A distinguished two-up affair around Michigan's Thumb
Saturday, May 30 → Sunday, May 31, 2026 · the Lake Huron coast
The whole loop · on one chart
Every stop on both Saturday options, every light on the trail, every Eagle aerie along the way — pinned to one map. The Saturday I (locked) and Saturday II (considered) routes are both drawn so you can see the decision that was made. Tap a marker for its address and phone. Then grab the GPX below to import the whole ride into Ride Command, Garmin, Calimoto, REVER, or Google My Maps.
Note: marker coordinates are approximate — verify the address before riding any leg. The Google Maps links on each section below open the official addresses for turn-by-turn.
↑ Back to topDay One · Saturday
Saturday was a real decision between two routes: Option I, the thumb coast with Eagles aeries woven in, and Option II, the I-75 swing west to ride the USS Edson destroyer in Bay City. Option I is locked. Option II is preserved below as the road not taken — the Edson has its own ride coming (see the teaser).
Rochester, MI — depart
StartLake Orion Aerie — Fraternal Order of Eagles
Stop 1 · Eagles317 Clarkston Rd, Lake Orion — closest aerie to home and the morning warm-up. Coffee or a quick check-in.
Mayville Aerie — Fraternal Order of Eagles
Stop 2 · Eagles20 E Main St, Mayville — the mid-thumb pit stop. Restroom, a quick beer if open. Verify Sat hours before counting on food.
Beachy's — Caseville
Late lunchThe Caseville lunch — landing later than last year, but no rush. 6567B Main St.
Caseville Aerie — Fraternal Order of Eagles
Stop 3 · Eagles7017 E Park St, Caseville — third aerie of the day, just down the street from Beachy's. The proper hat-trick before heading up to Port Austin.
Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse & Grindstone City
Scenic · daylightRide past Port Austin out to the tip's lighthouse and the old grindstone harbor while the light is good.
Port Austin — check in, 85ten
Overnight8510 Lake St. Then dinner — bar seats at The Farm reserved for 8:00 PM (see below).
Rochester, MI — depart
StartUSS Edson — Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum
Anchor stopSelf-guided tour of ~90% of a Vietnam-era destroyer — ladders, engine room, the works. They stop admitting an hour before close. Confirm Sat hours: (989) 684-3946. 1680 Martin St, Bay City.
Colwood Bar, Unionville
Optional · cash onlyQuick splash if you're on time. Skip it if the Edson ran long. 4990 Colwood Rd.
Beachy's — Caseville
LunchThe Caseville lunch — late in this option. 6567B Main St.
Port Austin — check in, 85ten
Overnight8510 Lake St. Then dinner (below).
Enter the first driveway just north of Grindstone Rd. Park under the willow tree, or continue past the portico to the right of the garage for more spaces.
Walk past the front porch to the main entrance. Inside is a lounge with two green couches — Suites 1–4 turn right (that's us, Suite 4); Suites 5–6 turn left.
Use the blinds for privacy (the drapes are decorative). Don't use the exterior deadbolt.
Door codes & WiFi are in the PDF version — kept off this public page.
Saturday Night · both options
The gem of the trip — and it's locked in. We've got bar seats reserved for 8:00 PM, and the kitchen runs until 10, so there's no rush getting there — leaves room for the lighthouse at sunset or a drink in town first.
The Farm Restaurant
Reserved · 8:00 PMFarm-to-table in an old farmhouse — bar seats held for 8:00, no rush. Backups below, just in case:
The Bank 1884 Food & Spirits
Backup AHistoric former-bank building downtown, open Sat till 9. Best all-around fallback. (989) 738-5353 · 8646 Lake St.
Simms Still & Stogies
Backup BLounge & small plates inside the Garfield Inn — a quick step up Lake St from 85ten. Fri/Sat 4–10. (989) 738-0019.
Days on the Lake
Backup CWaterfront tables, open Sat till 9. The view is the draw. (989) 738-7665.
Day Two · Sunday · both options
No blitz. Sleep in, take a lazy breakfast in town, then 10:30 AM Mass at St. Michael — a few minutes from the hotel — before an easy run down the Lake Huron shore with lunch at the Cadillac House.
⛪Open the Sunday route in Google MapsPort Austin (St. Michael) → Harbor Beach → Port Sanilac → Lexington → Port Huron → homeOpen ▸Lazy morning in Port Austin
No rushNo early alarm. Coffee in town and a slow morning before Mass.
Mass — St. Michael, Port Austin
Church · 10:30 AM8661 Independence St — Catholic (Annunciation of the Lord Parish), right in town. (989) 738-7521. Confessions 10:00–10:20 before Mass; a Saturday 4:00 PM vigil here too if plans shift.
Lunch — The Cadillac House, Lexington
LunchTapestry-by-Hilton tavern, the most stylish room on the route — and a normal lunch hour now. 5502 Main St. (810) 359-7201.
Port Huron — 1913 Storm Memorial
OptionalA fitting last coastal stop (see the shipwreck history) before turning inland.
