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  This 24th edition of the Michigan Shoreline West tour ran about 370 miles from Montague to Mackinaw City over 6 full days of riding, plus a layover day in Traverse City. It was hot & humid much of the time, but a tailwind and only a couple of rain showers made for good riding overall.
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  The bike-carrying truck being loaded up in Mackinaw City.
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  Arrivals for the bus ride from Mackinaw City High School get their gear lined up.
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  These pre-ride buses took us on a 5-hour drive from Mackinaw City to the starting location in Montague. It sure seemed like a long way to have to ride back!
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  This was the first night's camping with Bubba at the Montague High School.

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  This was a familiar sight for Bubba's regularly pampered riders.
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  Water, snacks, and drinks are always ready for us in The Zone.
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  After a brief morning shower, we were ready to get on the road.
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  Bikes lined the fences as the clouds were clearing.
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  This is one of the most popular stopping points on the ride.

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  The cherry turnovers were incredibly good!
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  Our first look at the sand dunes that line much of the shoreline.
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  Pentwater was our first "major" town and a good place to catch some lunch.
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  I ate outdoors at the Village Cafe.
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  There is a small harbor here that leads into the Big Lake.

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  This viaduct goes past a large reservoir used by the power company.
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  A view from the viaduct.
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  This tent was my home for the week.
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  Always nice to have some shade on a hot, muggy day.
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  No comment...

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  State routes with wide shoulders were always welcome.
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  The county roads were lightly traveled.
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  Somewhere between Ludington and Manistee.
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  Downtown Manistee was quiet early on a Monday morning.
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  A drawbridge over the channel out to the lake.
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  The best locations are on the inland lakes that are near the shore of Lake Michigan.

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  Taking advantage of the first beach we came to that was directly on Lake Michigan.
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  I decided to wait until we got to our destination at Frankfort.
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  Nice and shady on a hot day.
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  The only thing apparently not served in the "Fish Tale Restaurant" was fish!

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  It doesn't look like it, but this was the approach to the steepest hill on the tour -- the 2nd of 3 big hills along the day's route.
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  A stop with lots of cold watermelon at the top of the big hill.
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  This is about 350 feet above lake level.
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  I finally took a swim here after arriving at our camp at the local high school.
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  Taken from the end of the long breakwater.
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  Frankfort has the look of all these summer vacation-oriented towns along the lakeshore.
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  We went through the packing routine every morning.

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  This state route was lightly traveled and had good shoulders to ride on.
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  Our early stop in Empire. Local convenience stores were handy for getting a cold drink.
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  These roads were smooth, shady, and scenic.
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  I took a pass this day (been there, done that), but some people took the opportunity to climb the dunes.
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  Glen Arbor is the epitome of a Michigan summer resort town. The IGA was a popular place to get a sandwich and take a long lunch break.
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  Lunch time!
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  This was a comfy stop while crossing the Leelanau, somewhere past Maple City.
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  This old schoolhouse was the last stopping point before starting a long 4-mile climb...

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  ...to the Bugai Road crossing and the highest elevation on the tour (1100 ft., about 500 ft. above the lake. From here it's downhill into Traverse City.
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  A "surprise" birthday for one of Bubba's regular customers.
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  Bubba and the lovely Erika do the honors.
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  "...I wish they all could be California girls..."
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  The campsite at the Traverse City Civic Center was very nice, but close to a main road (earplug time at night).

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  Meals were served in the Howe Arena -- part of the Civic Center complex.
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  On the layover day, I rode partway out Old Mission Peninsula and back.
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  A nice place to eat, but not on this trip!
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  A few of us bought some cherries at this self-serve roadside stand.
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  A trip north in Michigan isn't complete without having at least one pasty along the way.

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  Traverse City has a nice urban path system as well as parks along the bayshore.
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  A very nice ride of 1990s vintage.
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  The museum at this college was just across the road. They also let us use their library for Internet access.
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  For some reason, I really liked this piece in their featured watercolor exhibit.
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  We left Traverse City on Thursday morning eastbound on the TART trail.
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  Fields of sunflowers lined the roads in this section.
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  Elk Rapids, along East Traverse Bay, was our first town of the day.

