Are the giant mounds of ice turning to slush?  If so, it’s time to take the motorcycle out of the garage, get it spring ready (checking fuel systems, tires and battery) and think about where to take a great ride.  Whether you drive a car or motorcycle, it’s time to venture outside and see some beautiful vistas on the way.

Plan a local drive that offers scenery, fun stops and socializing with friends or make bigger plans for a road trip.  

One of the great scenic byways, perfect for a motorcycle ride is the Tunnel of Trees Road, which is a section of M-119.  Start your journey at Harbor Springs (north of Petoskey) and take Route 119 north all along the eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan, until you get to Cross Village.

The Tunnel of Trees is gorgeous in spring with the appearance of colorful trillium on the forest floor.  As you ride along, a lovely forest will surround you, making a canopy of trees, while you can still view Lake Michigan from the high bluff on the other side of the road. There are some great twists and curves (at Devil’s Elbow and Horseshoe Bend).

There are plenty of places to stop:  country stores, a glass blowing workshop, artisanal bakeries and evidence of old Native American housing and even forts.

Enjoy a sunset and a relaxing meal at Cross Village and head back south!

Photo Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2009-0619-UP022-TunnelofTrees.jpg

Now, 19 states and the District of Columbia require all motorcyclists to wear a helmet, 28 states require only some motorcyclists – usually younger or novice riders – to wear a helmet, and three states have no helmet use law. States have been gradually repealing or weakening mandatory helmet laws for nearly two decades,

leaving adult citizens with freedom of choice in the matter.

Advocates for mandatory helmet laws say that there is no free ride, and counter the argument that adults should be free to make their own decisions by pointing out that all taxpayers are ultimately burdened by paying for someone who suffers a devastating head injury due to their choice not to wear a helmet.

Meanwhile, advocates for choice such as Jeff Hennie, vice president of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, says that the insurance industry can not be impartial in this matter because “life has gotten more expensive for them and they have to pay out more.”

“The fact is our highways are bloody,” Hennie said. “This (the Michigan helmet law change) doesn’t make helmets illegal. … No one is forcing anyone to ride without a helmet.”

Whether you are a biker and choose to wear a helmet, or assert your right not to, this is certainly food for thought.

See a map of Helmet Laws in the US here.