Little Traverse Wheelway- Bay Harbor Area Bicycle
000
Author: PlayPlan (Page 8 of 418)
Crystal Lake South Bicycle
This ride is great for the adventurous, with ease. The length of the trip seems extreme, however the actual ride is very pleasant with a mix of waterfront flat riding and Betsie Valley Trail low stress pedal. Catherine S, at 12 years old, rode from Beulah to Frankfort in 3 hours at an easy pace. A great trip for young and old alike, who want an adventure without overly excessive effort!
Begin you trip in Beulah at the staging area downtown. Starting out along the Crystal Lake shoreline on the gravel surface, with the option of riding along the adjacent paved road. Drop into Railroad Point Nature Preserve and the dam area for a quick break on the water’s edge. Ride the rail trail for a brief distance before entering the M-115 corridor, a narrow shouldered fast traffic section with some incline. Exiting M-115 onto Shorewood brings densely wooded section crowning over the road with hills and curves, before turning lakeward on Lobb and dropping down to Crystal Lake shoreline again. An easy residential roadway with 2′ shoulders and open view to the lake. At the West end of the lake, enter M-22 roadway with a wide shoulder and a fair amount of traffic. Some hills and turns, then a long descent into Frankfort. After a tour through town, take the Betsie Valley trail, an off-road rail trail with gentle grade, all the way back to Beulah.
PlayMap.net
Camping Information
Camping Gear Quality
The quality of the gear that you use for camping, most often based on the price you pay, is dependent on one primary component of camping.
How long will you stay in the camp gear, how many nights?
Then, determine how difficult to attain a Plan B. Meaning if anything goes bad, how far is it to civilization to get medical care, warmth and/ or dryness.
So if only staying one night, cheap gear can work. The really biggest problem with bad gear is wetness and cold. If you are wet and cold for one night, suck it up buttercup. If you are cold and wet for five nights, you may need medical attention.
So having cheap gear for a single night out partying, or in a state park, is no problem. Stop at the cheapest box store, and get the basics and you will be camping.
If an excursion is being planned, with multiple days in the woods, and camping during potentially inclement weather months, proper gear is essential. If a person is on a serious physical outing, and go two or three nights sleeping cold, wet, and on an uncomfortable surface, they will wear out quickly.
The right equipment will be more costly than the cheapest equipment available. It will keep the water out better in a tent, keep the heat in better in your sleeping bag, and conform better to your body as a sleeping surface to be closest to a bed feeling. If the equipment does not keep you dry, warm, and restful, then it needs to be changed. The most expensive is not necessarily the best for you, or there may be many options from the middle of the road cost to the top cost, all which perform the basic functions effectively. For example, each good quality tent will keep you dry, but one may keep you dry better, whatever that means.
In summary, cost is not a prohibitive barrier to short campouts in campgrounds relatively close to a town. And long excursions need to simply address the basic needs of life, where proper preparation will reduce the chance of poor performance…
Sleeping Bear Trail- Bohemian Rd Loop
Riding this loop will expose you to much history in this area of Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. Departing from Glen Arbor, the corridor is flanked by scenic and historic views of the landscape. Port Oneida is a formal historic district, with a gravel roadway to traverse through the homesteads. Heading South on Bohemian Road presents a tunnel-like forested roadway, then Trumbull Road is a low volume no shoulder roadway. Dunns Farm Road has 2’ shoulders, and expect to see more traffic.