Day 2 of my motorcycle trip around Lake Michigan

Written 7/13/2025.

Silly me, I was going to get to the campsite and figure out dinner, instead there was no service. So, I’m currently eating dinner at Port Sandy Bay Pizza. Why? Because it was the first restaurant I crossed

.

Today was a good test of my riding long distances. I got on the road around 8:30 am to ride the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive. I wore my Purdue shirt (my son went to Purdue) figuring it was a nice, neutral shirt. I was in Wisconsin, there shouldn’t be any rivalries, right?

Nope, I caught s**t from the guy who parked next to me because he was a Notre Dame grad. The again later in the day from my friend. Really?

The ride through the drive had pretty parts. I was using the mapping that I had done before I left home and that worked out well to keep me on track and on the road as it zigzags quite a lot.

Robert’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I chose to spend the day without music, audiobooks, podcasts or any other distractions. Just me and the road. I wanted both time to decompress, but also to fully experience where I was. It’s so easy to be cooped up in a perfect environment viewing the world through a windshield. So, this time around, I just melded into the environment and the hum of the motorcycle engine.

After more than an hour, I took a break at Pike Lake Beach, had some water, banana, and a beef stick while staring at the lake. Once finished, I looked around for a garbage can. There were none.

Hmmm.

I saw a couple of park employees riding in a cart picking up trash and asked them where the closest garbage can was. They replied that it was “carry in, carry out” for all garbage. I looked around and actually, the park was a lot cleaner than the ones with garbage cans and I have to believe it’s cheaper to not have to deal with emptying garbage in all the state parks

.

I said thank you and they took pity on me and allowed me to toss my garbage into their bin.

The weather has been perfect. Temperatures in the high 70s, low 80s, partly cloudy, a nice breeze blowing when I stopped.

At 11 am I reset my GPS to head to my friends’ house in Sheboygan. They live in a historic house 1 1/2 blocks from the lake.

Kevin grilled up cheese and jalapeño brats that had been marinated in a beer and onion reduction before being put on the grill. Delicious.

Kevin and his wife Sala got geared up and we took a ride together up to Whistler Golf Course just to check out where so many gold tournaments had taken place, then it was off to the West of the Lake Gardens just south of Two Rivers. John and Ruth West owned this six-acre property where they lived, turning it into this amazing garden. Once the last person (Ruth) died the property was willed to their foundation who maintains it and it is open to the public at no charge. We wandered around and then said our goodbyes

.

I rode to my campsite just north of Two Rivers along the lake. I had practiced setting up the tent a couple times prior to today, but it still took waaay too long to get everything in order. Of course, I really didn’t have anything else to do. I also didn’t bring any books along, only this journal I’m currently writing in. The site was on gravel. Yes, gravel. The bane of motorcycles. Luckily nothing happened with my motorcycle, and I was so glad I brought a yoga mat along as my mattress. It worked just fine.

Thanks for reading Robert’s Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it.

After setting up, I took a nap, then went to the beach and dipped my toes into the water and relaxed. This was a rustic place. There were some water taps, but the bathrooms had no running water.

I decided to not buy wood for a fire and went to bed around 7:30 pm since I had nothing better to do.