Van Buren State Park
This summer, I got to do a one-night camping trip to Van Buren State Park outside of South Haven, MI. I was also riding my bike.
It's nearly 50 miles one way, which is no big deal if I'm just riding by myself. But, I had never strapped a bunch of stuff to the back of the bike and hauled it with me. All of my own camping stuff is geared for kids, so we have a lot of stuff, none of it very lightweight. Fortunately, our family is full of campers and I was able to get a small(er) tent, a thin sleeping bag, and a very lightweight sleeping pad. I planned on eating dinner out on Wednesday, so I borrowed my brother-in-law's MSR Whisperlite stove and kettle to make hot water for oatmeal and coffee the next morning. I had never used one of those before and it is sweet.
My route had me heading north, through the small town of Baroda and then through St. Joseph, MI before continuing north toward South Haven. The ride was cool but humid, so I took a break at St. Joe for a little while and watched some kids learning how to sal get towed back into the harbor, which was super cute.
I messed up my directions and ended up crossing the drawbridge with traffic instead of using the pedestrian crossing (oops). It was hairy, but I'm glad I realized my mistake becuase I would not have ridden back the same way. There was a nice trail outside of St. Joe through Benton Harbor, but then I was on M63 proper before turning north on to the Blue Star Highway for the second leg. I was feeling good when I rolled into camp early afternoon.
I chose Van Buren partly because it's "comfort camping." Trailers and RVs aplenty with electricity at every site. I didn't have to worry about how to charge my phone for the trip, which took some of the stress away. My neighbors were a cute couple with a beautiful Bernese mountain dog who was happy to just chill. I set up camp while chatting with them about where I rode from and how far it was before taking a much-needed shower.
I had brought a book mentioned by someone on Mastodon, Relegated: One American's Pints-and-Pies Journey from the Top to the Bottom of English Football. I'm a sucker for travel memoirs and this one did not disappoint. I actually ended up finishing the book in one day I was so hooked in.
About 4:00, I was starving, so I rode another six miles into South Haven proper to explore and figure out dinner. That's when I realized I had left my wallet at home. Fortunately, I was able to get Google Wallet set up on my phone, so crisis averted.
I tooled around the beach and pier for a little bit before succumbing to my hunger. I found a small place, Dash Kitchen, a little out of the way, but they took Google Wallet as payment. I had a fantastic Philly Burger and some even more fantastic fries that had parmesan and pepper as a dressing. I topped it all off with a vanilla milkshake because I knew I would ride it off the next morning.
I rolled my way back to camp and continued reading. My neighbors must have thought I was skipping dinner because they came over and offered me some pizza they had brough back from town, but I was so full I just thanked them for their offer and kept reading. I eventually made my way to the beach to watch the sunset before going back to camp and turning in around 10:00.
I woke up Thursday morning feeling pretty good, but worried about the potential for rain on the way home. I broke camp early and started the ride back south. Hills...the hills on that return trip really pushed me. I kept the bike in low-ish gears and just tried to be consistent with pedaling. I really enjoyed those downhill sections, though.
One more stop in St. Joseph for lunch and some rest before slogging back home. The last eight miles or so helped me develop a small sore in an unmentionable area, so I applied the cream liberally to make sure it didn't get worse before I got back.
In all, I logged 97 recorded miles between the way there and the way back. I didn't record my run into South Haven (but it happened - look at the pictures) making these last two days easily my densest riding time so far. I enjoyed the time on the ride and I feel like I accomplished something I wouldn't have even considered just a year ago. I'm looking forward to the next trip, maybe with my wife and kids so they can drive and carry some of the stuff.
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