Moto Canada Lighthouse camping
2k miles in 7 days
Averaging just under 300 miles a day, in 2017 we rode two-up to Canada and back in the matter of a week. We found a magical spot at the Mississagi Straits Lighthouse campground, which appears to have closed in 2020, sadly. We met many porcupines along the way, stayed in a nice Airbnb, found a cool hotel in Detroit, and ultimately decided we needed to take the kids back for a longer adventure.
Here we are not far from Louisville, on day one, where dinner coincided with a rain burst.
On the way up, we got to spend a little time with our nephew, stopped by a brewery in Ludington, Michigan—where we parked our bike in some freshly poured blacktop (hence the facial expressions as we found out the side stand had sunk into the ground), and took a coffee break in Traverse City.
We have seen many variations on our order of espresso on ice, but this rendition in a mug was something else.
Great digs camping at Petoskey State Park (dined at the local brewery) and crashing at an Airbnb in Elliot Lake. Also had an interesting brunch at Old World in Harbor Springs. Outside the restaurant, we watched a row of parked motorcycles fall over like dominoes after one dude made a wrong move (did not get any footage of that). (But maybe felt a little better about our own mishap the day before.)
We had a little picnic once we crossed the border into Canada, and the riding was super pleasant. There were dairy products with my surname!
We met this porcupine who walked all the way down the road up to our bike and then showed us his backside.
We stayed at Mississagi Straits Lighthouse Campground on Lake Huron. Our campsite was right on the water. The whole place was so wild and beautiful. The lake was cold, of course, but the shallow parts were nice to wade in.
The main building was quaint and convenient when we needed electricity, showers were rugged, animals adorable.
We took the bike on a ferry to get back to the mainland!
And our last night on the road we spent in Detroit, which was a blast.
Start to finish…
Route, Itinerary
July 7, 2017 (268 miles)
3:40 PM Take off from Louisville
5:30 PM Eat dinner while it rains in Greenwood, Indiana
9:30 PM Check into Microtel in Elkhart, Indiana
July 8, 2017 (330 miles)
8:30 AM Take off from Elkhart
9:45 AM Stop to intersect with family vacationing near Benton Harbor, Michigan
11:00 AM Ride to Ludington, Michigan, for lunch
1:00 PM Lunch at Ludington Bay Brewing Co.
2:30 PM Back on the road
4:00 PM Coffee break in Traverse City
7:15 PM Arrive at Petoskey State Park, our camping spot for the night
8:00 PM Dinner at Petoskey Brewing Co.
9:30 PM Lights out
July 9, 2017 (225 miles)
10:30 AM Brunch at the Old World Cafe in Harbor Springs, Michigan
4:00 PM Arrive at our Airbnb near Elliott Lake (grab groceries and eat in)
July 10, 2017 (364 miles)
~ 8:00 AM Hit the road
1:30 PM Stop for lunch
5:30 PM A pit stop or two later, arrive at the Mississagi Straits Lighthouse campground
7:00 PM Eat camp meals on the water, watch the sun set, shower with the toads, & eventually retire
July 11, 2017 (165 miles)
7:30 Coffee & oatmeal on the water, visit with the animals at the main building
8:30 AM Pack up, hit the road
~2:00 PM Take a ferry from South Baymouth to Tobermory
3:30 PM Quick tourist stop at Bruce Peninsula National Park
~7:00 PM Camp at Inverhuron Provincial Park
July 12, 2017 (150 miles)
9:00 AM Head toward Detroit
3:30 PM Check into our hotel, Trumbull & Porter; drinks + apps in the attached bar
5:30 PM Explore Detroit
7:30 PM More snacks and cocktails at Standby
10:00 PM Lights out
July 13, 2017 (388 miles)
9:15 AM Load up the bike & hit the road
5:00 Sandwich break in Indianapolis after a few pit stops along the way
8:00 PM Arrive home in Louisville