Another great video! Yeah, Storm Cloud Brewing in Frankfurt is fantastic! I know you said you stopped for coffee in Manistee but the brewery there is also excellent. A friend and I rode the area last May. We started at Nordhouse Dunes, rode dirt roads and some pavement into Manistee. After lunch at the brewery we rode along the Manistee River and camped along its banks. Ended back at Nordhouse the next day.
Thanks! The brewery in Manistee was on our list and we considered having our route take us through there the pervious evening but instead opted for getting to camp and swimming instead. Yeah - there is so much cool stuff in the area it would be easy to do another trip with all different stops and spending more time in certain places(like Sleeping Bear Dunes or Ludington)
Rewatched this morning, only to realize it was a year to the day since you did it. I took a trip to the area last fall. Kind of fun to see you guys in some of the same places I rode through - Vasa, Big M, etc. Fun fact: Nordhouse dunes are named after my grandmother's father, who was mayor of Manistee in the early 1900's.
Some of the sections were pretty narrow but you got it through again and again. The weather was nice too, wouldn't want to ride it in a rain. Definitely a Bigfoot on the Day 4 😅 Awesome tour. Looking forward to the next episode. 👍
I believe the fat bike trails in Michigan are identified as such for winter fat bike riding. I think it is to keep separate cross country skiing trails from fat bike trails as fat bike would destroy the smooth surfaces that cross country skiers enjoy. In the summer both sets of trails and be used for hiking and maybe cycling.
Relatively new to the channel and I'm stoked to see my little area of Northern Michigan showcased. The trails here are indeed very sandy, winding and confusing, and sometimes completely incorrect on Google maps.
That’s sick you went through Big M! Love that area. I believe the Fat Tire Bike signs are holdovers from the winter since they groom for both fat biking and Nordic skiing. Big M is great groomed fat biking in the winter.
That is definitely a place I want to go back to and spend more time at. We road through most of the park but were limited on time - didn't climb the dunes or anything like that.
Sleeping Bear dunes is so awesome. Yep, we inhaled a couple bushels of those cherries. Good to see that town looks like it's doing well. While the sand might get in your bearings, Michigan is pretty annoyance free.
Would definitely like to go back and spend more time there - we just rode through and snapped a few photos. No worries with the sand really - all these modern bikes are sealed bearings.
So quiet and peaceful ride, i haven't got one of those in like forever. I'm hoping to move next year somewhere like Michigan or Pennsylvania. I know you been in both, Detroit and Pittsburgh, wish one you recommend for cycling? Thank you Tim for your time.
Directly in the city there is more infrastructure and I'd say maybe even cycling culture in Pittsburgh. Not to mention connected bike paths(you can ride al the way to DC on trails). Detroit is definitely coming along and expanding it though. Right outside Detroit everywhere I've been is still really car oriented. The broader regions....Detroit gives you al the beautiful Michigan lakes and Pitt you have the mountains. So its tough to say - depends on what you are looking for. I always like going to both.
Good stuff! I did a circumnavigation of Lake Michigan last summer, and went through some of the same areas. I think I saw the spot where I had dinner in Manistee in your video. It's a beautiful part of the country!
Hello Tim, Unfortunately you don't offer international shipping at the swag store. I completely understand why. There's a nice ride in the UK called the C2C. It starts in my home town of Sunderland on the north east coast. It ends in Whitehaven on the west coast. I know this next point won't be of any interest to you and your cycle compares..... The ride takes you past many traditional English pubs, some even allow you to camp in the beer garden!
That sounds awesome! If you want to order some stickers just put a US State in the shipping info and I can send it to your billing address. I have international stamps so it doesn't cost me much. I just haven't figured out how to ship the bigger stuff like shirts on that website(and it would be kind of cost prohibitive anyways as a one man operation).
