DCC Gravel Extravaganza, Annual Camping Trip
Sat. July 7 to Tues July 10, 2018
Once again the season has arrived for Downriver Cycling Club’s annual camping trip. This year we are headed to Michigan’s beautiful upper peninsula to spend 4 days riding our bikes through the wilds and environs of both the upper and lower peninsulas. This ride is only open to members of Downriver Cycling Club. You will have to join our club to participate if not a member already. Info at www.downrivercycling.org. Non-members may not ride on this ride, no ride waivers allowed.
We will be camping at the Straits State Park in St. Ignace, Mi in the shadow of the Mackinac Bridge. We have 2 adjacent campsites. One is primitive, right on the lakeshore and the other is across the road with full power amenities. Showers and restrooms are nearby. We have room for 12 campers and have 4 already signed up and can accommodate up to 8 more at no cost to DCC members. Any more than that will have to find their own sites at their cost but can join us for the rides. We will have 2 large tents and space for 2 to 3 more small tents. We will fine tune this as we get closer to the date.
We will be riding apprx. 260 miles over the four days. THIS IS NOT A RACE. These are absolutely no-drop rides and we will all stick together. No one will be left behind. Some of the terrain is quite remote and cell phone coverage could be spotty. All riders should make sure their bikes are in good working condition and both the rider and bike can handle the distance and terrain. This is not the place to experiment with repairs. We recommend a CX, Gravel, MTB or Fat Bike. Road bikes cannot handle the off-road sections (unless you want to walk/run a lot) and there are a lot of them. You will need several tubes and CO2 canisters and/or a small frame pump, basic bike tools, GPS device or cell phone, several water bottles or backpack bladder, energy bars or gels and sunscreen/bug spray. Bring some cash as not all places accept credit/debit cards. We will provide basic cue sheets and maps as well as first aid kit.
Sat. has a short 31.8 mile ride to the northwest of St. Ignace with a lot of gravel and seasonal roads leaving about 4 or 5 pm. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26807711.
Sunday is a 100 mile ride from Mackinac to Petoskey to Cheboygan and back to Mackinac leaving at 9 am. This route includes the stunning Tunnel of Trees and the famous Leg’s Inn in Cross Village where we will stop for lunch. There is plenty of gravel and rail trail on this one.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26732072.
Monday’s route is back in the UP leaving at 9 am and we will drive to Cedarville where we will park our cars. Then Ride On to Drummond Island where we take the ferry across to the island and venture onto this isolated island. We will have lunch on the island. We’ll head back via all of the seasonal and gravel roads that I could find. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26732088.
We leave the campground on Tues. heading home at 9 am but first we go to Cheboygan to ride a quick 24.4 mile final route on mostly seasonal roads, briefly riding along the Lake Huron shore. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27571604.
All of the routes are on Ride with GPS, you can follow the links to view.
Meals are the responsibility of each participant. DCC provides only the campsite. In the past we have worked and shared together to provide breakfast and dinner. Lunch and stops for snacks are each riders responsibility and will happen during the ride. Any special dietary or medical needs should be privately discussed and will be accommodated. Alcoholic beverages are a personal choice and responsibility.
Some will ask if they can just ride just one or a few days because of other time commitments or constraints. This is not a problem except with a big caveat. Space in the campsites has to favor those who are there for the full 3 night stay. Two or more people could share a car and piggyback the ride.
We are looking forward to a great ride and sharing many amazing memories of another DCC adventure.
Your host,
Dave Nall
More details will be posted as they arise.
Sat. July 7 to Tues July 10, 2018
Once again the season has arrived for Downriver Cycling Club’s annual camping trip. This year we are headed to Michigan’s beautiful upper peninsula to spend 4 days riding our bikes through the wilds and environs of both the upper and lower peninsulas. This ride is only open to members of Downriver Cycling Club. You will have to join our club to participate if not a member already. Info at www.downrivercycling.org. Non-members may not ride on this ride, no ride waivers allowed.
We will be camping at the Straits State Park in St. Ignace, Mi in the shadow of the Mackinac Bridge. We have 2 adjacent campsites. One is primitive, right on the lakeshore and the other is across the road with full power amenities. Showers and restrooms are nearby. We have room for 12 campers and have 4 already signed up and can accommodate up to 8 more at no cost to DCC members. Any more than that will have to find their own sites at their cost but can join us for the rides. We will have 2 large tents and space for 2 to 3 more small tents. We will fine tune this as we get closer to the date.
We will be riding apprx. 260 miles over the four days. THIS IS NOT A RACE. These are absolutely no-drop rides and we will all stick together. No one will be left behind. Some of the terrain is quite remote and cell phone coverage could be spotty. All riders should make sure their bikes are in good working condition and both the rider and bike can handle the distance and terrain. This is not the place to experiment with repairs. We recommend a CX, Gravel, MTB or Fat Bike. Road bikes cannot handle the off-road sections (unless you want to walk/run a lot) and there are a lot of them. You will need several tubes and CO2 canisters and/or a small frame pump, basic bike tools, GPS device or cell phone, several water bottles or backpack bladder, energy bars or gels and sunscreen/bug spray. Bring some cash as not all places accept credit/debit cards. We will provide basic cue sheets and maps as well as first aid kit.
Sat. has a short 31.8 mile ride to the northwest of St. Ignace with a lot of gravel and seasonal roads leaving about 4 or 5 pm. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26807711.
Sunday is a 100 mile ride from Mackinac to Petoskey to Cheboygan and back to Mackinac leaving at 9 am. This route includes the stunning Tunnel of Trees and the famous Leg’s Inn in Cross Village where we will stop for lunch. There is plenty of gravel and rail trail on this one.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26732072.
Monday’s route is back in the UP leaving at 9 am and we will drive to Cedarville where we will park our cars. Then Ride On to Drummond Island where we take the ferry across to the island and venture onto this isolated island. We will have lunch on the island. We’ll head back via all of the seasonal and gravel roads that I could find. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26732088.
We leave the campground on Tues. heading home at 9 am but first we go to Cheboygan to ride a quick 24.4 mile final route on mostly seasonal roads, briefly riding along the Lake Huron shore. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27571604.
All of the routes are on Ride with GPS, you can follow the links to view.
Meals are the responsibility of each participant. DCC provides only the campsite. In the past we have worked and shared together to provide breakfast and dinner. Lunch and stops for snacks are each riders responsibility and will happen during the ride. Any special dietary or medical needs should be privately discussed and will be accommodated. Alcoholic beverages are a personal choice and responsibility.
Some will ask if they can just ride just one or a few days because of other time commitments or constraints. This is not a problem except with a big caveat. Space in the campsites has to favor those who are there for the full 3 night stay. Two or more people could share a car and piggyback the ride.
We are looking forward to a great ride and sharing many amazing memories of another DCC adventure.
Your host,
Dave Nall
More details will be posted as they arise.
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