Jerri requires at least one motorcycle camping trip each so we headed for the west coast of Michigan and the Upper Peninsula (UP) on July 16th.
We camped at Van Buren State Park and headed up the coast visiting lighthouses at Holland and Grand Haven State Parks. Our next overnight stop was at the Snyder Shoreline Inn in Ludington. Friday morning we boarded the S.S. Badger, the last coal fired ferry on the Great Lakes, for a relaxing four hour crossing to Manitowac, Wisconsin. We headed north through Green Bay, Wisconsin following US 41 and MI 35 along Green Bay to John Walker Wells State Park for another night of camping.On Saturday we followed MI 35 to US 2 with a stops at the Seul Choix Points and Manistique lighthouses before heading north on MI 117 and MI 123 for camping at Tahquamenon Falls State Park. The falls were amazing and we thank Greg and Michelle Bowlin for recommending a stop there. Sunday morning was spent visiting the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, home of the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald. We crossed the Mackinaw Bridge and stayed the night in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan before heading home on Monday.
The weather was nice and cool so mosquitos weren’t an issue while camping. We had great food; Wisconsin Beer Soup with a pretzel roll, great lake trout, and we got up close and personal with a Michigan Pasty.
The folks from the UP were very friendly, have their own state fair, and want to be the 51st state.
For those who have never rode the west coast of Michigan give it some thought. The white sand beaches are amazing and you’ll never run out of lighthouses.
