I Am Never Going to Catch Up - Rides since August

Sigh.  Not Keeping Up Here.  So you'll get a summary.

August

We were in Michigan in August, and I took cards and cue sheets for my 3 routes up there, as well as a registration form :-)  I now have left them in my storage box.  I decided to ride the 218km route to the Grand Traverse Lighthouse and back.  Getting there was uneventful; big lunch in Leland, pavement from heaven.







The day got hot.  The headwinds from the south were evil.  The hills were killer - not very high, but with the wind whipping in on the bare crests...  Ow.  My feet are telling me to not ever do a 200k wearing my Keen sandals ever again.  Long conversations with myself the last 40 miles.  I officially finished at the Blarney Castle gas station c-store, then met Fitz at Stormcloud.  Except they were having an employee thing, so we relocated to Dinghy's and had the Fred Flintstone plate.  They don't call it that, but the ribs are big.

Also August

Ray rounded up Paul and me to ride the Banks-Elsie 200k.  The weather was excellent, as was the company.





The outgoing leg on the Banks Vernonia trail was notable for one of the Wingham Farms cows standing right in the middle of the trail.  We edged by.  This being a weekday, it seemed that every log truck in the universe was out on 47/202/103.  They all passed politely and professionally; I waved a lot.  I like to acknowledge courtesy.  Still, the thought of riding BACK with log trucks was a bit intimidating; tight curves at the western end of the route.  The Elk Refuge bathrooms have been reconstructed and are quite nice.  The one I used had a big wooden bench, possibly suitable for taking a nap on, should one's fleche route go by here in the middle of the night.  No elk, but they are rarely there in the middle of the day.  We got lunch at the turnaround in Elsie; sat outside on their covered porch entry.



So, time to ride back.  Hey, no log trucks!  Paul: "they've been out here since 3 in the morning; they've all gone home."  And a tailwind of sorts.  We paused at The Birk just because; the owner (Mike) invited us in to refill our bottles and use the facilities.  He's got some massive Bull Mastiffs.  Fortunately, they were off duty and quite friendly.

Nine miles back to Vernonia, with shade and a real tailwind after we turned south.  I love that shade.  Paul and Ray were counting the number of times we crossed the Nehalem River.  They came out with 24 in all.  I kept losing count.  I had some ice cream at the gas station c-store.  Now only 20 miles on the trail; easy peasy.  It was thinking about dusk, but not really, when we finished.

September

Susan wanted to know if I would want to ride my Beaverton-Hagg Lake-Carlton 200k with her.  I knew EPP (electronic proof of passage) had been approved by the RUSA Board, because this route has a large number of info controls, and she's not fond of them :-)

There was going to be a NW wind, which would make parts of the return a bit challenging.  I chose to ride the Lemond (the fast bike).

Really nice in the morning, all the way to Forest Grove.  Lovely new pavements.  We stopped at the c-store for expediency.  I may have also had a salt pause.  Old Hwy 47 to the Lake Store, formerly a mass of potholes and cracks has been repaved.

Circumnavigation of Hagg Lake - website said the lane was "restricted".  At the lake, it was "closed". We rode as far as the info control, then back to the intersection w/West Shore Drive by the dam.  and rode an out and back on the dam to find the missing .4 miles.



As it was getting hot, we stopped at the Lake Store again for more water; I also inhaled a V-8.  The wind might have been helpful on the way to Carlton, but it was hard to tell.  We did the Carlton control at the bakery, where I had an EXCELLENT lemon tart and a citrus soda of some variety.  It was really hot by now. 



There was nice shade on Hendricks, another salt pause, and then we turned north into the wind.



Lots of traffic on Kuehne and North Valley (riding on a weekday will do that), until we passed Flett.  The 20 miles from Carlton to the turn east on Geiger seemed rather longer than they should have.

But then we had a tailwind and were coasting along, sometimes doing 18-20, without even trying.  We zigzagged north to Hillsboro (yes, short stretches of headwind) to the final on-course control, with V-8 and a banana.  The temperature was finally dropping, and we got a small snack at the finish (Starbucks).  12:43 elapsed.

Susan: "have you got a way to carry a pumpkin home?"  Uh, no.  She drove it to the house and elected to stay over rather than do the long drive home in the dark.

We did lots of picture control verification.  Yay, Timestamp Camera!

