Lake Michigan Circle Food Tour - Skies and landscapes (2 of 3)

As I am lagging behind in writing up the account of the second part of my Lake Michigan Circle Food Tour (the first part was here), I am going to at least show you some photos that I took of the roads.

With one exception (i.e. the area in the Lower Michigan's peninsula, around the Tunnel of Trees), the roads were mostly very long and straight. You would think that they wouldn't make for an interesting motorcycle ride, but you would be wrong. The landscapes, to the eyes of a Tuscan Boy (am I still a boy, given my age? I guess not), are beautiful, new, different. And the sky: there is something with the Midwestern skies that make them stunning. I hadn't seen these colors before moving here.

Being this a food blog, I had to start with this photo: the statue dedicated to the "World's largest cherry pie". It was baked in 1976, and it measured 14 feet and 4 inches in diameter (4.5 meters). It weighed a total of 13,500 lbs (6.5 tons) (!!!), and it was baked intact in a specially constructed pie tin. They used 5000 lbs of Michigan cherry. Now, I would have LOVED a slice of that...

There is something in the Midwestern skies that make them so beautiful, almost fake

The dimensions of the Lake are unfathomable for me, even if I knew what to expect

This was one of the most beautiful roads I have ever ridden on: the Pierce Stocking road, in Michigan. I had seen it on magazines, but I hadn't written down how to get there. S0 when I realized I was riding on it, when I recognized this spot, I started to shout in my helmet. I was so happy.

Sleeping Bear Dunes. Impressive. And the sky is mesmerizing.

Vestiges of a rural past?

I loved the fact that the Lake Michigan Circle Tour is indicated by panels all around the Lake.

The Mackinac Bridge should have been one of the highlighs of my ride - it is the third world largest suspended bridge, the first in the Western world. Fun to ride on, but short. Ah!

Did I mention the skies?

I have always been fascinated by lighthouses, and when I read that there are 113 around Lake Michigan (map here), I knew I would have not been disappointed.

Next, the food.