Another Michigan Biking Day, Beulah to Frankfort, Michigan

Another smokeless, but cloudy, day so another bike ride. This time, we drove to Beulah, Michigan west of Traverse City to ride the Betsie Valley Rail Trail. The trail runs 44 miles from Yuma, Michigan to Frankfort, Michigan on the Lake Michigan Coast. We decided to just do the last 10 miles of the trail out and back for a total of 20 as the possibility of some rain in the afternoon was forecasted.

The old Beulah train station has been converted into a nice rest stop for bikers.

Very nice trail that runs along the Crystal Lake shore line.

Crystal Lake is huge!

A stop along the Betsie River where a bridge used to cross.

Much of the trail was paved.

We reached the bottom end of Betsie Lake looking across to Frankfort, Michigan.

We had just arrived in Frankfort when we had to hide from a half-hour rain shower under a restaurant deck.

We continued on after the rain to the lake front where waves were breaking over the breakwater. We had hoped to walk across to the lighthouse but decided against it due to the high winds.

People still enjoying the beach even though we considered it quite chilly.

People were surfing in Lake Michigan!

We biked through the main Frankfort street and had our picnic lunch in the park, then we biked around the lake to the opposite side where the old Life Saving Station sits as well a nice view of Frankfort.

Frankfort across the Betsie Lake.

Notice the light jacket. The cooler temps make getting out so much more enjoyable.

We stopped to enjoy the doe that didn't seem to mind our presence too much.

We got back to the truck without any more rain showers. Those would come over night and into the next day, our last day in Traverse City. That last day was chore day--laundry, then a trip to Great Clips for haircuts, and a stop at Walmart for just a few groceries. Life goes on even when we travel.