A few multi-modal days

      Riding a new route to Chicago.  There was excellent weather predicted, so I decided to stretch my legs for a few days roaming to the north rather than south.  I know the roads to Muskegon and headed out in the morning.  The first day would be the longest but it was time for an 80 mile ride, it ain't nothin' to an experienced tourist.

     Most of the real estate was covered  in the morning with highway travel along M40 to Holland.  The pavement good, traffic is pretty heavy but the wide shoulders are accommodating despite the noise.  I didn't expect 25-30 mph winds whipping across the empty fields all day, but I got 'em.

Turning north at Holland I found my way onto Bike Route 35 marking city streets and trails sheltering against the crosswind.

The wind finally quit and  BR 35 led me through the labyrinth of trails in Grand Haven (thank you Adventure Cycling!).  I was shocked. I kept looking at the map thinking this couldn't be, but it  led right to the entrance of Hoffmaster State Park.  After getting a campsite and chatting with the officer, I felt better.  He said they had been closing beaches all along the coast because of the wind, wave and rip tide danger.  So, it wasn't just the worst I could remember, it really was bad,  .  It had been a long day and my legs were were screaming: "80 miles AIN'T NOTHIN' Dumbass. "

     The morning was a pleasant 7 mile jaunt down the road to the ferry dock where I stowed the Hunq in the hold,

relaxed in the cabin with a cup of coffee and a sandwich 

leaving Michigan in our wake.

Arriving in Milwaukee I was greeted by a trail system 

starting at the docks through the marina, past the beaches 

to a beautiful trail system leading south.  After the south 'burbs of Milwaukee, 

I hit the highway for a fairly pleasant ride toward Kenosha

where I could catch the paved trails leading to Illinois.  This system is part of US BR 37 leading to Zion Il. where I spent the night at the Illinois Beach State Park.  It's a regular stop for bikers on that side of the pond (it's 50 miles between Milwaukee and Chicago) and I got to meet a number of cyclist enroute both ways.  

In the morning I traveled on the McClory bike path, again BR37, down into the the North 'burbs of Chitown where bike routes,  trails and lanes create a network 

to the shops, restaurants and cafe's for cyclists to congregate. The route leads down through Highland Park into Evanston.  Past Evanston, I stumbled onto Clark Street and rode it downtown rather than taking the lake shore.

Clark street shows the development of 

 protected bike lanes on much of the route.

Getting closer to The Loop, another cyclist I met at a stop light remarked that it is so much more relaxing to ride through this traffic on a bike.  He's right, the drivers, at 5-10 mph look panic stricken and frustrated while we were all smiles and jokes winding our way through the crowds in this virtual parking lot.  It's an empowering feeling to cycle through traffic in Chicago at 3 pm Friday, past Wrigley Field preparing for a game.

Arriving at Union Station, I had time for pizza and beer before boarding Amtrak and testing their new  bike racks.  The Hunq was happy, I was happy, took a nap and was home.