Day One – Saturday

Sloth was under the impression that his first day would be the least interesting as he traveled from Grand Rapids to Muskegon, largely by way of the Musketawa bike trail. Instead, he explored small towns and a scenic tour of Lake Muskegon, ending in Muskegon State Park. It was anything but boring, as our photos and video montage will prove. (WARNING: movie clip is 15 minutes in length, 51k in size and requires Windows Media Player. You may either save to disc or stream from our website to view.)

---

Sloth’s new Trek 7.2, provided by generous donations from his family and friends. Check out those massive waterproof panniers!
Traveling through the beautiful Grand Rapids downtown waterfront…
Downtown was alive with multiple walk events and outdoor festivals
Fishermen were hoping to get lucky near the fish ladder
Looking south down the Grand River from the fish ladder
All lined up and ready for the catch of the day
A little early to see any real action at the fish ladder itself…
Graffiti on the railroad tracks heading west to the Musketawa Trail
At the trail head near Marne
First stop: Conklin, Michigan
Conklin consisted of an old grain elevator, Irish pub, post office, and Mexican convenience store
The internationally famous Fenian’s Irish Pub, bizarrely located in the middle of Nowhere, Michigan
Guinness for strength… morning, day, and night!
Day one was the 13th of the month and was plagued by black cat sightings, such as these two very friendly felines in Conklin
Crockery Creek… we must be near Ravenna!
Sure enough… middle of the trail!
An old water tower on the bike trail heading west
Downtown Ravenna was quite nice; a gorgeous park on the river featured this water wheel
Made it to Muskegon!
Food break at Fisherman’s Landing on the west side of Muskegon Lake
A view of Muskegon Lake, looking toward Lake Michigan from the east
Veteran’s Memorial Park on route 120 off of Business 31 is often overlooked by visitors to Muskegon
The Veterans Memorial Trail featured markers for all Muskegon County veterans
This statue looked out over the water fountain and greenery
A tribute to our combat wounded veterans
Sloth visited Snug Harbor Outfitters, a bait ‘n’ tackle and convenience store owned and operated by his sister-in-law Jessica and her husband Eric
Snug Harbor itself, tucked inside Lake Muskegon on the east side of Muskegon State Park
The moist morning gave way to a gorgeous evening!
A panoramic view of Snug Harbor from the public boat launch (NOTE: will open in a new window)
Sloth tacked on a few extra miles to explore Muskegon State Park. The road was winding and hilly… look at those ravines!
The beachfront at Muskegon State Park… sunny and beautiful!
The wind was really coming in, making for some great wave action
Not the usual messages one sees on the beach here in Michigan…
The wind and waves made for some great parasailing… if one was willing to brave the September water temperature!
Sloth checked out the old blockhouse on the way out of the park… nice view!
Sloth was treated to a homemade dinner at Jessica and Eric’s house, complete with his favorite beverage! What a rough life…