October

Ray, Paul and I rode the Hillsboro-Dallas 200k perm.  Starting at 7am has been problematic, because Fred Meyer doesn't open until 7am, but the "new" Fred Meyer gas station has a c-store, which opens at 5am.  Ray and I watched Paul drive around the parking lot; guess he didn't see us standing out in front.  It was a mite chilly!



As it was another weekday ride, the traffic heading south on Spring Hill/North Valley/Ribbon Ridge/Kuehne/Abbey into Lafayette was rather heavier than we are accustomed to seeing.  After Amity, the route heads south on Hwy 99 for 6 miles.  Hwy 99 has been repaved, and the shoulder is wide and smooth.  The traffic was heavy, but that doesn't bother me much, as long as I've got a shoulder to ride on.  Turned onto Bethel Rd, and then south on Perrydale, eventually ending up at the Dallas Safeway.  I had packed lox and bagel for ride food, and had consumed (wolfed down) a couple halves in the way to Dallas, and then proceeded to demolish a sushi tray.



We then headed back, into, you guessed it, a headwind.  There's nothing to slow it down out there on Red Prairie.  When we arrived at the corner of Perrydale and Bethel, Ray wanted to check out an alternate to Hwy 99.  I consulted Google Maps to figure out which way to go, as we knew it was there, but were unclear on the specifics.  Aha.  Turn left on Bethel, right on Broadmead, stick with it, and we'll end up in Amity, which was where we were going.  Since it wasn't shorter, off we went.  Less hilly, too.  Bonus.  The headwind was strong; Ray, as always, pulled ahead; Paul and I dropped off.  I found Ray in Amity on a park bench, but went on to the c-store for more beverages.

Still had the headwind, but I kept plugging along north.  Almost to the turn onto Geiger, and Ray came up BEHIND me!  How did that happen?  Here I thought I was chasing him!  Paul appeared, and we finished off the last 13 or so miles to the finish.  It was definitely dark before we finished.  My headlight needed adjusting; I was lighting up the sky :-) That was much harder than it should have been.  Granted, I dnf'd it as a brevet in January, but still.

Various Populaires

I rode the North Plains Banks Vernonia Trail perm pop a few times, once solo.  If I had to restrict myself to one perm pop, that would be the one.  The owner has ridden it 120 times, I am a distant second, with 37 finishes.  The rides were notable for the escaped goats.  Ray and I watched them pour out of a hole in the fence, and they were already on the trail on my solo outing.







The Annual Verboort Sausage Populaire was earlier this month ("always the first Saturday in November!").  It didn't rain.  I again, completely enjoyed the stretch north of Hwy 26 on Timber Rd.  Twice in a row.  I did not used to like it, and I don't know why.  Quiet road, lots of trees and farms.  Ray and I rode together, although we were in with other riders until the Timber Rd climb, where we went ahead.









There was also a Dart Populaire, elaborated on in another posting.

Where'd that Nice Weather Come From?

We've had an exceptionally wet winter/spring so far.  As the joke goes "it has only rained twice - once for 45 days, and then for 35 days".  Riding has not been happening.  It isn't so much the RAIN, but the accompanying floods and thunderstorms.

Ray was casting about for company on his North Plains - Carlton perm pop.  I haven't ridden it since Halloween, 2015.  Time to get back out there.  Kevin L, who has not been riding much for the last couple years, but was a consistent ride companion before that, also joined us.  Excellent!

Epic Ride Weather's Prediction for the Day

We had the standard meet-up (note: niece A, who will, in a few weeks move from being Ensign A to Lt Dr A informed me that the proper term is "rally point") at the North Plains Mc Donalds.  As always, I get in line behind someone who doesn't know what they want, have never been to a Mc Donalds, and the guy (who is nice, but) running the cash register is super chatty.

Pre-ride faffing, signing of the release, discussion about team formation for a Will Rando dart pop (or maybe it is a Dart.  Route planning for the dart pop would be easier), and eventually we were off.

Headed down Vadis Rd, Kevin was explaining why he was on his plastic bike and not his Rawland: "it is in between saddles".  I asked him how many bikes he had.  After much mental calculations... "Do I really have 13 bikes???".  Heck, he could have borrowed a saddle from one of the others!  Another person to mention when the spouse thinks my bike collection is excessive.  Actually, he can't now, because he's got just as many as I do.