Awesome trip , what do you think ? Did you over pack ?? Notice the other bikes had all four bags , did they over pack ?? Looks like weather was great thanks for sharing
Can’t really speak for the others, but i probably could have consolidated a little differently. We packed more food than usual, and I definitely packed more water and backup filtration stuff I never needed. However redundancy is not a bad thing. Tim & Erin also share a tent, and a cook set amongst other things, so they can literally share the load between them.
I don't feel like I over packed. I did have a couple things I didn't use but those were weather dependent - rain jacket, extra socks and boxers(still would have brought those based on the forecast). And I did have a couple extra meals but that was also part of the plan not knowing if places would be open on the holiday. I know Ben said he wouldn't run panniers on an off-road route like this again - but not sure if he felt like he brought too much.
The fat tire bike trail is groomed in the winter for winter day bikes
Big M is a gem
Ah - makes sense.
Another great video! Yeah, Storm Cloud Brewing in Frankfurt is fantastic! I know you said you stopped for coffee in Manistee but the brewery there is also excellent. A friend and I rode the area last May. We started at Nordhouse Dunes, rode dirt roads and some pavement into Manistee. After lunch at the brewery we rode along the Manistee River and camped along its banks. Ended back at Nordhouse the next day.
Thanks!
The brewery in Manistee was on our list and we considered having our route take us through there the pervious evening but instead opted for getting to camp and swimming instead. Yeah - there is so much cool stuff in the area it would be easy to do another trip with all different stops and spending more time in certain places(like Sleeping Bear Dunes or Ludington)
Another great video, thanks for sharing. The fat tire trail at Big M is for winter ridinguu. Manistee (ends like tea you drink - man is tea).
We kept pronouncing it like “Namaste” as a joke, but I think it screwed up our actual pronunciation over time!
Exactly what Brad said - its funny it creeped into my commentary. I didn't notice I did it until I checked the upload.
Rewatched this morning, only to realize it was a year to the day since you did it. I took a trip to the area last fall. Kind of fun to see you guys in some of the same places I rode through - Vasa, Big M, etc. Fun fact: Nordhouse dunes are named after my grandmother's father, who was mayor of Manistee in the early 1900's.
I’m touring the Finger Lakes right now.
Cool fact - thanks!!
@@TimFitzwater looking forward to a video about it.
Some of the sections were pretty narrow but you got it through again and again. The weather was nice too, wouldn't want to ride it in a rain. Definitely a Bigfoot on the Day 4 😅 Awesome tour. Looking forward to the next episode. 👍
So lucky on the weather! I'll catch that Bigfoot on camera one of these days!
Love my home state. Sweet terrain.
It was so rad - we will be back!
Awesome clip! Lake Michigan is no joke. Very cool you hit the timing of the 4th. Ummmm, Michigan cherries = the shit..... As always, great vid.
Thanks! Yeah - Lake Michigan was so beautiful.
Thanks for sharing the ride..
For sure - cheers!
What a wonderful adventure!
It turned out to be a great trip - everyone is already talking about going back to that area. 😎
Looks like fun! I'm jealous! The sandy forests remind me of touring Coastal France.
Well I'm jealous of the idea of touring the coast of France! We have talked about getting back there - maybe next year.
@@TimFitzwater The EV6 was way more interesting and less headwinds!
I believe the fat bike trails in Michigan are identified as such for winter fat bike riding. I think it is to keep separate cross country skiing trails from fat bike trails as fat bike would destroy the smooth surfaces that cross country skiers enjoy. In the summer both sets of trails and be used for hiking and maybe cycling.
That makes sense. They were definitely still used for cycling in the Summer as there were a bunch of MTBers around.
Relatively new to the channel and I'm stoked to see my little area of Northern Michigan showcased. The trails here are indeed very sandy, winding and confusing, and sometimes completely incorrect on Google maps.
Despite those challenges we absolutely loved it up there and are already making plans to head back.
The fly at 2:26 was my favorite part. Classic Fitzwater
Always looking for the high profile cameos.
That’s sick you went through Big M! Love that area. I believe the Fat Tire Bike signs are holdovers from the winter since they groom for both fat biking and Nordic skiing. Big M is great groomed fat biking in the winter.
