Modern Vespa

This is, IIRC, the fourth iteration of my wild idea to take a ferry across Lake Michigan from Wisconsin, follow the coast along Lake Michigan to the tip of lower Michigan, hop on the Mackinaw Bridge, shoot north to Sault St Marie and head west to the shoreline of Lake Superior, eventually shooting pretty much due south to home.

This year we had four of us. (In the past as many as 6, which is maximum for a tour like this IMO). We didn't have the most auspicious start....a few weeks before the start, two of our guys from Milwaukee had both their scooters out of commission... a water pump and another unknown failure). One of the guys was motorcycle-curious and purchased a Honda Rebel and let his partner have it for the ride. So we're three.

We meet at the ferry in Manitowoc. Due to bad communication, I meet Derrick (gitder) at what I thought the rendezvous spot was, and receive a text that our third guy, Mike, is settled in for lunch somewhere else. We agree to meet at the ferry an hour ahead as requested. Weirdly, there was a line a couple of blocks long already in the past, no line at all this time...in fact Mike was already aboard, while we waited in the sun for the guy to signal us to board with nothing else happening. The ferry is an old coal-burner and and on the National Historic Register. There are railroad tracks on the main level as it originally transported train cars as well as the usual traffic.

We board, strap down the bikes and head upstairs. We find Mike relaxing in a plastic chair in the shadow of a lifeboat. The ship eventually takes off, with people on shore waving us off (I've never quite figured that out...do they just go down to the dock to wave? Are they tourists, family of passengers?). There will be folks on the other side as well.

Trip went well, as we managed to chatter for most of the four hours. I've always gotten a bit headachy on the trip, which I assumed was staring out at ther horizon for hours, though Mike suggested CO from the burning coal. Who knows.....

We arrive to people waving, unload, and head off to our motel a mile or so down the road, and out to catch dinner.

So far, so good....

Next day, we're off, my navigation is a bit of a mess as I'd hoped to just hear my directions from my phone in my pocket. Unfortunately I was also trying out new earplugs and for the first time I couldn't discern "right" from "left" making a right mess out of some of the turns as my trust in my intuition was a bit misguided. I finally got through making wrong turns and we started making progress up the coast.

Its a great ride...passing orchards and numerous roadside stands selling sweet cherries, peaches, apricots and the like, Lake Michigan on our left, with it's beaches and sand dunes, frequent inland lakes on the right. Detoured a bit in Charlevoix where a self-taught architect designed a number of "Mushroom Houses." Onward to Petoskey where a writer by the name of Hemingway spent his early summers. Towns are mostly small and touristy, but it's a gorgeous place to vacation too...but it comes with traffic, unfortunately.

We're still doing well, staying on schedule, and the lodging turns out to be well-chosen, if I must say so myself. Things can get a bit sketchy when you're at the lower end of the price range, though I've never chosen anything downright scary. (Last summer there was a place that I'd swear was abandoned at first glance, but turned out okay).

After a comfortable night in Petoskey, we headed northward to the Tunnel of Trees, an aptly named 30ish mile ride on a narrow road curving and dipping through cedar and pine trees. Several vehicles ahead of us very nicely pulled off after a bit, saving us frustration of going slower than we wanted and them having to watch us in the rear view mirror.

The tunnel ends pretty much at a tiny village, the main feature of which is Legs Inn, built by a Polish guy who immigrated in 1912. He not only built the inn, but also carved fantastic artwork out of driftwood he picked up on the beach below his property. Unfortunately, bad timing/planning on my part got us there well before opening, so we just roamed the grounds and headed off to the tip of the peninsula where the Mackinaw Bridge awaited us.

The bridge is a pretty amazing work of engineering. It's hard to believe the two halves of the state were connected only by ferry service prior to that. It's an awesome bridge to ride, though windy days can be daunting. Fortunately there is a lane of pavement so you can avoid the grating.

After the crossing, we made a beeline o Sault St. Marie, most famous for the Soo locks between the US and Canada. I'd missed the detail before, but 95% of domestic iron ore production passes through the locks. We were lucky enough to catch a ship going up towards Superior. It was only a 700 footer, a mild disappointment as the biggest freighters are around a thousand.

From the Soo, we headed west, past an old lighthouse, deciding not to look at the falls along the way, second to Niagara east of the Mississippi (the last time we stopped it was pouring rain, but we went anyway....). We settled in to our third night a bit own the road.

Day 4. Things get interesting... Off to what seemed to be a great start, though the proposed breakfast place had zero cars in front of it, and the town wasn't swarming with options anyway, so decided to head up the road. We had some highway miles to go before the more scenic and twisty roads along Lake Superior. Nearing that destination, I'm itching for a break, watching the miles click by. Suddenly I look in the mirror and see no one behind me. I pull over at an intersection to see if they're coming at all. After waiting a minute, Mike comes flying past, arm extended in a "back there!" wave. Still not sure what's up and why he went past me, I waited for his return, when he explained that Derrick's scooter wasn't moving. He'd gone ahead to check the terrain hoping is was downhill to the lake. I responded "you could have asked me!" as I'm pretty familiar with the terrain. No big deal.

We head back together to see a somewhat forlorn Derrick standing by his scooter. The engine ran fine, but there was no power to the wheel. Mike's inspiration is to ride behind pushing the disabled scooter with his foot. It worked surprisingly well, and a short distance later the downhill began and Derrick was coasting 20 mph into town. We parked, we dug through tools, I had a ratchet but nobody had an 8mm to remove the transmission cover, but there happened to be a hardware store across the street, and in short order had the cover off and we were clear on the problem as bits of rubber fell to the pavement.

First though was towing, as there was a dealer a bit over 100 miles away, but no belt in stock, so not much help there. Mike suggested renting a truck to take it home, which turned out to be the best idea. He had to ride cupcake on Mike's bike for an hour to get to the U-Haul dealer, but they had what he needed. He had to retrace the route to pick up the scooter, got it loaded and headed home. Meanwhile, Mike and I continued the ride, making it home intact after an overnight on the Wisconsin/Michigan border.

I'd tried to keep the miles on the trip odometer, but somehow punched the wrong button and lost it. Google Maps to the rescue! 912 miles over 5 days, not counting the ferry. Most days were a bit over 200, which seems to be to be the sweet spot for the type of riding and the stories told over lunch...

Overall, good ride. Wouldn't change much, though there's always tweaking to do.

Perhaps we need a sag wagon for Yooper Loop trips.

Believe me, it crossed my mind!

I've concluded that some things aren't preventable, unfortunately. Standing next to the carnage in town reflecting on the breakdowns experienced over the years, I heard Mike suggest that "there has to be a common denominator in all this....." turned slightly and saw him jerking his thumb in my direction.

Good stuff - adventure on the trail. I know you like doing the Badger Run across the lake. I am super nuts on maintenance and have never broke down on extended rides. I have though, paid a prety penny for this.

Glad your out riding. I broke a bunch of ribs and have been off the trail for a while.

Bob Copeland
Minnesota

Heay, I've got that shirt!

Hope you've pretty much healed by now. You've got a rally coming up!