Great Lake to Great Lake / South Haven to Port Huron (Ride Across Michigan)
Getting There (15-16 Aug 26)
My cycling adventure started with the Redeye from San Diego to Detroit, Michigan. Redeyes are never a good idea, but in this case the timing was my best solution — crappy sleep (if any), catch a bad movie, and use my drink coupons to help with the crappy sleep. I knew as soon as I landed, my friends who had arrived the day before, would drive down from Port Huron to pick me up, along with my luggage, including my ever-important bike. I don’t rent; I travel with my bike in a huge padded bike bag. There’s minimal teardown required, and I’ve now taken four flights with it, with zero damage. The other constant worry is airlines losing your bike during transfers — arriving without the main piece of gear would make it pretty hard to start the trip — but so far, luck and careful packing have kept me rolling.
My layover in Chicago was three hours, which was perfect for ensuring my luggage transfer would go smoothly. It’s amazing how many places are open at 3:30 in the morning at an airport—I found breakfast, enjoyed a decaf coffee, and then headed to my gate. The flight to Detroit was much shorter than the first leg, although I did get in a short nap. I tracked my bags with relief when I saw both my bike and gear bag had made it onto the plane. Arriving in Detroit, I gathered my bags and checked on my friends’ progress—perfect timing, as they were entering the airport just as I walked out to the pickup line. We loaded everything into Danny’s truck and headed to Port Huron. It’s wonderful to have friends like Jeff and Danny; they drove in a day early to make sure my pickup and ride to the hotel went smoothly.
The remaining threesome rolled in around 4. They checked in, and we headed straight downtown to poke around the town for a bit. After wandering the main drag, we settled on Italian—Pompeii’s Italian Eatery, right on the strip. Trey and I both went with Fettuccine Carbonara. I paired mine with an Italian beer and a bottle of Chianti; Trey helped me make a decent dent in that bottle. The rest of the crew ordered spaghetti and meatballs. I guess we were all carb-loading for the upcoming miles on our bikes. After dinner we found the ice cream shop. Start as you mean to go. Ice cream would become a staple this trip.
First Ride (Getting to the Amtrak Station - (17 Aug 26))
Our train left so early we had to skip that great hotel breakfast, a small sacrifice for the push to the other side of the state. One of the perennial challenges of riding across a state is simply how to get to the far end — in the past we’ve used van shuttles on the Ohio to Lake Erie Trail and the Katy Trail in Missouri. We took Amtrak when we rode the Erie Canal; today was another ride on Amtrak. Another logistical knot to untangle was making sure everyone had bike storage on their tickets, a task Bob handled like a pro since he was the organizer for all things logistics, lodging and route. There were only six bike spots on the train and we took them all, loaded up in the dark with every bit of our gear because we ride self-supported. The 2.4-mile stretch to the platform felt fast in the pre-dawn darkness, but no worries — we had plenty of lights and plenty of grit.
Kalamazoo to South Haven
The train ride to Kalamazoo took just over four hours, and morning found us in the diner car where I enjoyed a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel with two cups of coffee while the time slipped by. With one stop left, I peeled my bike from the rack and reinstalled my bags, knowing the pause would be quick. The train staff helped lift my bike off—carbon fiber frame at about 20 lbs, but once you add racks, panniers, cameras, GoPros, an Insta360, a drone, and two days’ worth of clothing it all adds up. We all managed to unload our bikes in one piece, did a quick once-over, pumped a little air into the tires, and then headed west toward South Haven to find the Kal-Haven trailhead. Lunch was a perfect halfway break in Gobles at a neighborhood deli called Mancino’s, where Bill’s sister Sally drove up from Valparaiso, Indiana to join us. After reaching the hotel we asked the staff how to get to the downtown area. She gave us a number and we called for a bus. Yes. No Lyft or Uber or taxis. The town has a system of buses where you call them come to your hotel, pick you up and return you to your hotel. All free. Our bus arrived and we headed to downtown South Haven, a laid-back beach town with a small harbor and inlet, grabbed dinner at the Black River Tavern—Trey and I had fish and chips while everyone else went for burgers and fries—strolled out to the end of the inlet soaking in the vacation vibe, and, of course, stopped for ice cream before returning to the hotel.
This is the first time I’ve brought a video camera on the trip — I just picked up the Insta360 X5 and I’m excited to start capturing moments in motion. If you’re more of a picture person, enjoy the photos above; they’ll give you the highlights at a glance. But if you’ve got a minute, please sit back and enjoy the video — it brings the sounds, movement, and little details to life in a way stills can’t, and it’s been a fun new way for me to share this adventure with you.
Meet my friends:
Front row : Danny - Jeff - Trey
Back row: Bill - Bob - and me…Randy
(left to right)
Tomorrow we start the journey back to Port Huron.
