After my late lunch I pretty much rode straight through. I stopped in Newberry for gas, not because I was running low, but because it could be my last chance before St Ignace, and I wouldn’t make it that far without a refill. Newberry is classified as a village, but it’s more of a town, the largest community in the interior of the eastern UP. It has (poor) cell coverage, so I also loaded a little more map detail for the road ahead.
The route I’d planned for the rest of the day was a balancing act between highways and dirt roads; I try to avoid both. I was a little uncertain about one stretch, and I stopped at an intersection to think it over before I committed to that route, versus taking a more sure route that would involve riding US2 for a while. A car pulled up next to me, and the older couple in it offered directions. I asked if Hiawatha Trail was paved all the way to US2, and they assured me it was. Problem solved, and it turned out to be a really nice road for me.
When I reached US2 I discovered just how good a choice it was for me to avoid it. West of this point, for some unknown distance, they are repaving. Much like they were doing on another segment of US2 when I can through three years ago. The new pavement is super-smooth tar, which I don’t like; give me a little texture to grab. I still have to ride about 5 miles of US2 east from here, but at least it should be more normal pavement.
Although I just had lunch a few hours ago, I am having supper at the place if originally picked out for that. Because there is nowhere else between here and the Brevort Lake National Forest campground. That site is a little inaccessible, so once I get there I don’t want to go looking for food.
The restaurant is right at Hiawatha and US2, the Bay View Inn, which has… you guessed it: a lovely view of Epoufette Bay. Seriously. It’s a nice little family restaurant with binoculars on the windowsills if you want to look more closely at the bay. I’m having the unspecified-but-locally-caught-fish and chips. Sure enough, the fish is boned and battered but still has the skin on.
That looks like a nice view.
I was thinking about my trip to Taquemon Falls in about 1948. Our ’37 Plymouth didn’t go much more than 35 either so it took asl long as you did.
My poor parents probably wished they had left me home, since I fell off a parpet at Fort Mackinac on the way north, spraining my ankle ( and probably complaining much of the night) before the falls. We stayed in St Ignace in a roadside cabin ( pre motel days). I recall that we bought some port chops which my mom fried on the kerosene stove in the cabin.
Your accomodations are not much different, but we didn’t eat “out”.
Enjoy the trip South and don’t fall off the fort!
O forgot to mention that we had the Carly birthday event today. Mom saved a piece of chocolate cake for you—now I will not dare to eat it.
Carly took several underwater pictures to help us show the pool people what it looks like. She was proud that her camera works so well underwater. The problem was getting them e-mailed to my office. We finally split them into two batches and they went through. We were wishing you were here to help!