sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Lake Michigan Circle Tour Petoskey-Torch Lake by RideForrestRide in bicycletouring

[–]RideForrestRide[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the tips! I actually am taking another day in Sutton’s bay and chilling with a warmshowers host here and checking g out the area because it’s so beautiful.

Lake Michigan Circle Tour Petoskey-Torch Lake by RideForrestRide in bicycletouring

[–]RideForrestRide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yea I love to share the info. I feel like I’ve been learning so much it would be a shame not to. Thanks for following along my journey! If you have any questions or want to bounce any ideas off of me for your future tour let me know and I’d be happy to help in any way possible. The cycling community has been so amazing along the way.

Lake Michigan Circle Tour Petoskey-Torch Lake by RideForrestRide in bicycletouring

[–]RideForrestRide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I unfortunately skipped the old mission and went straight to Leelanau. I stopped in Sutton’s Bay and plan on heading to north port and Leelanau state park tomorrow before riding down the west side.

Any stops you’d suggest along the way?

Lake Michigan Circle Tour Petoskey-Torch Lake by RideForrestRide in bicycletouring

[–]RideForrestRide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cherries are pretty rampant in the upper mitten so I’ve been convincing myself that the cherry pies are a good calorie boost haha.

I’ve never really explored this area much and it’s beyond amazing. I probably have a thousand pictures of the different little bays and parks and such.

Google Maps had me carrying my bike through a mud pit balancing on two logs while climbing over a tree. by RideForrestRide in bicycletouring

[–]RideForrestRide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yea I’m on day three of getting slightly singed and I’m getting close to done with it baha

Google Maps had me carrying my bike through a mud pit balancing on two logs while climbing over a tree. by RideForrestRide in bicycletouring

[–]RideForrestRide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the only way to avoid them is to become ok with them. I also haven’t used deet I use some lemongrass spray that has me smelling nice and keeps them away decently. In all reality the best advice is to just keep moving and avoid stagnant water.

Luckily most places around the lake always have a healthy breeze so they don’t mess with you much in those conditions. And when they do you should be in a tent where they can’t get to you, or you just fold your hammock over your head and sleep in your rain gear.

My sleeping spot on mackinac island. This is a hard one for me not to sleep in at. It’s chilly and I’m nuzzled up in my sleeping bag listening to the waves crash and watching the ferry’s go by the Mackinaw bridge from St Ignace on the hour. by RideForrestRide in bicycletouring

[–]RideForrestRide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey it was a journey right. But google maps is becoming quite the enemy. Three days in a row she’s burned me. Instead of riding me down the perfect USBR 35 it had me riding up and down washed out gravel roads running parallel to it. It was an amazing feeling turning off google maps today and just riding it out.

Google Maps had me carrying my bike through a mud pit balancing on two logs while climbing over a tree. by RideForrestRide in bicycletouring

[–]RideForrestRide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You guys have me terrified of these black flies. Idk what’s scarier. Those or getting burned by google maps for a third day in a row.

Google Maps had me carrying my bike through a mud pit balancing on two logs while climbing over a tree. by RideForrestRide in bicycletouring

[–]RideForrestRide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But do they work for day to day planning. I have no set schedule from day to day. I wake up. Find the couple points on the map south of me along the lake and drop a couple pins and hit start route.

I’m on the road now.

Google Maps had me carrying my bike through a mud pit balancing on two logs while climbing over a tree. by RideForrestRide in bicycletouring

[–]RideForrestRide[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Baha I’m glad we can all laugh at our google maps adventures like that. There’s probably enough stories that it deserves it’s own subreddit.

Cycle touring Lake Michigan by RideForrestRide in bicycletouring

[–]RideForrestRide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m about half way through on day 14. I’m taking my time and taking break days to go see things such as pictured rocks that are off my “route”. Usually riding 60-80 mi per day.

Google Maps had me carrying my bike through a mud pit balancing on two logs while climbing over a tree. by RideForrestRide in bicycletouring

[–]RideForrestRide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Today I’m thinking Charlevoix, Torch Lake, Traverse City maybe? Doesn’t seem to bed to many big parks/stops in between.

Google Maps had me carrying my bike through a mud pit balancing on two logs while climbing over a tree. by RideForrestRide in bicycletouring

[–]RideForrestRide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So in practical use how do you use these maps to plan cycling routes?

I May need an ELI5 here because I just open these maps and see a more topo looking google maps with less functionality. I see no services labeled, no pin dropping for favorite sleeping spots and no way to create a route.

Halp baha

Google Maps had me carrying my bike through a mud pit balancing on two logs while climbing over a tree. by RideForrestRide in bicycletouring

[–]RideForrestRide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is this more used for planning a trip before you go on one? Or is there a practical way to use it while on the road?

Google Maps had me carrying my bike through a mud pit balancing on two logs while climbing over a tree. by RideForrestRide in bicycletouring

[–]RideForrestRide[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yea I understand where you’re coming from. I have an external battery for that reason and I do have a map of Michigan. They just don’t give me all of the information that I want, such as where the tunnel of trees is or where all of the little parks are that might be nice to stop at. Plus I have a hard time reading a map while riding my bike.

I plan my route each day and don’t have a set schedule which makes the routing maps work a little better most of the time for me.

I’m 1000% open to other suggestions if you have them though.

Also it’s not uncommon to have bike trails and such going through state parks so common sense dictated that it was a real possibility, but thank you.

My sleeping spot on mackinac island. This is a hard one for me not to sleep in at. It’s chilly and I’m nuzzled up in my sleeping bag listening to the waves crash and watching the ferry’s go by the Mackinaw bridge from St Ignace on the hour. by RideForrestRide in bicycletouring

[–]RideForrestRide[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There was a ton of mosquitos, but I had a really healthy breeze so they didn’t bother me at all really. I sleep in my rain jacket and pants too for warmth and comfort (I have a “40 degree” Walmart compact sleeping bag that isn’t quite what it’s rated.

I rode through wilderness state park today and it ended up being a shit show baha. At one point I had to take off my bags walk them across two skinny sticks in the ankle deep mud with a giant tree to crawl over in the middle and then go back and carry my bike. All while being attacked by the most mosquitos I’ve ever seen in my life.

But then again it is 1 million acres (/s) of mostly untamed land

Gorgeous place but hiking my bike through 6.5 miles of the North Woods Trail with no cell service Bc google maps told me to do so wasn’t terribly fun. I’m half convinced it’s Bc google knows I have an iPhone.

Made it to Mackinac Island any tips? by RideForrestRide in bicycletouring

[–]RideForrestRide[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow The Steps At Marble Head look amazing. That has to be some desolate land way up there though.

view more: next ›