I had started out the day with arm and knee warmers.  Ray and Kevin had on jackets and baselayers.

Heading down to Verboort on Evers Rd, we found two recent additions to the Washington County Quilt Barn Trail.  If RUSA ever allows photographic proof of passage, I might make up a perm pop which visits many of them.  Although I could come up with some lame info control questions, I suspect most will go for the picture proof route.





There was a substantial pause at the Fern Hill Wetlands.  After this one, I reverted to my "I'm going now; you'll catch up" practice.  The wetlands plantings have grown, and the water is wonderfully high.  Lost the armwarmers here.





There was a noticeable headwind, which boded well for the return.

The route itself is relatively uneventful, but for the One Hill.  It is a steeper climb from the north, but paved.  Withycombe (the descent) is gravel, steep, and this day, much loose gravel.  There was a lot of trepidation, but I did successfully descend.  I wasn't worried so much about the climb on the return, because it is a lot slower.

Ray, Carlton elevator, and perm card at the Carlton Bakery

We arrived at the Carlton Bakery to find it full of bicyclists, also out enjoying the nice weather.  Fortunately, they were all leaving, so we ordered our pastries and coffee, and had an outside table to ourselves.  Removed the knee warmers.

And then we headed back.  The tailwind was an excellent push.  I did end up walking the last bit of Withycombe, because I lost my line and had a choice of stopping or toppling.

Kevin and Ray at the summit of Withycombe Rd.

Yamhill elevator

Fini

Sun.  Tailwind.  Not a lot of traffic.  I even got sunburned.  This was a great day.

Success on the North Plains - Banks Vernonia Trail Perm Pop

The last time I had a successful through ride on the trail was the Verboort Populaire in November.  Since then we've had snow, ice, biblical quantities of rain, and so on.  We've tried to ride the trail twice, and been turned back both times.

Surely the trail would be open.  I recruited Ray by promising no thunderstorms (hey, it's his perm pop!), and we set out at 8am-ish this morning.

Epic Ride Weather's take on the day:

It wasn't raining when we started out.  No rain jackets.  I had a wool base layer, jersey, and neon wind vest.  Skipped the waterproof socks; living dangerously. We passed through Banks (ugh, school traffic; Banks has one street.  Maybe it has more, but only one major one.) and onto the trail.

There was a picture pause at Wingham Farms (home of Romulus and Remus, the herding dogs), because they'd moved the chickens into the cow pasture, and had the cows in the chicken space.  They also have cute baby goats.

Onward.  The sun came and went.  Upward (railroad grade).  We got to the Stub Stewart Park road crossing, and... there was a sign - "Trail Closed 1 Mile Ahead".

As we say, there's closed and there's closed.  Nothing at a mile.  We kept going.  There might have been a landslide, but nothing on the trail.  Eventually we starting seeing staggering numbers of alder trees broken off and on the ground, although the trail was clear.  Closer to the summit, we came across some trail workers.  After a conversation, where they said the trail was usable at least as far as the summit, we went on.

Lots of alders down, although the trail was clear, except for some silt from the rain.  The pictures don't really do it justice.

Past Tophill, there was a lot more small litter on the trail.  We found one branch to move off, some short areas of deep silt and gravel, and, closer in to Vernonia, one downed tree with branches across the trail - easily managed.  By now we had a fairly persistent light drizzle, not enough to dig out our jackets.

Beaver Creek and the Nehalem River were running fast and high, but not flooding.  Heading out the the lake, we finally had to concede that it was, in fact, raining, and quickly donned our jackets.  We looped around the lake and decided we did have enough time for some coffee.

Off to Black Bear Coffee.  We walked in the door and... "where's your case of pastries?"  They'd moved the coffee/pastry operation to the far north end of the building!  They now also have a punch card - we are both there often enough to make it worth our while, so, yes, we each snagged one.  Mine will stay in my rando wallet, so as to always be at the ready.  The one cinnamon bun left was so very large that Ray and I elected to split it.

We were fairly expedient and headed back out, still wearing our jackets.  Not very far along, we pulled them off, and I went on, figuring Ray would catch up soon.  He found me before Tophill.

Down, and up.  Tophill is the only steep section of the trail.  I stress about the climb on the return, but found myself almost all the way up before realizing that I was past the steepest switchback and hadn't been thinking about it at all.  Nice.

We then enjoyed the descent (as always!), realized we had over an hour and only 8 miles to go in Banks, and finished up.

