State 11 of 50  

    Michigan

Capital: Lansing

Population: 9,900,000 (ranked 8th of 50 states)

Area: 254,000 km² (ranked 11th of 50 states)

Previous state:  Wisconsin 1       Next state: Wisconsin 2       Go back to home page: Click here

Ride Report

This state: 1,040 kms     Journey to date: 10,925 kms

Scroll down below the route map for this state's ride report and photos

Ride Report

My first experience of American road rage as I was trundling along a county road at the speed limit of 65 mph, listening to (and don't think less of me) John Denver. An 18 wheeler appeared in my mirrors and overtook me. It then buttoned off to 65 mph so I was still at the speed limit but being battered in his slipstream. There was therefore no point to the overtaking. I waited for a straight stretch and passed him. As I pulled alongside he put his foot down. Sorry my brainless trucker friend but it'll be a sorry day when an 18-wheeler out-paces a Suzuki V-Strom still with one gear in reserve. Kicked it into overdrive and with a combination of sweaty brow, 5000 rpm pulled in front of him doing probably 160 km/h. My attention was more on the looming corner and leaves on the road. He sat right on my date for the next 2-3 miles. Shades of Steven Spielberg's "Duel". I waited till a small hill climb, buttoned right off forcing him to brake and then pulled away. The last I heard was his clash of gears and I'm sure I saw him giving me a cheery "welcome to America" wave otherwise known as the trucker's salute. The only thing that crossed my mind was him radioing ahead to his mate Bubba driving another 18-wheeler up ahead. 

Michigan is a lovely state but I will simply remember it for the most ferocious thunder storm I have experienced. I was camping the night at Christmas, near Munising.

At about 1:00am you could hear the thunder afar getting closer and closer. Lightning lit up the tent like a car parked next to the tent flashing its lights on and off. Thunder boomed as if it was just metres above the tent. The rain lashed down in torrents and I felt for the bike out in it. The tent stayed dry. In the morning I rode 200 kms to St Ignace, just before the Mackinac Bridge, in pouring rain with minimal visibility. Everything was soaked and I felt water sloshing through my riding gear and pooling at the crotch. There were warning signs for wind on the suspension bridge so I called it a day in St Ignace, checking into a Super 8 motel for my weekly soft-sheets treat.

What a strategically brilliant move that was. The next day dawned clear & sunny and the ride across the Mackinac Bridge was, well, uplifting. I have a thing about big bridges and this was up there. It was a $3 toll and worth every penny. To look down through the grating that is the roadway and see far below the waters of Lakes Michigan & Huron was thrilling.

Then thanks to some local advice from friends in Vancouver I detoured off on a minor road which ended up being the Tunnel of Trees byway. It was like riding through Sherwood Forest and houses were names Whittington Forge, Huntsmans Folly and so on. Very English.

I made good time partially on the expressway but mainly tracking the shore of Lake Michigan, ending up with an hour to spare at the Lake Express ferry terminal in Muskegon. The original plan was to camp in Muskegon & catch the Monday ferry, however it was booked solid, thanks to the swarm of bikes making their way to Milwaukee for Harley Davidson's 150th celebrations. Milwaukee is expecting an invasion of Harley riders like Sturgis.

The ferry crossing was windy as hell. It took 2.5 hours to cross Lake Michigan in this fast cat. For an hour of that you were out of sight of either shore.