I took off from Jared’s house with a much slimmer payload. The ride was so much better too after ditching the box and suitcase on top.
I had to ride North from Portage to get to the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail which then met up with the Kal-Haven Trail to South Haven. I was pretty excited at first because the trail was asphalt but once on the Kal-Haven, it was a crushed limestone the whole way. I had heard good things about this trail, but the condition wasn’t that great.
About 14 miles from South Haven, I ran into this sand pit. It wasn’t the first on this trail but certainly the worst. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it through without a wipeout!!! Ugh! I wasn’t going very fast but I fell like a sack of potatoes. All of the marks in the sand were from my bike and body. I got up, dusted off and continued down the trail. About a mile later I realized I didn’t have my Garmin. I turned around fast in hopes no one found it and picked it up. After a quick search in the high grass, I found it just sitting there on pause. Whew!!!
Once I got to South Haven, I stopped at the first restaurant I saw. It had outdoor seating so I could keep an eye on my bike. Today was the perfect day to sit on the deck and eat everything on my plate — Mediterranean chicken, tomato, red onions, feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce on a pita. Yum-O!!!! (Kettle chips too.)
It was a nice ride on the newly paved Van Buren Trail to get to the State Park. I made quick work of setting up my campsite and then took off for the beach. I had my towel with me and was ready for a swim but all I could hear were comments about how cold the water was, so I passed. I came back and took a nice warm shower instead :-). I found a Pizza Hut nearby that delivered so I ordered a pan pizza and blogged away while I waited. My only internet connectivity is my phone’s hotspot, so I can’t upload any video. I’ll have to compile the videos I’m taking when I’m back home.
It’s about 1/4 mile from my campsite to Lake Michigan. I took a walk after dinner to see if the haze was still there. It wasn’t super clear but I figured I better take the shot since the sun sets at 9:18 tonight and I’m not sure I’ll be awake to see it 🙂
Tomorrow I start the journey East. I’ll basically be backtracking the route I took today plus another 12 miles or so. One thing I didn’t do on the way west was stop at each of the signs marking the towns along the trail. I’ll probably need a few more breaks tomorrow so I hope to get some pics of those.
Looks like you’re getting great weather again this year!!!!!!!
No more falls big guy!!! Be safe!
Last minute decision to go this week because of the awesome weather forecast. Yes – no more falls!!!!! Thanks!
9:18! 😊🌅 Way to go! Gorgeous views, great food and wonderful weather! Now get some rest!
Thanks sweetie!! Rest was pretty good last night on my new sleeping pad and sleeping bag. The birds were ready to go at 5:30am and were telling everybody about it! I’ve never heard so much chatter.
I’ve done kalhaven a few times over the years. Bummer it is getting sloppy.
Mostly in pretty good shape but many sandy areas. Rode more like a dirt double track.
You go, D!!! Awesome job on the effort and the blogging! Best of luck on the way east. Stay safe…
Thanks Brian! Mostly rail-trails back so not too much car traffic. The blogging is fun and takes my mind off my sore body 🙂
Great stuff thanks for sharing your journey
Glad you like it! I hope to share a video when I’m done.
Way to go Dennis. Looks like a nice ride. Enjoy the journey back. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Chris! So far the weather has been perfect! It looks like more of that in store – yay!!!
Looks beautiful. Be careful out there!
Lake Michigan IS beautiful. That was the first time I was at the beach in South Haven — super sandy and really well maintained. The water is usually pretty cold all summer but great to look at 🙂