The quick facts:
New friends: airstream lady
Meals: dehydrated pasta dinner on the beach while watching the sunset
Miles: 68
Ice cream: slushies and icecream at the Dairy Korner
Route:
The story
We woke up dry! We made pour over coffee and rehydrated blueberry baked oatmeal for breakfast.We ventured back to the Calumet Trail and found a lovely paved trail. Lovely until about 1/4 mile in when it turned to a two-track gravel trail littered with puddles, and in some cases, small ponds. This felt like our first real adventure. A little puddle hopping is fun, right? Not so much for Brian with his low-riding Burley Nomad. Or for Ashley, when the weight of her bike landed her smack in a puddle concealed by wetlands grass. Our first two miles left us with wet feet and raisin toes for the remainder of the day. Here are a few snaps of the dry stretch.
We decided the trail was not our friend and looked for Beverly Road, Beverly would take us in the right direction. However, Beverly was closed. Yet another detour!
We meandered and explored our options. We could take the highway which felt a little too fast and dangerous, or we could take the scenic route. The scenic route was the best choice. Also, it was really hot, so I opted to wear my 'singlet' over a sports bra. What's the point of a shirt?
We cruised along the lakeshore and it felt like the Caribbean. Huge beach house, lovely views of Lake Michigan. We even rolled through a town called Long Beach. LBM doesn't quite have the same ring... But look, I mean, c'mon. The view...
Eventually we stopped at the Dairy Korner in St. Joseph to cool off and enjoy slushies and icecream with Ashley's cousin and her adorable and friendly children. They were really impressed with our bells. Brian doesn't have a bell, but his sound effects were on point.
Soon, we our route put us on Blue Star Highway. Fast, but we had a decent shoulder. Still, we we kicked it a little faster.
It wasn't much further to Covert, and along the way found the only open establishment--an Italian restaurant and liquor store. We purchased two orders of cheesy breadsticks, with extra parmesan and red pepper flakes, and some cold beverages, and biked the last few miles to Covert campground. Covert is known as one of the first racially integrated towns. This article provides the history. Upon entering the campground, we felt like a minority is so many ways. We were the only ones on bikes, among the few tent-camping, our skin is white, and we didn't bring along our entire living room (movie screen and all). The host knew we were coming on bikes and said they reserved a special site for us, so special that we couldn't find it at first. Upon a second look, we found our site up a hill and around a bend--we had our own oasis in woods.
We snacked on cheesy bread with extra pepper flakes while setting up camp. Ben showed off his slingshot skillz. Then we trekked to the beach for a swim and to catch the sunset.
Look at that glow! We rehydrated a pasta dinner Brian and I made, a classic tomato sauce loaded with veggies. It really doesn't get much better than cooking dinner on the sandy beach while watching the sun set over Lake Michigan.
We met a lady camping in an airstream. She said she usually stays for three months, but ever since they raised the prices, she only stays for two. New friend, the airstream lady, she's found a gem in West Michigan.
We had some after dinner sweet treats, including some homemade bars. Pictured is the Banana Bound Bar. Vegan, baked, and dehydrated, this batch of bars would last until the end of our trip. Thanks to Engineered Explorations for the tips and expert recipes!
Tired from a long, hot day, we had a small fire and an early night.
