was to remove my jean jacket, and the best Jody could do was to switch from her leather jacket to her jean jacket. We've both been in Florida too long to deal with much in the line of cold weather. The riding was wonderful! It was Sunday morning, no traffic, and the roads were clear and smooth with little hills and some curves. We were looking forward to a full day of this, but as we continued south on US-31 the scenery began to change. Just outside of Traverse City, we began to head more inland. We passed the Interlochen Center For the Arts, where Jody spent a year back in her high school days. Now we were passing through more small farms and cherry orchards. There were also many small lakes with campgrounds and fishing everywhere. Since we were away from Lake Michigan, the temperature began to rise a little, and it was making for a pleasant ride.

In the meantime, I had set up the Garmin to get some idea how far we were away from the Saugatuck Dunes, but we were having trouble getting the Garmin lady to acknowledge the new route. I typically set the Garmin in "avoid highways" mode to keep to the secondary and back roads and to avoid the interstates. I rechecked my paper MapQuest map and we were heading in the right direction, but the Garmin lady kept wanting me to go back. When we got to about 100 miles from Saugatuck, we made a turn onto a new section of US-31 and quickly figured out the Garmin lady's problem. Just like US-41 in Wisconsin a few days ago, the northern section is 2-lane country road, but the lower 100 miles, even though it is not technically an interstate, it is a 4-lane divided highway with a 75 mph speed limit. It was too much "highway" for the "avoid highways" selection. When I turned off "avoid highways", the Garmin lady told us we had a little over an hour to go.

The last 100 miles on US-31 was not particularly pleasant. There was a lot of grooved pavement, but mostly it was VERY windy the whole time. There were some wind farms visible and while we appreciate the alternative energy of wind farms, we hate to see them as it means we are entering an area that is going to be highly and consistently windy. But we were getting excited in anticipation of the dune ride, so we cranked up the tunes, held on and kept going. It wasn't long before the Saugatuck exit was approaching. The Saugatuck Dune Rides place was only about a mile from the US-31 exit so we pulled up at about 2:00.

Saugatuck Dune Rides uses an old Dodge Power Wagon fitted with five rows of seats so it can hold about 18 people. One was leaving just as we arrived, so we went in and signed up for the next one due to leave at 2:30. Time passed quickly, and soon we were boarding the dune buggy for our own adventure. The trip took about an hour, including a few quick stops to explain the dunes and the history, and a 10 minute stop at the top of one off the dunes where we could get out and wander about. It turns out the dunes are not really a completely natural phenomena. They are an unintended consequence of logging in the area. After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the locals cut down all the trees to sell to Chicago and made lots of money. Unfortunately, without the trees as protection, the wind blew the sand from Lake Michigan into the town at a rate of about 5" to 6" per year.

It didn't take long for the town to get overwhelmed. The large natural lake in the area lost half its size as it was filled in with sand. Eventually, the town picked up and moved further south, and some of the remaining buildings were left to be covered in sand. There is a multi-story hotel that was left and its roof was still visible until the 1970s'. Since then, the dunes have been planted with grasses which have dramatically slowed the growth. The ride took us through a series of sand paths, some through the woods and some through the dunes. There were climbs and drops, and curves with large drops over the side. In all, they went fast and slid around curves and we all had a great time. The driver was funny and knowledgeable and loved playing tricks on the younger children, all in good fun! It was a great time, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Not quite as exciting as our last trip to the Oregon dunes, but a great time anyway.

After the dune ride, we headed over to the hotel. We were originally going to stay in Saugatuck, but there aren't that many hotels, so we backtracked a little north to Holland where we had a much better selection. Tomorrow, we visit the Windmill Island Gardens in Holland and also the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners as we head to East Lansing to meet up with Jody's Aunt Jeannie before finally ending up in Dearborn. We get to sleep late tomorrow and our first stop is only 2 miles away and it doesn't open until 9:30. We're not traveling too far tomorrow,but we're doing a lot!

318.9 Miles Today

2939.1 Miles Total

8.024 Gallons Today

75.908 Gallons Total

---