What was supposed to be a group ride was cancelled due to icy conditions on Riley trails. Instead, the 4 that missed the message headed out towards Lake Michigan.
After a short ride to the beach we hiked over the dune to see an icy and glacier filled Lake Michigan. We took a turn south and rode for about a mile down the beach. The sand was fairly solid close to the water and there were some tracks from other riders.
Once we hit an area where it would have been more hiking than biking we turned around. Because of the way the ice dunes were, we were fairly sheltered by the wind, but it was there. Temps were in the low 40's but the wind was making it just a bit cool.
We rode around 2 miles to the south before hitting "private property" areas with their water fences. Once again we turned around. The pic above shows some deer prints. They were stretching down the beach for at least a mile. They meandered up away from the water and back down to the water. Anywhere from 2 to 4 sets could be seen at a time.
After the beach we had to hike back over the dune. The loose sand made the hike brutal. Once we made it over the dune we rode back to Riley. Matt was on a rental fatty and still wanted to ride more, so we headed out on the paved trails. We rode away from the beach before turning south. Feeling pretty good about being outside, we kept rolling south until we hit Douglas Ave and made the turn to Holland State Park. There were lots of people parked and looking at the Lake.
The channel leading to Lake Macatawa was full of ice bergs. The icebergs were floating all around the lake too. Looked pretty cool.
Matt and I headed back north and arrived back at Riley Trails. 17.4 miles overall. Speed doesn't matter, but the ride was awesome. Felt really good to be outside instead of hiding in the basement.
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