Fancy pic from the bike computer:

6:14 elapsed.

Gotta mend these! (I was wearing these when I was left-hooked; all the abrasions showed up as ever-growing holes a few months later)

Success With Rickey's Populaire

Last weekend was the Oregon Randonneurs Rickey's Populaire.  A fun ride.  It has two climbs, and much gentle rolling, rural scenery, and finishes at a brewpub.  Can't go wrong.

In previous years I have ridden to the start, since it was along my regular work commute, and fairly mindless.  Not up to that this year; I was just going for success.

The weather took a sudden turn for the worse, so, of course, I modified the wardrobe.  To keep my feet dry, I wear the Showers Pass Waterproof Socks, my Lake boots (if they were waterproof, it didn't last), and some battered Endura shoe covers over that.  My feet get damp, but they don't get wet, so I suspect all the liquid is self-generated.

No plans to ride with anyone, but that's ok.

But wait!  At the drippy start (riders huddling under RBA Susan France's car hatch), a car pulled up.  It was Andrew, who I haven't seen riding in awhile.  But the bike...  he pulled a lovely Atlantis out of his car, with dual old-style Schmidt E-6 headlamps.  Wait.  Wait.  Wait.  "You bought David R's Atlantis!  Good deal!" (mystery of why he was selling many bike parts solved; he didn't need them any longer)

He allowed as he had not been riding and it would be slow and lonesome.  I was quick to assure him it wouldn't be (lonesome, that is).

His front bag, sadly, was still back in his garage.  He had a reusable grocery sack in which to stow items, but no way to attach it.  But wait!  I had a Rivendell-approved John's Irish Strap in my saddlebag.

At 9am we set out.  Given the weather forecast (plug for the Epic Ride Weather app), it wasn't a large crowd.

Andrew, Ray, and I were toward the back, and rode "together" for the entire route.  Sometimes they'd get ahead and wait.  Sometimes we'd be stopped, and I'd go on and they'd quickly catch up.

So we spent a rainy day chasing colorful zip-ties.  I was, of course, slow on the climbs, but I got there.  No walking, which might have been a possibility on Plumlee.

The first four hours were continuous rain, but not cold rain.  While every single watercourse was full, and the Killin wetlands were really full, and Gales Creek was higher than I've seen it, there was only one very shallow road flood - Gaston Road, where the Tualatin River and Wapato Creek bracket the road.

We were mostly quartering into the wind until somewhere on Gales Creek Rd.  Fortunately we turned east just as the wind was racheting up to "really annoying", and enjoyed the push to the end.

From Gaston until the end (20 miles), the rain stopped, which was also enjoyable.   We stopped on LaFollette Road to pull of the rain gear and maybe dry out a bit.

Then they smelled the barn and I rode the final 10 miles in solitude.  Not that I was unhappy about it.  For that matter, no thoughts of gloom and doom at all on the ride.

No pictures, because it was so very wet.  Well, pictures were taken of the info controls (with Timestamp Camera, a free app), so I wouldn't have to take my card out to write on it; took care of that at the finish.

Visited with Susan at the finish, and helped her with her basket of tots.

Verboort Sausage Populaire 2016

As we were sitting at the table in the bingo tent, with sausage, hot cocoa, and a round of bingo cards, the woman across the table asked "wouldn't it be nicer to ride if the weather was better?".  Our reply "it would, but bad weather is traditional".

Yeah.  The weather forecast was for a dry, sunny day on Friday, another dry, sunny day on Sunday, and an astounding amount of rain on Saturday.

With that in mind, I made sure Sweetpea had the raingear and extra gloves on board.  My helmet had its first raincover and neckcover event of the season, and I'd finally get to test out the new Showers Pass Waterproof Socks (wool version).



No plans to ride with anyone, but I did see many familiar names on the signup list, most of whom exercised good judgement and stayed home.  However, Anita was there, and we'd ridden the first half of the Solstice permanent together almost a year ago.

It was raining lightly when I arrived at the start, but it slacked off to perhaps a faint mist heading north on Gales Creek Rd.  It was so light that I swapped the jacket for a vest.  That lasted almost all the way to Hwy 6, where I pulled the jacket back on.  At the Hwy 6 turn, I suggested to Anita that she didn't have to wait for me, because she was pulling ahead and then having to wait in the rain.

