This post is a continuation of the 2016 White Pine Trail bike trip, which I did with 4 other people.

Day 3: July 4 – Cadillac to Morley  (~60 miles)

Some people don’t like doing out and back rides, but I don’t mind them.  I feel like reversing our trip the next day and riding from Cadillac to Morley allowed me to see things I didn’t see the first time around.  Plus, if you go uphill one day, it’s nice to go downhill the next.

Ready for day 3

Ready for day 3

Cadillac south to Tustin is a beautiful ride, with a lot of nature and a lot of downhill riding.  Along the way, we stopped at a boggy area and saw snakes, turtles and frogs making various reptile noises.

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Once in Tustin, which seems to be a quite small town, we saw an old lumber and grain building.

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We then passed through Reed City again, including a covered bridge.  While there we also ate at a great jeep-themed diner called 7 Slots.

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Eventually, we made it back to Morley and Mecosta Pines, where we were spending another night.  We had great weather and it was overall a good day of riding.  Since it was July 4th, we also had to indulge in some sparkler action – although it turns out fireworks and sparklers are not allowed at Mecosta Pines (ooops!).

Rule-breaking

Rule-breaking

Day 4: July 5 – Morley – Grand Rapids (~35 miles)

We ended with a relatively swift day of riding. We rose early and managed to pack up camp and be on our bikes by about 8:15 am.  Impressive!  I think all of our butts were quite sore at this point, as can be expected.

While some trails might be more majestic (the rolling terrain of GAPCO) or impressive (the famous tunnels of Elroy-Sparta), what I appreciated about the White Pine Trail was that it seemed well-maintained and had a classic Midwestern feel to it – with farmland.

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Beautiful nature:

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And small towns:

Sand Lake, Michigan (2016)

Sand Lake, Michigan (2016)

(Oh, and did I mention berries?)

Stopping for a snack of raspberries!

Stopping for a snack of raspberries!

Once we reached Grand Rapids, we packed up our bikes and headed to a diner for lunch before heading home.  It was a great trip and we lucked out with having good weather – no rain and not too hot.