Day 33 - Michigan!

Milwaukee, WI to Holland, MI

• Miles: 40 mi

• Elevation Gain: 695 ft

Today was a different kind of adventure — and a special one. We started by rolling just 3 miles from the Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee to the Lake Express Ferry Station. After walking our bikes onboard, we enjoyed a 2.5-hour ferry ride across Lake Michigan and rolled into our 9th state: Michigan! 🎉 It feels so good to be home.

Once we landed in Muskegon, we hopped back on our bikes and pedaled 37 miles. And let me tell you, Michigan showed off today — a Pure Michigan fall day with lake views, crisp air, and trees in starting to show some autumn color. Our group was soaking it all in. 🍂🚴‍♀️

The best part? Steve was there to greet me in Holland with a bottle of wine for my friend Letitia and, very practically, to scoop up some dirty laundry (to return clean tomorrow!). After a long day of travel and riding, we rolled in just before 7pm, where our guides had arranged a pizza party in the hotel conference room — the perfect end to a very different type of day.

Tomorrow promises to be extra special. We’ll stop at the Gilmore Car Museum — a couple of miles from our lake cottage and one of my staple training destinations. Friends and family will be meeting us there, and I couldn’t be more excited. Honestly, I thought by this point in the trip I might be ready to veer off toward home and call it good after riding two-thirds of the country. But instead, I’m having way too much fun and can’t wait to celebrate tomorrow with my Kalamazoo and Island crew and then keep on pedaling towards Portalnd!

And one more thought that’s hard to believe — two weeks from today this incredible adventure will be wrapping up. The days have flown by far too quickly, and I already know I’ll treasure these miles, these people, and these memories forever.