In celebration of Valentines Day and the five inches of fresh snow we had received on Friday, a group of us departed Gaylord to head north on the trail system to Mackinaw City. The snow conditions were great for Saturday's ride up the old railroad grade that takes you from Gaylord to Mack City. The further north we got, the better the snow conditions seemed to get. The great conditions called for a celebratory stop at The Meadows Bar and Grille just north of Wolverine.
Great conditions continued to reward us as we arrived at Mullet Lake and stopped for lunch in Topinabee. Running up the length of the lake was a nice, and fast, alternative to the groomed trail system that runs along the west side of the lake between Indian River and Cheboygan. Some parts of that trail are limited to 25 or 35mph and yes, it is patrolled so watch your speed through this area.
Really a beautiful ride north from Cheboygan to Mackinaw City. There is one part of the trail that gives you exposure to Lake Huron, which is really a sight to see. A vast snowy flat land as far as the eye can see.
Mackinaw City offered comfortable accommodations at the Holiday Inn Express, including breakfast for about $75. There are several hotels to choose from. 10 of us enjoyed dinner at the Dixie Saloon near the Shepler Ferry Docks. Great whitefish, walleye and steaks were enjoyed by our group. They also pour a fine cocktail at the attached bar next door, including a White Russian the size of a milkshake!
Some of our group left a day earlier and rode up to Sault Ste. Marie. Crossing the bridge was as simple as loading your sled on a transport trailer, jumping in the van towing the trailer and paying the $10 fare to cross to St. Ignace, and you're back on the trail again! Trails were good in the Upper Peninsula except for about a 10 mile stretch that required some road riding and the road was not well covered.
By Sunday, a warm front had softened the snow conditions so it was a bit messy on the way back to our Gaylord starting point. But that didn't stop the fun with so many great places to stop, eat and enjoy a beverage. I highly recommend the trail from Gaylord to Mackinaw City, especially if you like a nice, smooth trail without a lot of twists and turns. It's a fairly straight shot as you can imagine on a railroad grade. So load up the sleds, your friends and enjoy the ride, the scenery and the hospitality!
-- SC