Home — Rochester
FinishStill to lock
Everything else is set. These are the calls left to make — the leading option is marked in brass.
Riding above the graveyard
Sunday's coast road runs right over one of the deadliest stretches of the Great Lakes. Here's what's offshore as you ride south — north to south.
Off Port Austin / Grindstone City / Port Hope
The focal point of the Great Storm of 1913 — the "White Hurricane," still the worst maritime disaster in Great Lakes history. Eight ships and ~178 lives were lost on Lake Huron alone in four days of hurricane-force wind and 35-foot waves. The Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse & Maritime Museum tells it. Divers also find limestone caves off the Port Austin reef and old grindstones on the bottom off Grindstone City.
Off Harbor Beach → Port Sanilac → Lexington (you ride directly above this)
This whole stretch is the Sanilac Shores Underwater Preserve — 163 square miles holding ~20 wrecks within recreational depth. The headliner is the Regina, a 250-ft steel freighter that went down in that same 1913 storm with all 32 hands; she lay undiscovered until 1986 and now rests upside down in about 80 feet of water. Nearby lies the Sport, a 57-ft tug (sank 1920) — the first wreck ever given a State of Michigan underwater historical marker.
South end, where you turn for home
The bodies and the famous "mystery ship" of 1913 washed ashore along this coast. A Memorial to the Victims of the Great Storm of 1913 stands in Port Huron — a fitting last stop before turning inland.
A trail of lights
The whole loop is a lighthouse run — Saginaw Bay on the way up, the tip, and the Lake Huron "Sunrise Side" all the way down to Port Huron. Here's every light you could bag, in ride order. Leave the stamp circles blank for now — a proper "visited" tracker is coming in a later version.
Bay City — minutes from the USS Edson
An 1876 range light on the Saginaw River, restored by a local historical society with occasional open-house tours. Slated for the Edson Ride when we mount that trip.
Map itBig Charity Island, out in Saginaw Bay (off Caseville / Au Gres)
An 1857 light marooned on a remote bay island, reachable only by charter (a pricey, all-day affair). Spot it on the horizon from the Caseville shore and save the landing for another trip.
Map it~2.5 miles off the Port Austin tip
An 1878 light rebuilt in 1937 atop an octagonal concrete caisson. The Reef Light Association runs summer boat tours; the easy play is to walk out the Port Austin breakwall at the harbor and take it in from there.
Map it7320 Lighthouse Rd, Port Hope — already a stop in both options
The crown of the trip. First lit in 1848; its keeper Peter Shook drowned that very year, and his widow Catherine became Michigan's first female lighthouse keeper. The current 89-ft tower and keeper's house (1857) make it one of the oldest active lights in the state — roadside, with a museum and tower climbs on select dates.
Map itHarbor entrance — tours from the marina, 1 Ritchie Dr
An 1885 light guarding the world's largest man-made freshwater harbor. You're already in Harbor Beach for church Sunday morning — walk the breakwall for the view. Saturday boat tours run in season; book ahead.
Map itOn M-25 at the harbor, Port Sanilac
An 1886 light that's now a private residence — you can't go inside, but it's a postcard from the saddle as you ride through, right above the Sanilac Shores wrecks.
Map it2802 Omar St, Port Huron — the grand finale
Michigan's oldest lighthouse and the first on Lake Huron. The current 82-ft tower went up in 1829 after the 1825 original toppled in a storm; a 94-step climb earns you Blue Water Bridge and Lake Huron views. Grounds are a public beach, open daily (≈10–5 in season) — the perfect last stamp before turning inland for home.
Map itDeviate at will
Fraternal Order of Eagles aeries along (or just off) the loop, north-ish to south, if the mood strikes. Tap any one for directions. Verify hours before counting on food.
①Lake Orion Aerie317 Clarkston Rd, Lake OrionSaturday stop 1 · the morning warm-up ②Mayville Aerie20 E Main St, MayvilleSaturday stop 2 · mid-thumb pit stop ③Caseville Aerie7017 E Park St, CasevilleSaturday stop 3 · locked · the hat-trick after Beachy's ④Caro Aerie1440 W Caro Rd, CaroInland thumb detour ⑤Croswell–Lexington Aerie50 Wells St, CroswellSunday · minutes from the Cadillac House ⑥Port Huron Aerie #37022645 Howard St, Port HuronSunday end · open daily from 10 AM ⑦Imlay City Aerie170 S Almont Ave, Imlay CityOn the M-53 ride home ⑧Lapeer Aerie3565 Davison Rd, LapeerInland alt route home ⑨Bay City Aerie350 River Rd, Bay CityNext ride · saved for the Edson tripThe little black book
Everyone you'll need to call, look up, or follow — address, phone, website, and socials in one place. Tap an address for directions, a number to dial, or an icon to open the page.
Also locked, no socials needed: Beachy's (Caseville lunch, 6567B Main St), Colwood Bar (Unionville, 4990 Colwood Rd · cash only), and the dinner backups Bank 1884 (989) 738-5353 and Days on the Lake (989) 738-7665.
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