Think touring is a glamorous enterprise, riding in a chauffeured bus that takes you from hotel to venue, city to city? In the case of Peter Mulvey, think again. The singer/songwriter launched his The Long Haul Tour earlier this week via a ferry ride from his home base of Milwaukee to Muskegon, picking up from there on a recumbent bicycle that holds all of his equipment. From then through his Sept. 26 show date in Northampton, Mass., the bike is Mulvey's mode of transit, with anywhere from 40 to 101 miles separating each city on the itinerary.

It's the third tour of its kind that Mulvey's undertaken. He stops in Ann Arbor to perform at The Ark on Saturday, the last of four dates he's playing in Michigan for this tour. Accompanying Mulvey on the road and the stage is opening act Brianna Lane, as well as some cyclist friends for moral support.

The Long Haul Tour corresponds with the recent release of Mulvey's "Letters from a Flying Machine," a collection of original compositions and spoken-word pieces inspired by letters he's written to his nieces and nephews. As his web site details, the letters and songs work together to assert that love is what outlasts us all; a message Mulvey's hoping to convey to the generations following his.

Listen to Peter Mulvey "Dynamite Bill" (MP3).

The touring-by-bike concept is in this spirit, too, Mulvey explains: "No matter what you do, it's worth asking yourself if you can do it differently, if you can do it more sustainably. Can I bike to work? Even if 'work' takes me a thousand miles? For me, that's a question that's been challenging and very, very fun to answer. And it's a question each of us owes it to future generations to ask."

Peter Mulvey talks about his 2008 No Gasoline Tour:

To follow his 2009 tour diary and watch videos from his past bike-powered tours, check out Peter Mulvey on MySpace.

Chrysta Cherrie is the entertainment producer/copy editor for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at chrystacherrie@annarbor.com or 734-623-2526, and follow her on Twitter @chrystacherrie.

Peter Mulvey/Brianna Lane: Saturday, Sept. 12 at The Ark, 316 S. Main. $15. 18+. 8 p.m. 734-761-1451.