We apologize for not keeping to our normal posting schedule. We have been taking it super easy in Bellaire enjoying the luxuries of home living at Ryan's Parent's home. So, what have we been up to? Well spent two nights and a full day in Traverse City, relaxing and healing our sore legs! Spent most of our time there cycling easy around town, using the Traverse Area Recreational Trail (T.A.R.T) to stay off the roads and view the town at a slow pace. On Wednesday, we had lunch at Northpeak Brewing company and spent the rest of the day resting by the Boardman River with cappuccino and craft beer sampling interspersed. We weathered a pretty intense thunderstorm on Wednesday night while camping in the Traverse City State Park. Some of the thunder claps were loud enough to actually shake the ground but the real threat that night was the rain. In our rush to set up a tent in the dark the night prior, we had mistakenly made camp on a slight incline. This meant that, during the Rain storm on Wednesday night, our tent was right in the path of the flow of rain water through the park. The water gathered and moved swiftly through our campsite, keeping us up all night with the concern that the water might overflow into our tent. However, we learned that the bottom of our tent was waterproof. Free waterbed!!! Still, the constant sound of the rain on our tent made sleep pretty difficult. We woke up late the Thursday morning and set about slowly packing our bikes (and finishing a whole bottle of mead!) in preparation for our ride to Bellaire. The route we chose took us east along the T.A.R.T trail and then into agricultural land surrounding the city. Unfortunately, we had to ride eight miles on M-72 which was did not have much of a shoulder and had some pretty fast moving traffic. We were very relieved when we were able to leave M-72 and head north and east past Lake Skegemog and along Torch Lake. After 36 miles or so, we finally arrived in Bellaire. Below are a few photos from the last several days, hope you enjoy it!
Peace through pedals!
-R+L
Viewing salmon in the Boardman river
Sampling some tasty beverages at Mackinac Brewing Company
He says "Hey, wanna see my cool tricks?"...I looked over to this!
A spot by The Boardman river where we relaxed for a bit
The State theater in Traverse City
Beautiful trail leaving Traverse City |
Stopped for a freshly pick Honey Crisp apple and donuts!
Made it to Torch lake! Took a quick break in Alden.
Had to stop at the Alden Mill House on our way to Bellaire. We packed their delicious Miracle Blend and Malabar Island Black Pepper on our trip, courtesy of Ryan's Nonno, Tino! A very unique shop.
The steed taking a break in the Alden Mill House garden
Arrived at the Summit House! Ryan's parents's home in Bellaire.
Had artichoke dip, pizza, and a few pints at Short's Brewing Company in downtown Bellaire on Friday evening.
Lydia enjoying a glass of Soft Parade
We found a brown bat on the back deck on Saturday afternoon. This little guy was probably knocked out of its roost on the house or perhaps a nearby tree by the storm Friday night or perhaps by a pesky blue jay. Lydia has a few years of experience handling small mammals and carefully inspected the bat for wounds (and cooed over it for a bit) then placed it on a shady branch. Hopefully it makes it!
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