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  This was a surprisingly steep hill coming off of the road that runs along Torch Lake.
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  Many of us grabbed sandwiches at a grocery store and took them to this park on the shores of Torch Lake.
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  At the end of a hot, hilly day, this was our overnight stopping place -- a real beauty of a school.
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  After dinner, shuttle buses were available to take us down into town.

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  These "mushroom houses" are a famous Charlevoix attraction, designed by Earl Young.
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  You almost expect them to be inhabited by hobbits.
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  Like something out of a fairy tale!
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  A drawbridge carries the main route through downtown Charlevoix, threading the way between Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix.
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  Traffic backs up in a hurry when it opens like this...

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  ...to let a sailboat or other tall ship through.
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  The sun rises on another beautiful day for touring.
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  This town sits at the end of one of the arms of Lake Charlevoix. Iron ore mining was an early industry in this area.
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  The name of this still-operating foundry should be familiar to anyone in this region who has ever looked at the lettering on a manhole cover or sewer grating.
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  Hmmm... Hills up ahead once again.

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  Most of the local convenience stores were aware that we were coming and really went out of their way to make us feel welcome.
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  This lake is one of the largest and prettiest of the many inland lakes that lie along the shoreline.
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  A popular spot for boaters and tourists. There are also ski resorts in the area.
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  There were quite a few couples on tandems on this tour.
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  This "Co-Motion" tandem is a real high-tech piece of work. Note the belt drive between the cranks for smooth power transmission.

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  Lots of pricey boats were spotted at the many harbors and marinas along the way.
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  This was the area where Hemingway spent many summers during his youth, inspiring the Nick Adams cycle of short stories.
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  Hemingway's family's cottage was located on this lake.
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  Rolling hills through the rural countryside let us avoid the traffic and congestion of Petoskey. These low rollers were a lot of fun to ride.
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  This market specialized in real butcher-shop hot dogs -- the best I've had in quite a while.

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  Back down at lake level, this road led into the outskirts of Harbor Springs.
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  These multi-million-dollar summer homes were built in the 1920s and 30s. Many were built by Chicago "businessmen" who profited greatly in the Prohibition era.
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  The homes lie right along the harbor, with beautiful views out to Lake Michigan.
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  Home of our last campsite on the tour, this school was fancier than most high schools I've seen!
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  This was typical of the meals served in school cafeterias throughout the tour.

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  This school provided one of the better meals.
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  The director of the League of Michigan Bicyclists, which is the organization that puts on this ride as well as several others around the state.
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  No alcohol is allowed on school premises, so a group of us decided to walk down to town to find a local establishment.
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  The school was above the town at the level of this overlook.
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  The easiest way down was to take the boardwalk and steps.

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  The town is generally tonier than most other up-north towns, with a number of jewelry shops and art galleries that cater to the well-heeled yachting crowd that docks at the harbor.
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  This station was built in the 1880s when the railroad line from Chicago first arrived here.
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  The start of the famed "Tunnel of Trees" route up M-119. This was the morning of the only real rain that we had on the entire trip.
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  Always a welcome sign to see!
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  When it rains, bikes get flats along that road. This was after my 2nd flat in a 5-mile stretch. And I certainly wasn't the only one!

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  This is a familiar landmark in Cross Village, at the northern end of the Tunnel of Trees.
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  There was an entire Boy Scout Troop that made the journey with us.
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  Just an hour or so from the end, this was our last look at Lake Michigan.
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  Now that we were approaching the finish, a lot of us were reluctant to do those last few miles that would bring the week to an end.

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  OK, ice cream at 11AM is not a usual thing, but it seemed like a good idea on this day.
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  The finish line back at Mackinaw City High School. Now for a shower and some food, and then hit the road for home!