Bailey's Harbor & Beyond

From Gordon's Lodge I rode on into Bailey's Harbor and went on my very first exploration south of town along Lake MI. That old Victorian painted lady is just south of the little village on Frogtown Road, perched right on the side of the lake. I received a recommendation from one of the locals and went to the Expresso Cafe & had one of THE best salads of the summer: spinach completely covered with whole cherries, chicken, walnuts, exotic cheese and other goodies. Plus a croissant as big as a small UFO. Memorable, that's for certain.

After allowing my salad to settle I then went exploring down Ridges Road passing the Ridges Sanctuary and on out to Toft's point. I hiked on out to the end of Toft's and some fellow cyclers captured my picture walking back from the edge of the world. That put me at about 37 miles for the day. Thank goodness there was a gracious breeze, but no strong wind. Then came the return on County Q and appreciating the tributaries that meander into the lake. Then it was just a matter of endurance and changing sticks of chewing gum from time to time. I did it!! I was at 51.8 miles as I came down our hill past the marina and took one last loop around the parking lot, to bring me back to home base at a nice even, round 52 miles. I'm now at a summer total of 782.7 miles!!! Whooohoooo.