In September 2018 I packed my bike into the van and drove up to Illinois and Michigan to ride around a few places where I had previously lived.  I grew up in Whitehall, MI, a small town of about 2,500 folks on Lake Michigan, about half way up the state.  In 1965 we left there when I finished 8th grade and then moved to Park Forest, IL, a southern suburb of Chicago.

I've been back to both places a few times over the years and each time there, had wished I brought my bike with me so I could just putz around town and the countryside, taking my time and slowly winding my way through my growing up years.

There will be six or seven parts to this slide show which will cover one ride in the Park Forest, IL area, two rides in the Whitehall, MI area and then I continued up north in the state for another two rides in the Traverse City, MI area and one last short ride on Mackinaw Island, MI.

I have to apologize and give a disclaimer about the wholly inadequate photography and videos taken on these rides. The ride itself was the primary reason for the trip, so I only took a few videos and photos to document the trip in a general way and these were done with an iPhone.  I was riding the bike with one hand, holding the phone out with the other hand taking video and photographs as I rode. The final presentation surely shows a jerky, hard to watch result.  Maybe next time I will take my GoPro camera and give a little more thought and time to the documentation part, but as I mentioned, it was really about the ride itself and any photo and video documentation was not given much time or effort for beautiful or pleasing results.  :-)

This first part begins in Park Forest on "The Old Plank Road Trail" which is a 'Rails to Trails’ bikeway where they remove the old rails and reconfigure it into a bike and walking trail.  The whole length of the trail will take you east to west, from Park Forest to Joliet, IL, which is a distance of about 30 miles one way.  I rode out from Park Forest, passing through Matteson, Frankfort and Mokena before making my roundtrip back to Park Forest.  When I finished that leg, there was still enough time and light that afternoon to take a short ride around Park Forest and past the high school I graduated from and through what once used to be the Park Forest Mall back when I lived there.  But now they have put roads through the mall, right where people used to walk, through the different main arteries and arms of the mall.  It is now a much different looking place and unfortunately retains very little of the original idea or sense of a mall that was once there.

This series may only be meaningful to family members who have a history and associated environmental familiarity with the areas shown, but I offer it here for any who wish to view it.  The total mileage on this leg of the bike trip was 35 miles.

Click on the photo icon below to join me on Part One of my six part bike ride.

Mikes Illinois and Michigan Bike Ride Trip - Part 1In September 2018 I packed my bike into the van and drove up to Illinois and Michigan to ride around a few places where I had previously lived. I grew up in Whitehall, MI, a small town of about 2,500 folks on Lake Michigan, about half way up the state. In 1965 we left there when I finished 8th grade and then moved to Park Forest, IL, a southern suburb of Chicago.
I've been back to both places a few times over the years and each time there, had wished I brought my bike with me so I could just putz around town and the countryside, taking my time and slowly winding my way through my growing up years.
There will be six or seven parts to this slide show which will cover one ride in the Park Forest, IL area, two rides in the Whitehall, MI area and then I continued up north in the state for another two rides in the Traverse City, MI area and one last short ride on Mackinaw Island, MI.
I have to apologize and give a disclaimer about the wholly inadequate photography and videos taken on these rides. The ride itself was the primary reason for the trip, so I only took a few videos and photos to document the trip in a general way and these were done with an iPhone. I was riding the bike with one hand, holding the phone out with the other hand taking video and photographs as I rode. The final presentation surely shows a jerky, hard to watch result. Maybe next time I will take my GoPro camera and give a little more thought and time to the documentation part, but as I mentioned, it was really about the ride itself and any photo and video documentation was not given much time or effort for beautiful or pleasing results. :-)
This first part begins in Park Forest on "The Old Plank Road Trail" which is a 'Rails to Trails’ bikeway where they remove the old rails and reconfigure it into a bike and walking trail. The whole length of the trail will take you east to west, from Park Forest to Joliet, IL, which is a distance of about 30 miles one way. I rode out from Park Forest, passing through Matteson, Frankfort and Mokena before making my roundtrip back to Park Forest. When I finished that leg, there was still enough time and light that afternoon to take a short ride around Park Forest and past the high school I graduated from and through what once used to be the Park Forest Mall back when I lived there. But now they have put roads through the mall, right where people used to walk, through the different main arteries and arms of the mall. It is now a much different looking place and unfortunately retains very little of the original idea or sense of a mall that was once there.
This series may only be meaningful to family members who have a history and associated environmental familiarity with the areas shown, but I offer it here for any who wish to view it. The total mileage on this leg of the bike trip was 35 miles.
Click on the photo icon below to join me on Part One of my six part bike ride.

