Monday, 14 Aug Empire, MI; Broken Bike and Lighthouses

It was a nice day so we decided it would be nice to go for a mountain bike ride.  We loaded everything up, including Bella's basket and her and headed out. It is supposed to be a nice, easy and flat, which is why we are taking Bella.  Normally we don't take her mountain biking.
We headed out and loaded her up.  
The trail is marked off in 12 segments.  We started out and there are quite a few roots which make it bouncy for Bella.  My bike was feeling and sounding weird.  I told Rob something was wrong, but he didn't see or hear anything. So we rode on.  It still was acting quite odd.  We got to about section 3 and it was really making bad noises.  Finally, at section 4 the motor started acting p and I had Rob ride it again.  This time he told me that my frame was coming apart.
I had found a piece of a nut or something in the parking lot just before we left.  I had put it inside the truck for safekeeping.  As we were looking at my bike now, we could see that the piece I found was from my bike.  
So, my bike is falling apart and we need to get it back to the truck.  Rob had electrical tape with him so he used an allen wrench and stuck it in the hole and taped it up with the electrical tape.  
We were able to ride back to the truck.  We loaded it up and met a man in the parking lot that we talked to for a bit and he told us about a good bike shop to take it to.  So we did. Actually we took both bikes in.
After that we went site seeing.  We started looking for Lighthouses.  The first one we came across was way out on a point and we couldn't drive or walk out to it.

Some of them are now private residences.

We drove up to Frankfort to Point Betsie Lighthouse.  Point Betsie means Saw Beak Point.  Construction was begun in 1854 and was completed 1858, with service beginning in the shipping season of 1859.  The lighthouse was constructed at a cost of $5000. The light was the site of one of the earliest Life-Saaving Stations, built in 1875.  The cost of the Life Saving Station was $3000.  Due to a critical need for a day marker, the Point Betsie Tower and dwelling were painted white, and the roof and parapet were painted red.  Point Betsie was the last lighthouse on Lake Michigan to be completely automated. 

Point Betsie is still serving as an active navigation aid.  There is a museum. 

We continued on our journey and found another light house that is now a private residence.  I think it would be really fun to live in a light house.

Next we went to Leelanau State Part to visit Grand Traverse Lighthouse museum.

It is located at the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, which separates Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay.  It marks the Manitou passage, where Lake Michigan elides into Grand Traverse Bay.  In 1858, the present light was built, replacing a separate round tower built in 1852.  

The grounds were fun as well.
We found a place to get a bite to eat and then went back to the rig for bed.