We did not venture out onto the lake, but Babcock and Turner did. They recounted their trip in the newspaper articles:
In my last letter I said that we were to be guests of the Englewood wheelmen on an outing across Lake Michigan. This cycle club consists of about 200 members, and there is in addition a ladies' auxiliary club. The club uniform is unique and at first sight appears rather outre, but after becoming accustomed to it, it seems rather pretty. It consists of grayish-brown coat and pants, with hose, sweater and toboggan cap. The hose, sweater and cap have very broad horizontal stripes of pale blue and yellow, and at first reminded me of Joliet. The suits, except the cap, appear comfortable, but the cap itself is not a sun- shade and is better for winter coasting: many of the club members do not wear it on their excursions.
About 9 p.m. we went on board the little steamer which the club had chartered, and found that we were just in time. Eighty or more wheels were stacked upon the lower deck and the boat was comfortably filled with cyclists, about thirty young ladies being in the party. The night was cloudy, accompanied by wind, and as we went out of the river we noticed that the storm signal was hoisted. It proved a rough night, and all but a very few were sick. I won't say with which side I flocked, but I never did like Lake Michigan, anyway. The captain said it was the hardest summer storm he had experienced for years. At 7 a.m. we reached the Michigan shore, were taken on board a tug and up a little river three miles to Saugatuck, where we had breakfast, and about 10 o'clock wheeled ten miles back in the country to a fruit farm. Imagine, if you can, eighty city cyclists in an orchard. They overran the place, climbed on top of the house, gathered in groups under the trees, took charge of the fruit house and had a good time. I imagined the owner of the orchard might repent of his bargain, but each time I saw him he was suggesting some new sport or some unvisited corner of the place. After dinner the most of the visitors took baskets and filled them with apples or peaches, and when we wheeled down to the steamer landing at 7 p.m., nearly every one had a souvenir in the shape of a ten-pound basket of fruit attached to his wheel. It was fortunate that the lake was calm on the return voyage.
We stayed altogether four days in Chicago, and when we left one of the Englewood Club came with us seventy miles to La Porte.