Day 31: Let Sleeping Bears Lie

This morning, I woke up and instead of packing and biking, I ate some breakfast and went for a hike. The ranger I talked to yesterday recommended the Sleeping Bear Point trail, and it was a very good recommendation.

The trail was very quiet, I didn’t see anyone else on it throughout the whole 3 mile loop. This quietness added to the sense of otherworldliness. The dunes are huge! They’re also quite varied between pure sand, dune grass, and others that have a lot of wild flowers and even some trees.

There were a couple stands of “ghost trees”. These trees got buried by the sand many years ago and have since resurfaced and the wind has hollowed them out. They’re quite a sight.

After hiking through wind whipped sand for a couple miles, the trail ended in the woods. It felt like a very typical hike at the end - an interesting juxtaposition to the miles before.

And also Biking

I cut another corner today and turned what the route said was a 45-50 mile day following the shoreline into a 27 mile day across the peninsula’s base.

I biked the two miles into town and stopped for groceries and coffee. The town was bustling with tourists - it’s definitely the season here.

My modified route took me around Glen Lake and by many lake houses nestled in the woods along the shore. Towards the end of the lake there was a picnic spot, where I enjoyed a snack while sitting on a bench overlooking the lake.

I then headed inland and up. The ride was really quiet and pretty. There are farms up in the hills.

Today’s destination is my mom’s friend Ann’s house. I arrived on the early side due to the short ride. Ann was waiting with her dog Izzy when I pulled up and Izzy and I became fast friends as I give her lots of pats.

I’m taking a rest day here tomorrow. We’ll be exploring the area a bit between snacks and naps.