Hwy 6 was a pleasant surprise - it had been repaved, and all the rumble strips were now buried under a layer of pristine asphalt.

About 3 miles later, the route left Hwy 6 for the delights of Timber Rd.  It has a brief initial climb, then rolls along for several miles, then gains 500+ feet in the space of two miles.  The rain increased on the climb (of course).  Victorious.  Nothing going to stop me now.

Then the drop down to Timber itself, another brief climb, some flat, and then another drop down to Hwy 26.  I was very lucky, and was able to cross right away.

After crossing Hwy 26, the route continues for another 9 miles through a valley, before joining up with Hwy 47 a mile or so outside of Vernonia.  I headed right for Black Bear Coffee Company - there were some cyclists leaving, and Anita sitting inside.  She said she hadn't been there long.  Consumed the traditional sticky roll and a mocha, refilled my bottle, and we headed back out.



We had a fun ride back along the Banks Vernonia Trail.  The muck right at the summit had all been cleared away, and I completely enjoyed the descent.

We spent the final stretch from Banks to Verboort chatting.  And yes, it was raining all the way from Vernonia to Verboort.

Michael, Lynne, and Anita.  Picture by Michael Powell-Parich

Michael was lurking by the entrance of the bingo tent, so card rituals were completed, and then we got sausage, and, in my case, some hot chocolate.  Michael and I both sprang for a round of bingo, not that we won anything :-)



So, finished in 6:18 elapsed, which is quicker than last year.  Always good.

Anita and I then rode back the 2.8 miles to the start, in steadily increasing rain.  While it had rained the whole ride, it hadn't been heavy.  Nowhere near that projected inch of rain.  It was trying to make up for that now.

My feet were a bit damp, not unexpected, because they do sweat, but they weren't wet.  Nor were my feet cold.  I am declaring the socks an initial success.

My Details on the New Michigan Perm Pop

When I packed for the trip, I optimistically included cue sheets for both 1603 and 2390, as well as perm cards and a registration form.  All my riding this calendar year has been the North Plains Banks Vernonia Perm Pop, and not a whole lot of that.

So there we were, and I was looking at the perm pop and "nah, not this time.  Don't want to face those climbs..."

Revisiting the 200k (really 218k), I thought I might find a good 100k in there, to Glen Arbor and back.  And, pulling the route west between Empire and Glen Arbor, I was able to do just that, plus get to ride the brand new Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail.

Mapping out a route with RWGPS on an iPad is a little tricky.  And I couldn't download the cue sheet and edit it - I had to write it out and type it into Google Sheets.

Crista promptly approved the route.  Then the weather went slightly disagreeable for a few days.

When the weather improved, my husband basically ejected me out of the cottage and onto my bike.  He doesn't usually do that.

So I rode into town to the Crescent Bakery, and started the ride at 1pm.  Rode back out of town (brief pause to start RWGPS), then up and over Sutter Road (OMG the new pavement!), and points north.  It was all good until I passed the canoe outfitters at the Platte River (11.7 miles), and then entered into the "nothing to see here" for the next 11 miles to Empire.  Well, lots of trees.  Some cornfields. Climbing. Need to work on my mental state for that stretch.

After winching myself back out of Empire, turned onto M-109 and started looking for the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail.  M-109 may be USBR-35, but it was also prime trailer and boat season.  Also, every camp and summer program in the area does a day trip to the dune climb, and M-109 is how one gets there.  The trail parallels the road, and I hopped on at Pierce Stocking Drive.  It was nice and shady, if a little bit more rolling that the road.

Rode by the Dune Climb, and was getting pretty excited about going through Glen Haven - it is a restored village with a General Store (no food/water), a Maritime Museum (the old Coast Guard station), a restored cannery, and other things.  Also nice clean bathrooms and water.

Moving along, the trail goes through a campsite and then the original routing had continuing straight on Pine Haven.  Nope.  Sand road.  The reroute goes right on Pine Haven, and returns to M-109 a long block or so sooner.

Glen Arbor doesn't really start until the intersection with M-22, so it seems like a longer ride into town than it is.

But anyway, I found myself some expedient ice cream, and sat outside the shop chatting with the proprietor.  Glen Arbor has many opportunities for food.

