Lake Michigan Motorcycle Ride
Rooster and I decided to seize the day and go on a Lake Michigan motorcycle ride. The summer was flowing away from us like water in a fast-moving stream. #Lake Michigan #New Buffalo #Four Winds #St. Joseph #Michigan #Road snkes
We woke up one morning and realized summer was in our rearview mirror. We needed to get out on the highway before the ice and snow made a return visit. Once those guys show up, the motorcycle isn’t coming out of the garage until spring.
We couldn’t be away long due to previous responsibilities, but we could take to the highway for the entire day in search of adventure. Therefore, we tossed a couple of ideas around, and Michigan sounded good to both of us, so we headed north on state road 35 with New Buffalo, Michigan as the target destination. New Buffalo is a small beach village on Lake Michigan.
The highway lined by scenic farmland is one of our favorite routes north. You only have to pass through the traffic of two populated areas as you make your way to Lake Michigan. The sky was blue above us. The corn stood tall in the fields. The weather was perfect; not too hot, not too cold, and not a dark cloud in the sky.
Three hour trip on the Lake Michigan motorcycle ride
The object of our three-hour ride was to sit on Lake Michigan for a while and watch the boats come and go on the enormous body of water in front of our eyes as we relax on the shore. Rooster and I don’t own a boat. We probably never will. We find it relaxing to watch the big yachts and sailboats go in and out of the marina.
New Buffalo has a natural harbor and Marina, which makes it a favorite spot for boat owners. The small beach city is 70 miles and a ninety-minute drive from Chicago. It is the gateway to Harbor country. Wineries, breweries, and antique shops litter the surrounding area.
What we experienced in New Buffalo
The population on the off-season is about one thousand. It swells during the summer months with boaters and tourists. Four Winds Casino opened in August of 2007. It brought jobs to people in the area and a gambling destination for tourist from the Windy City.
Rooster and I didn’t stop at the casino. We decided to head to the beach. It looked like we weren’t the only people who wanted to go on a beach adventure. The parking lot was so crowded we had a hard time finding a place to put the motorcycle while we took our stroll.
I guess everyone came up with the same idea as Rooster and I of having a last summer fling by the water. We didn’t stay long. There are interesting roads to ride in this part of Michigan. We said good-bye to the white gull who decided it was his job to guard our motorcycle. He was kind enough not to leave a deposit on our seat. Once we navigated the main road leading from the beach, we connected with the highway. The traffic thinned out almost as soon as we left town.
Rural scenery in Michigan
We rode east on a two-lane highway until we needed to stop for gas. The rural scenery in Michigan is different from Indiana. The trees are less leafy and run more in the direction of evergreens.
Vineyards and flowering plants instead of an abundance of cornfields and soybeans line the roadways. In Indiana, every farm appears to have a barn. These massive structures come in every shape and condition. There are round barns, square barns, solid barns, and barns that look like the next strong wind will blow them to the ground. Grain Silos sprout up everywhere in Indiana waiting to be filled with the abundance of the next harvest.
A stop in St. Joseph
Our only delay on the trip home was a stop in St. Joseph, Michigan to eat dinner. We ate on the third story rooftop of a restaurant called RyeBelles. There was a great view of the brick streets down below and Lake Michigan off in the distance. The food was good, the restaurant was busy, and the service was fantastic. We decided we’d like to come back to St Joseph and spend a weekend.
The ride home was uneventful. We managed to navigate through the road snakes on the highway we traveled without incident. These pesky tar pests are used to fill in the cracks in the asphalt left behind by the winter cold. They can make a motorcycle shimmy and shake when you pass over them at a high rate of speed.
Road snakes
It can feel like you are about to lose control, and the bike is about to slide out from under you. The motorcycle rights group we belong to lobbied to get the chemical compound used to make the road repairs changed. I believe the stuff used to make the repairs were made with the new chemical. We didn’t feel the slippery sensation once as we traveled down the road.
Police action on the corner
A sense of danger didn’t start until we rounded the corner and traveled to the street, leading to our house. We came home to a police action taking place on the corner. A shooting incident took place while we were on our Lake Michigan adventure. The police pulled over the suspects involved in the crime and had the street barricaded.
Life is getting exciting here in our corner of the hood. Who would have thought I would feel safer racing down a highway at seventy miles an hour on the back of a motorcycle than I did between the four walls of my house.? Life can be funny that way. It’s time to flip the switch and think about our next adventure.
Who is Molly Shea?
Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana, who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh. To read more of her short stories and adventures click here.
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