Well, my free campsite was very well lit last night. I woke up because I could hear people. It seemed so light that I thought it must be morning. I looked at my clock, it was 2:30! I guess Friday night in Otter Lake is pretty wild! Also, I'm not positive, but I think someone messed with my bike. It was locked to the fence, but somehow my little thermarest seat pad that I use to sit at picnic tables when they're wet, was on the ground (I keep it in the outside pocket of a rear pannier), and the buckle to the pocket was undone. I rarely unbuckle those buckles, so...
Today's ride involved three bike paths. The first one, right out of Otter Lake was the Southern Line Trail. I was on it about 6 miles to Millington. It was a nice trail.
 |
| Bridge on the Southern Line Trail |
Just out of Millington I saw a sign that said Bay City was 30 miles away. That was via Hwy 15. That would make a 37 mile day. But, that was not what the route did. The route went north to Vassar, then hairpinned and went southwest to Frankenmuth.
As I was riding along Hwy 15 to Vassar, I saw a sign that pointed left to Frankenmuth. That would have saved me about 10 miles, I think. But no, that's not what the route did. I told myself there must be a good reason the route went to Vassar, then to Frankenmuth before turning back northwest to Bay City. I think the Hwy 15 option would have ended up being a pretty busy highway coming into Bay City. The shortcut to Frankenmuth, however, seemed like it would have been no different than the roads I was on. Oh well, what's another 58 mile day?
Frankenmuth reminded me of Leavenworth, WA. Everything is Bavarian themed. Even this covered bridge. Notice it's not that old--built in 1979. Being Saturday, the town was pretty busy.
 |
| Covered bridge in Frankenmuth |
Frankenmuth was the last town before Bay City. It was a pretty long stretch between the two. I got on the second bike path. This one, had I stayed on it to the end, looked like it came to within a few miles of the outskirts of Saginaw. I was only on it for four miles.
 |
| This trail was more out in the open |
The last trail was the Bay City Loop Trail. This came into the city, and crossed the Saginaw River.
 |
| Saginaw Riverwalk path |
I rode along the river for awhile, then turned inland before reaching Lake Huron and the mouth of the river. The path was a bit funky. At one point it narrowed down to a sidewalk, and was rough going. There were so many street crossings that made progress very slow.
 |
| So many street crossings |
Early on I stopped at a kid-run Trail side lemonade stand. I think this is my fourth on this trip. The two girls were selling lemonade for .10/cup, and cupcakes for .15/cupcake. They had blueberry and chocolate cupcakes. I gave them a dollar and had a cup of lemonade and a chocolate cupcake. I told them they really needed to raise their prices. They said they were raising money for one of the girl's mom. She has stomach cancer. That sucks!
I followed the Bay City Trail all the way to the State Park. I was a little nervous about them having a spot, but they did. It's a pretty big campground. The Day Use area has a Splash park, numerous picnic shelters, and a Visitor's Center. I was able to get a Lake Huron postcard for Grayson.
The beach was closed for swimming due to e. Coli, but I wasn't going swimming anyway. The park is on Saginaw Bay. Here's some historical info.
 |
| Saginaw Bay info |
 |
| My third Great Lake--Huron |
 |
| Shells on the beach |
Today the wind was blowing, but it seemed like it wasn't as bad as yesterday. Plus it was a sunnier day, so that helps.
 |
| Pretty flower outside the Visitor Center |
No comments:
Post a Comment