Adventure Motorcycle Blog

This morning, we started the day by firing up the hotel lobby coffee pot because the Paradise Inn doesn’t have an after-hours employee. We went out to the bikes, buckled up all the gear, and function checked our helmet comms. We intended to grab breakfast and gas down the road, but the General store didn’t open until 5 p.m., and the pumps were pay inside only. We could wait 15-20 minutes for food or hit the trail – we opted to press on. Further down the road, we found another General store that wasn’t open yet. We lined the bikes up at the pumps, and the owner eventually came out, talked it up for a bit, and then went inside and turned the pump on. We topped off and pressed on. From there, we hit more gravel and came up on the most sand we have ever seen on a trail. It was at least 6-14 inches of sugar sand. It was a straight-up shit show for the next hour or so. The smaller bikes had a rough time but made it through. My T7 and Jeff’s BMW had a hell of a time, and we had to paddle through it, going about 4 mph. I buried my back tire, and the bashplate was flat on the sand. I was no doubt stuck. Jacob helped me get out, and then he really got stuck. His back tire was 3/4 of the way under the sand. We were hungry, soaked in sweat, and done with sand for the day. It was terrible on the big bikes, but we all made it through. From there, we popped out on a gravel road and found another General Store in Deer Park. We looked tired, all sweaty, and our arms looked like we had just crawled through a desert. The lady looked at us and laughed because she knew exactly where we had just come from, and by no means were we the first ADV bike guys to walk in looking for something to drink. We asked her where we could grab lunch, and her suggestion was 18 miles via trails, and we had no interest in that, so we went south and stopped at a place in Newberry, MI. It was WAY out of the way, but the food was excellent. From there, we took the highway straight to the Airbnb, which was rough for the smaller bikes. It was 61 miles cruising at 70 mph. That’s a ton of wind for bikes without a windscreen. We finally reached Munising, MI, where we found the Airbnb. Showers, naps, and a walk through town followed this.

All in all, not a bad day, but we really veered off the tracks. Now, let’s talk about the next three days. The UP will experience the coldest temps for the year so far, and there will be 2-3 days of nonstop heavy rain and lightning in the local area. For the exception of the lightning, this will just add to the fun.