Where To Ride Now In Northern Michigan

I’ve always thought Ernest Hemingway should have been a bike guy. A risk taker and adventure seeker, it seems a guy like Hem would have a history peppered with tales of tearing around his boyhood home on a Harley-Davidson J Model inherited from a quirky uncle. As far as I can tell, that’s a chapter that didn’t exist. Had a young Hemingway occasionally, say, filched his senile neighbor’s old Army Indian or ridden through Europe on a beat-up Rudge, no doubt he would have mentioned it. As a motorcyclist I’ve always found the title A Moveable Feast a bit misleading.

No matter. Why not visit Hemingway’s Michigan and enjoy the scenic coast where, if he was a motorcyclist, he surely would have ridden.

M-119 between Harbor Springs and Cross Village. One of the classic American byways, M-119 is a tick-the-box road. Winding through the forest on the western coast of Michigan, the road can be a touristy spot, so beware. Still, any road called the “Tunnel of Trees” can’t be half bad. Especially if it’s curvy. Which it is. Just have some patience and avoid ruthless passing maneuvers on minivans filled with vacationing families.

City Park Grill. South of Harbor Springs, in the city of Petoskey, City Park Grill is one of Hemingway’s old haunts. Fittingly, it’s all dark wood and Hemingway-esque: a good place to stop for a bite.

Alternatively, catch and cook your own supper. Hemingway’s parents owned a cabin on Walloon Lake outside Petoskey, and his love of fishing was inspired by a childhood spent fishing in the area. Find a cabin on Airbnb or a spot to pitch a tent nearby and bring your rod.

A fishing pole. Also, The Nick Adams Stories by Ernest Hemingway. Get in the mood by reading the classic short stories published a year after Hemingway’s death, many of which take place in the woods and streams of Northern Michigan.