Rather than making a beeline south to Bay View, I had been advised to veer west a few miles, to the coast of Lake Michigan, and then take a scenic route south along the coast of the lake. I was certainly glad that I did this, because it turned out to be one of the nicest rides on this trip!
About 10 miles into my ride I met Sean (photo below), a vacationer from Chicago who was out for a ride. It was enjoyable to have some company, and we rode together to the town of Cross Villages. Sean, who is about my age but who had the good sense (and ability) to retire four years ago, was quite interested in bicycle touring. I hope you do give this a try sometime, Sean, and please let me know how it turns out!
I was stopping at Cross Villages to meet cousins Carol and Ken at Leg's Restaurant. This was excellent, a Polish restaurant that has been an institution in these parts for many (75?) years. I had always had the impression that Polish food was "heavy," with an emphasis on fatty kielbasa and sourkrout (both of which I always like, incidentally); the food at this restaurant must have been Polish cuisine of the highest quality, light and flavorable, a real treat!
The atmosphere of this restaurant was a drawing card, also. It was an old, rustic building filled with unusual woodwork and huge pieces of wierd driftwood sculptures. The outside, backing up to the Lake, was a very nice garden area, as seen below in the photo of Carol and Ken, below.
Continuing my ride, I was soon on a scenic route called the Tunnel of Trees. This was one of the nicest rides of my whole trip. A narrow road through hardwood forests, with views of Lake Michigan,. Spectacular, and the great scenery continued all the way to Bay View. Several photos are attached, below .
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