Well, our relaxing off the saddle vacation has come to an end. Just a few more days of riding until we reached our goal destination of Mackinaw! We had a great weekend with Ryan's parents, Mickey and Steve, but it was time to hit the trail. We discovered that the more we lounged around, the more we stressed about work related issues. All those worries seemed to melt away once we got back on the saddle! On our way from Bellaire to Petoskey, we stopped to watch the sail boats in Charlevoix and visit the fisheries research station in downtown. When we arrived in Petoskey, we were THIRSTY! So, Ryan did a quick search of the area and found Beard's Brew co in downtown Petoskey. Boy, did we have a wonderful time. After a few delicious pints, we got to chatting with the man behind the bar about living and working in northern Michigan. He talked about the business him and his wife own and operate, delivering locally raised foods to people in the Petoskey area (check it out: localeatsdelivery.com for some great info on local food!). Of course, Ryan got to talking to him about the state of the craft brewery industry in Michigan and learned that there is a lack of Michigan grown organic hops and about incentives that the state and MSU are providing for people looking to begin producing and processing the bitter bud! We were both very inspired by the idea and have been doing some research on hop production and the industry in general in Michgian. Lastly, we had the great privilege of staying with one of Ryan's past colleagues, Kevin, because the temperature dipped a little to cold at night. Kevin was kind enough to welcome us into his home AND gave us some delicious eats the morning after. Thanks Kevin!
Anyway, here are a few pictures from our de-stressing ride and the beautiful towns we stopped at on the way.
Peace through pedals!
-R+L
Moments before leaving the comforts of Mickey, Steve, and the summit house in Shanty Creek Resorts, Bellaire.
The first part of our journey was a little dull. Lots of open road and shoulder though!
Made it to Charlevoix. Such a beautiful town!
Downtown was gorgeous! I bet it would be so much fun to attend a concert here in this pavilion. We stopped to take a break near Round Lake and saw a huge sail boat head out of the bay towards Lake Chalevoux.
We stopped by one of the DNR's field stations. It is located near the canal connecting Lake Michigan Round Lake. Ryan lived and worked there for a few weeks during his grad schoolin'. What a view!
After leaving Charlevoux, we hit the Little Traverse Wheel Way trail. This is a picture of a beautiful board walk we road on.
Finally! Beer! We went to Beard's Brewery in Petoskie. Not only do they have a fantastic logo, their beer is great too! They use local hops for brewing and serve samplers on a beard shaped tray!
We thought we were being sneaky by putting our bikes in the walk way of the brewery, but the tap tender laughed and said it was alright.
Here is a look at what the whole brew pub looks like. Nice, cozy, and allot of fun! We had a great time sharing stories and drinking great beer with Dan and Kevin. Dave, the bar tender at the brewery, was a wealth of knowledge regarding beer, local businesses, and the locavorian movement. He and his wife run a business that delivers local food right to your door! If you live in the Petoskey area, you need to check them out. More information can be found at localeatsdelivery.com!!!
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