Le Tour De Shore (June 2022)

 Le Tour De Shore is a fully supported ride from downtown Chicago (Grant Park) to New Buffalo in western Michigan:

https://www.letourdeshore.com/

This 100 mile trip is mostly on a patchwork bike path. I believe it's always on Father's Day weekend. 

Day 1:  I got there with my bib number of....420.  I really wish I had any other number...69, 22, 421...because every moron and a few idiots had to comment on the thing.  I have no problem with marijuana but the whole 420 thing is retarded. 

I got a bit of a late start just because of the logistics. I was out of Grant Park around 7:30 and got to the first rally point in Whiting Indiana on time for breakfast. They had a guy there making pancakes in massive batches, impressive operation.  He would flip the pancakes and it was the riders responsibility to catch them.  One woman asked him "What about all the ones that fall on the ground?" His response:  "Those are for my mother-in-law."  Legend.

The rest of the day was a winding, pleasant ride around Gary, Indiana and eventually to the Indiana dunes for a night of camping.  We had a group site there and the food was very good (wood fire pizza truck). 

Day 2:  Shorter day, mostly on roads as opposed to paths. First rally point was Michigan City.  Last rally point was Three Oaks. I stopped at Journeyman for a Bourbon flavored milkshake (fantastic).

The ride is mainly back and forth on backroads up to New Buffalo. Last stretch is right on the Lake.  Beautiful ride, weather was great.  Lunch at New Buffalo provided by Redamaks, a local institution.