Part Two highlights an afternoon ride from Whitehall, south towards Muskegon. A few views around Whitelake and a ride past our old house and some of the houses of our friends back then, who are all now long gone.  The ride finishes up with a ride by our old Elementary, Junior High, and High Schools and a look at where the new High School is now located.  The total mileage on this leg of the bike trip was 26 miles.  (More bumpy and jerky video unfortunately)  :-(

Mikes Illinois and Michigan Bike Ride Trip - Part 2Part Two highlights an afternoon ride from Whitehall, south towards Muskegon. A few views around Whitelake and a ride past our old house and some of the houses of our friends back then, who are all now long gone. The ride finishes up with a ride by our old Elementary, Junior High, and High Schools and a look at where the new High School is now located. The total mileage on this leg of the bike trip was 26 miles. (More bumpy and jerky video unfortunately) :-(

Part Three  - Are you still game to watch these jerky, low resolution videos?  If so, part three is an all day ride from Whitehall; this time going north through several small towns to the final destination of Hart, Michigan where I turn-around, stop for a nice ice cream treat along the way and then return to the Whitehall / Montague area for some continued riding around the two towns in more depth.  The total mileage on this leg of the bike trip was 63 miles.

Mikes Illinois and Michigan Bike Ride Trip - Part 3Part Three - Are you still game to watch these jerky, low resolution videos? If so, part three is an all day ride from Whitehall; this time going north through several small towns to the final destination of Hart, Michigan where I turn-around, stop for a nice ice cream treat along the way and then return to the Whitehall / Montague area for some continued riding around the two towns in more depth. The total mileage on this leg of the bike trip was 63 miles.

Part Four- I drove to upper state Michigan and the Traverse City area.  This part of Michigan is really beautiful with the Grand Traverse bay and the peninsulas.  I rode two rides on the one day I was here.  Part Four highlights the first ride which was the Leelanau Trail, on the Leelanau peninsula.  The trail runs about 35 miles round trip between Traverse City to the south and Suttons Bay on the Leelanau peninsula.  This was a 'rails to trails' bike path so it cut right through the country and some interesting rural scenes.  The total mileage on this leg of the bike trip was 40 miles.

Mikes Illinois and Michigan Bike Ride Trip - Part 4Part Four- I drove to upper state Michigan and the Traverse City area. This part of Michigan is really beautiful with the Grand Traverse bay and the peninsulas. I rode two rides on the one day I was here. Part Four highlights the first ride which was the Leelanau Trail, on the Leelanau peninsula. The trail runs about 35 miles round trip between Traverse City to the south and Suttons Bay on the Leelanau peninsula. This was a 'rails to trails' bike path so it cut right through the country and some interesting rural scenes. The total mileage on this leg of the bike trip was 40 miles.

Part 5 was a short ride through a section of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Recreation Area.  This location was only about 30 miles from where I finished my morning ride in the Traverse City area.  So I headed over there, had a quick lunch and then rode a ways down south of Glen Arbor on the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail.  The total mileage on this leg of the bike trip was 15 miles.

Mikes Illinois and Michigan Bike Ride Trip - Part 5Part 5 was a short ride through a section of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Recreation Area. This location was only about 30 miles from where I finished my morning ride in the Traverse City area. So I headed over there, had a quick lunch and then rode a ways down south of Glen Arbor on the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail. The total mileage on this leg of the bike trip was 15 miles.
 

Part 6 - I finished off my week of rides by jumping on a ferry from Makinaw City and heading out to Mackinac Island for a few hours of pedaling around this very popular tourist location.  The weather had started to mist and was in the low 60's when I left Traverse City, but the sun had come out with a temp of 62 degrees by the time I set foot on the island.  This was a very relaxing and enjoyable ride.  For those that may not know, no motorized vehicles are allowed on the island, so all travel is by horse, horse and carriage and bicycles.  The total mileage on this leg of the bike trip was 40 miles.

If you watched all these series of bike rides you deserve a gold star for sticking with it through all the low quality and jerky videos.  The trip was primarily for the bike ride and the photos and videos purely for personal documentary purposes.  Surely, not good results, but at least a few memories captured after the rides.  Thanks for joining me!

Mikes Illinois and Michigan Bike Ride Trip - Part 6Part 6 - I finished off my week of rides by jumping on a ferry from Makinaw City and heading out to Mackinac Island for a few hours of pedaling around this very popular tourist location. The weather had started to mist and was in the low 60's when I left Traverse City, but the sun had come out with a temp of 62 degrees by the time I set foot on the island. This was a very relaxing and enjoyable ride. For those that may not know, no motorized vehicles are allowed on the island, so all travel is by horse, horse and carriage and bicycles. The total mileage on this leg of the bike trip was 40 miles.
If you watched all these series of bike rides you deserve a gold star for sticking with it through all the low quality and jerky videos. The trip was primarily for the bike ride and the photos and videos purely for personal documentary purposes. Surely, not good results, but at least a few memories captured after the rides. Thanks for joining me!