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We woke up just before sunrise started breaking camp. The morning was as beautiful as last evening’s sunset. Today we’re heading to Muskegon and Norton Shores. On the way, we’re going to try to get a fishing charter in Muskegon, and then go stay with Craig and Kelsey and their four children with whom we stayed on our last year’s tour.
Today’s ride is a breeze. No pun intended, because there is no breeze and we’re on a rail trail most of the way to Muskegon. Tree covered and cool. Good thing too, because the cool temps of the last week we experienced in the UP are giving way to summer temps again. We slept on top of our sleeping bags last night. Didn’t even need a cover. It’s in the low ’80s today and a small chance of rain. We will take the heat over cold and wet.
Along the way, we looked up various fishing charters in Muskegon and got full voicemail boxes or left messages. After a string of no-answers, we looked for alternatives like kayak or canoe rentals and found one place on our way. As we approached Muskegon, we tried to take a lunch break at a convenience store, but it’s selection was so bad we went next door to Macca’s (yes, again). After the break we went to Putters, a mini-golf, go-kart and watercraft rental place just off the highway.
We rented a canoe and got out on Muskegon River and bay. Just a little break from the bikes, but it’s beautiful. We rowed through reed covered marshes with different channels and waterways. There were swans all over the place from a nature reserve down river on the way to Lake Michigan. We got a good hour of rowing and many swan sightings in before docking. We went in to use the restroom which had it’s own certain kind of charm (see the pics). Randy, who helped us with the canoe was helping out his buddy Brad who owned Putters and also Norm’s Ice Cream Shop next door. We chatted with them a while and got some tips on things to see in Muskegon. They also gave us explicit orders not to order the large cone when we went for ice cream. “Just don’t.”
When we got to Norm’s a large is 7 scoops piled about 8-10″ high. A woman had showed us what of size of medium was (5″!) and Dana went to order what I was expecting to be a small. She went for the medium, so I did, too. It was too much. We had to get cups just to contain the overflowing (and melting) ice cream. Delicious, but it would serve for all the sugar we needed for 3 days!
We then went to Carlisle’s in downtown Muskegon. It’s a bar and behind the bar there is an ice skating rink for the local minor league team. They also have a Lumberjack Jr team to encourage kids of all ages and sexes to pick up a hockey stick. Our bartender told us his four-year-old girl was participating. Maybe the next Gretzky will come from here.
After happies, we walked around the town a bit and found a sculpture of Buster Keaton. Later, we found out that Keaton, his parents, siblings and show business friends summered in Muskegon from 1905 to 1920. There’s a gathering every October here of The Damfinos: The International Buster Keaton Society.
We then stumbled on the William McKinley memorial. Odd that it’s here as his home state was Ohio, but there are explanations on the web if you care to look further. My takeaway was this quote, from a president who actually served during the Civil War: “Let us ever remember that our interest is in concord, not in conflict; and that our real eminence rests in the victories of peace, not those of war.” McKinley is ranked in the low 20s of historian’s rankings of presidential performance. The current occupant consistently scores in the mid 40s, only a bit less worse than Buchannan & Andrew Johnson. No surprise there. (BTW, a lower # is better!)
Politics aside (and anyone reading this likely already knows where I stand), we finished our look-about in Muskegon and made our way to our Norton Shores Warmshowers hosts. Kelsey, Craig, and kids were at a family birthday party, so we used their outdoor shower and set up our stuff in the camper they reserve for guests and made our dinner. The family came home shortly thereafter and we reconnected immediately. The boys set about making a fire for us and Kelsey brought us bug spray and we chatted with them while we ate. After dinner, we joined them inside for a short catch-up and they asked us to join them for coffee and breakfast in the morning. We headed back to the camper for a nice and comfortable reprise of our stay last year.
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