That makes sense! Didn't think of that.
Third days a charm 👍
3️⃣🥉
Sleeping Bear Dunes are badass! Grand Sable is great as well.
That is definitely a place I want to go back to and spend more time at. We road through most of the park but were limited on time - didn't climb the dunes or anything like that.
Beautiful photography.
Thanks!
Sleeping Bear dunes is so awesome. Yep, we inhaled a couple bushels of those cherries. Good to see that town looks like it's doing well. While the sand might get in your bearings, Michigan is pretty annoyance free.
Would definitely like to go back and spend more time there - we just rode through and snapped a few photos.
No worries with the sand really - all these modern bikes are sealed bearings.
Nice tour.
It really was a great trip - thanks!
Thanks Tim...great weather ...
We were so lucky! It was stormy, super hot and also hazy from the smoke at home while we were gone!
Great 👍
Thank you 👍
So quiet and peaceful ride, i haven't got one of those in like forever. I'm hoping to move next year somewhere like Michigan or Pennsylvania. I know you been in both, Detroit and Pittsburgh, wish one you recommend for cycling? Thank you Tim for your time.
Directly in the city there is more infrastructure and I'd say maybe even cycling culture in Pittsburgh. Not to mention connected bike paths(you can ride al the way to DC on trails). Detroit is definitely coming along and expanding it though. Right outside Detroit everywhere I've been is still really car oriented.
The broader regions....Detroit gives you al the beautiful Michigan lakes and Pitt you have the mountains.
So its tough to say - depends on what you are looking for. I always like going to both.
I can't for the next one. Awesome trip so far.
Thanks! I'm planning to have the next one out on Thursday.
Love it!
🥰
It was Stormcloud brewing
Yes! Loved it! Don’t know how I forgot - bought a bandana that I wear often.
Good stuff! I did a circumnavigation of Lake Michigan last summer, and went through some of the same areas. I think I saw the spot where I had dinner in Manistee in your video. It's a beautiful part of the country!
Thanks!
That is awesome - how long did it take you?
It was absolutely beautiful out there.
Love the vids, keep up the great content!!
Cheers - Thanks!
Hello Tim, Unfortunately you don't offer international shipping at the swag store. I completely understand why. There's a nice ride in the UK called the C2C. It starts in my home town of Sunderland on the north east coast. It ends in Whitehaven on the west coast. I know this next point won't be of any interest to you and your cycle compares.....
The ride takes you past many traditional English pubs, some even allow you to camp in the beer garden!
That sounds awesome!
If you want to order some stickers just put a US State in the shipping info and I can send it to your billing address. I have international stamps so it doesn't cost me much. I just haven't figured out how to ship the bigger stuff like shirts on that website(and it would be kind of cost prohibitive anyways as a one man operation).
Thank you Tim,
I will do that.
Heck yeah
Awesome trip , what do you think ? Did you over pack ?? Notice the other bikes had all four bags , did they over pack ?? Looks like weather was great thanks for sharing
Can’t really speak for the others, but i probably could have consolidated a little differently. We packed more food than usual, and I definitely packed more water and backup filtration stuff I never needed. However redundancy is not a bad thing. Tim & Erin also share a tent, and a cook set amongst other things, so they can literally share the load between them.
I don't feel like I over packed. I did have a couple things I didn't use but those were weather dependent - rain jacket, extra socks and boxers(still would have brought those based on the forecast). And I did have a couple extra meals but that was also part of the plan not knowing if places would be open on the holiday.
I know Ben said he wouldn't run panniers on an off-road route like this again - but not sure if he felt like he brought too much.
What a great adventure... Would you make any changes to the Gunner?
Thanks!
Not right now - I'm really happy with everything.
Thanks for sharing your adventures! What model Surly is your friend riding?
Its a Bridgeclub.
Cheers!
is this rout in the U.P
No.
The routes are linked in the description.