We decided to get up early and hit the road before the heat got too intense. The forecast was for more heat and almost 100% humidity with pending thunderstorms. Verne met us in the cafeteria for breakfast (included in our stay) which was an unbelievable buffet of everything imaginable. Seriously - if you ever need a place to stay in a university town in the summer, check out student residences. They’re not fancy but comfortable and, in this case, the breakfast was included and all for $75 a night.
We said goodbye to Verne and loaded up our bikes which was enough to make us both sticky with sweat. The weather office sure got the humidity prediction right. OY! It was like a sauna out there and it was only 7am.
We bolted from London and caught the freeway to Sarnia where we crossed the border back into the US, this time into Michigan. It was another hot crossing but at least this time, not as long... We hopped onto Route 25 which took us north up The Thumb, a peninsula on Lake Huron. We stayed on The Thumb to Bay City. A lot of the road is inland a bit from the water because most of the waterfront has been bought up and developed so, what you actually see, are a lot of driveways into spectacular waterfront homes but there are bits, here and there, where you actually get good views of the lake and there are some public access points where you can get onto the beaches. Most of the eastern edge of The Thumb is this way but, as you start to come southwest, from Port Austin, it becomes more scenic and there are more points on the road that run along the shore. Saginaw Bay is a big summer holidaying place and there are no end of boating shops, marinas, storage facilities, launches etc. Along with lots of resorts and summer homes. Bay City is a very pretty town and the downtown core is very old with lots of beautiful heritage buildings, many of them brick. We decided that we had seen enough of the coast and wanted to make some better time so we bounced onto the I-75, the interstate that runs up the central part of Michigan. What a NICE ROAD!!
Bay City
(Creative Commons)
Bay City
(Creative Commons)
Lake Huron - The Thumb, Michigan
After leaving the urban area of Bay City, it quickly enters rural and then wilderness areas. It runs through the Huron National Forest and there are a number of State parks along the way. The road itself is a beautifully smooth, divided highway so it’s easy going and the traffic was very light. We hoofed it up to Higgins Lake and found a campsite for the night.
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