The return is a reverse of the route, and fairly uneventful.  I did stop in Empire for many things to drink, because it was humid.  I'd been drinking all afternoon, and needed more.  An older guy was returning empties, and the clerk asked for his birthday.  Something-something-1980.  I was looking at him thinking "wow, hard life."  The clerk was more forthright - "my son was born in 81, and you weren't born in 1980".  He finally coughed up a plausible birth year, finished his transaction and left.  The clerk and I looked at each other and cracked up.

Fitz was heading home from a golf outing, and passed me on the road just after the climb out of Empire.

More slogging along, although Empire to the Platte River is easier than the other way.  A pause on the Sutter Rd climb. A pause at the cottage to establish a meetup spot in town, and, finally the last couple of rollers (one pause) and done.

Stormcloud Brewing is my finish location of choice; they even have a cool rubber stamp, although if they are busy it might not be a good idea to send the bartender looking for it.

And hey, RWGPS in offline mode worked great!  Didn't hardly drain the battery at all!

Permanent Populaire #3164: Frankfort - Sleeping Bear - Glen Arbor 102km

Route
Cue sheet
Registration Form

Note: while I charge no fee for this perm, you MUST purchase a park pass to ride through the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore.  The fee was $7.00 in 2016.

This route takes you from Frankfort, through the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore, into Glen Arbor, and back again.

Starting at 4th and Main in Frankfort, your options for a control are Crescent Bakery, L'Chayim Delicatessen and maybe the coffee shop across the street whose name I do not remember.



You head east on Main Street, away from Lake Michigan, turn left onto 7th Street, which rapidly becomes M-22, heading north.

Three rollers out of town, and then you ride along Crystal Lake until the left turn onto Sutter Rd.  I am ever so pleased to report that Sutter Rd has been repaved!  It hasn't gotten any flatter, though.

The deer statues seen by the side of the road and in yards are not statues.  You might also spot a flock of wild turkeys.

At the end of Sutter Rd you turn left onto M-22 again, and there's minimal navigation for miles and miles and miles.  You'll pass the Platte Lake store (Riverside Canoe Trips, mi 11.7) if you need anything; there's nothing for the next 10 miles.  Well, lots of trees, as this is Up North.  Eventually the terrain starts rolling.



When you see the Radome up ahead, Empire isn't far away.  You'll drop 200 feet into town.



Right at the intersection of M-22 and M-72 (traffic light), there is an EZ-Mart, which may be more interesting on your return.

But, more importantly, you can turn right onto M-72, go a block, and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore office on the left will sell you that park pass.

Continuing north on M-22, you'll climb up a bit, and then turn left onto M-109.

You'll see the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail on your left, and you may prefer to cut over to it when you get a chance.  I hopped on at Pierce Stocking Drive.  There are driveways, and eventually, the Duneswood Resort.  It is a lot nicer riding on the trail - shaded and no RVs or pickups hauling boats!

If you did not get your park pass in Empire, you must buy one in the parking lot just past Hunter Rd, mi 27.3.

On your left is the famous Dune Climb, where people (mostly children) scramble up and down for hours.  There is also hiking at the top.  This is not to be confused with the EPIC dune climb at the end of the Pierce Stocking Drive, where the dune plunges precipitously down to Lake Michigan, and there are signs warning that you must pay for your own rescue if you can't climb back up.  Good times.

So, continuing along the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail - there are a few steep bits, but they are all short - you'll eventually come to the first info control.  The sign is on the right, and it is the second sand turnaround.



By now the trees have receded into dune scrub foliage, and a mile or so later, you will arrive in the restored historic town of Glen Haven.  There's another info control here, or you can buy something in the General Store.  Note: they DO NOT sell anything to drink, but there is a water fountain outside, as well as very nice restrooms.



Continue on the path between the store and the restrooms, heading to and straight through the D. H. Day Campground.  The trail pops out the other side, ending at Pine Haven Drive.  Turn right, and then left on M-109, for a short couple of miles into Glen Arbor.



Glen Arbor is the turnaround control.  You'll find a market on the corner of M-22 and M-109, and continuing straight (M-109 merges into M-22 North), you'll find ice cream places and a coffee shop.  There is also Art's, with their famous pool table on hydraulics, but service might be slow.

And then you turn around and retrace the route back to Frankfort.  By then, Crescent Bakery is probably closed, but Stormcloud Brewing will be open, as will The Cool Spot (ice cream!) as well as many other places to get something to eat and/or drink.