Last day of summer, last ride of summer: Enjoying the peace and views at the Little Point Sable Light on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Photos by the author.
My friend, Rick, lives near Chicago, and I live in Ohio. When we decided to squeeze in one last motorcycle excursion last fall and meet halfway in Michigan, we opted for the less glamorous shores of western Michigan. A campsite accommodating two tents for two nights only set us back $61. No luxury accommodations required, no fancy touring rigs. Rick would be taking his first out-of-town trip on the 2001 Kawasaki KLR650 he bought for $1,500 and spent a few hundred more upgrading, while I would meet him on my 2009 Kawasaki Versys, nicely broken in at 67,000 miles. The end-of-summer cheap bastards Michigan tour was underway. Of course Rick immediately put the ?cheap? part at risk by booking a cruise. Opting to avoid the unlovely traffic on Interstate 80 around the southern tip of Lake Michigan, he rode north to Milwaukee instead, and caught the Lake Express ferry across to Muskegon, Michigan. At least he didn?t pay extra for the onboard movie, so I grudgingly admitted he kept to the spirit of the thing.
Many expenses were spared on this tour. A pair of well used Kawasakis?a KLR650 and a Versys?got the job done.
On the last full day of summer, we start our loop at the Side Street Café in Fremont, Michigan, the sort of breakfast spot we both favor on the road, probably like a lot of Rider readers. My coffee cup is ne...