MOTOBRICK.COM
MOTOBRICK.COM => The MBdotCOM Community Center => Topic started by: alexg on November 15, 2019, 06:17:57 PM
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Stunning scenery, and food, and most pictures w/o rain; the weather gods were busy in some other loch ....
When we went to Isle of Sky, there were more BMWs GS than any other bikes combined!
Feeling jealous !!!
Someone for a trip around the great lakes next year?
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Stunning scenery, and food, and most pictures w/o rain; the weather gods were busy in some other loch ....
When we went to Isle of Sky, there were more BMWs GS than any other bikes combined!
Feeling jealous !!!
Someone for a trip around the great lakes next year?
I did just Superior this summer (camping) and it was a beaut. If I could get pictures to reliably upload I'd post. I saw about 10,000 Harleys, a dozen Japanese touring bikes, the odd Ducatti, etc. and about four Beemers in total.
I will do the ride again, taking a full week (3 days was too rushed but I'd wanted to do this for 20+ years).
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I did the Huron/Superior loop two years ago. A four day weekend is definitely not enough. Did it in early October and the only bikes I saw was a group of Harleys from Kitchener who had stopped at the Wawa Goose for pictures. Highlight was running out of gas in downtown Nipigon and getting a gallon of lawnmower gas from a lovely Canadian lady.
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I remember riding up through the Grampians when I was 18. My grandfather lived just outside of Invergordon.
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Should we start a "Great lakes tour 2020" thread? My first year of retirement!
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Should we start a "Great lakes tour 2020" thread? My first year of retirement!
YES, "The Great Lakes Spline Tour 2020" retrace the route of Past-my-Prime and his obliterated splines
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Oooo catchy sounding that. EAA Airventure usually hoses my vaca budget... I would love to circumnavigate Superior.
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I would consider meeting up for the Lake Superior leg, coming from Southern WI.
Free camping in Cumberland WI in-laws cabin if some want it.
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Mid-August is the best time for it.
See my pictorial of last summer's ride here: https://www.motobrick.com/index.php/topic,13102.0.html
I should have taken more time but limited vacation time sadly :(
It would have been nice with a few others -- although I have very little experience riding with a group and would probably have to adjust my style a bit.
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So as an exercise I took an hour to think through a circumnavigation of Lake Superior.
From Livingston WI 53554 and back its roughly 1500 miles.
I incorporated a crossing on the Badger Car Ferry $111 one way with the cycle, departs 9 am from Ludington.
I broke the trip into 8 legs:
Livingston to Duluth 320 miles
Duluth to Thunder Bay 189 miles
Thunder Bay to Wawa 297 miles
Wawa to Sault St Marie 141 miles
Sault St. Marie Ludington 265 miles
Ludington to Manitowoc on Badger Car Ferry 9am to 2pm $111 each mileage?
Manitowoc to Livingston 201 miles.
total is 1,431 miles.
How many days is realistic? (Past my prime did it in 3 days - wowzers..) How many did you take? my estimate is 8-10 days.
I rode plenty in 2019 about 10 k miles and generally a 200 mile day was a full day...I've rarely ridden 300 miles in a single day so legs over 250 miles I split, which would suggest some additional overnight accommodations during my legs.
Budget:
fuel +/- $140 1500 miles 40mpg....maybe less fully loaded...
ferry $111
food $30-$40/day +/- $350.
misc:pre trip fluid service $50 ,______
total $600
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I did Lakes Huron and Superior in a 4 day weekend from my home in Western New York. I have to admit it was kind of an iron butt dash, but realistically I would figure 4-5 days to do a nice loop of Superior. The best part of the trip is the north shore from Sault Ste. Marie to Duluth. Three days on the North Shore would be about right.
Things you gotta do: See the Soo Canal, see ALL the geese in WaWa, tour the Meteor in Duluth, visit the Grand Portage National Monument, tour the Split Rock Lighthouse, check the visitor center at the Lake Superior Provincial Park, tour Fort William Historical Park. There are also a bunch of spectacular waterfalls along the North Shore. Stop and have a meal in the incredible art deco dining room at the Naniboujou Lodge.
The Upper Peninsula is kind of boring, especially rte 2. There are some nice twisty roads, but they run through woods full of deer where the trees are right up to the edge of the pavement. I had two deer come out of the woods in front of me in about 200 miles of riding in one day. Scary!
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+1 Except now ill want to add MORE days. Cheers Gryph
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Budget:
fuel +/- $140 1500 miles 40mpg....maybe less fully loaded...
ferry $111
food $30-$40/day +/- $350.
misc:pre trip fluid service $50 ,______
total $600
Are you stealth camping the entire route ...
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That's a kind of unrealistic budget from my experience. Being in my 70's, sleeping on the ground is not an option, not to mention all the wasted time spent setting up and striking a campsite. I did it on the first weekend in October and it was great. Cool, sunny weather, light traffic, and I had almost every tourist site along the way to myself.
Another benefit is that the season is basically over, lodging is readily available and priced lower, not to mention that the staff is less stressed and more approachable. I learn a lot chatting with the innkeepers over a cup or two of coffee in the morning.
As for a budget, I allow for an average of two tanks of fuel per day, about $40. I figure on $50/day for meals and "beverages", and $100 for lodging. An additional $25 covers admission fees, souvenirs, etc. These numbers are in U.S. dollars. Amounts are about 25-30% higher if figured in Canadian currency. This works out to $215/day. If you are traveling in a group, you can share rooms and save about $40-50/day.
As far as money, I have one credit card that is used for fuel and lodging. Make sure to advise your credit card company that you will be traveling in Canada. I had charges on my card declined for the first two days of my trip until a young lady at a gas station in Wawa contacted the company and got things straightened out. I carry an emergency stash of $100 bills along with important documents in a Zip-Loc bag hidden in one of the armor pockets in my riding pants.
Make sure you have a AAA RV Plus card. It gets you a discount at hotels, and 200 miles of towing if your bike breaks. Check to confirm it will work in Canada. There is a lot of wilderness on the North Shore.
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this (https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1TSNP_enUS724US724&ei=zisKXuzqDJOFtQaYt62IDQ&q=hammock+moto+camping&oq=hammock+moto+camping&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i8i30.14905.18993..20033...0.1..0.99.552.6......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j0i273j0j0i7i30j0i13j0i8i7i30j0i7i5i30.F6BsJ5eZTyM&ved=0ahUKEwjsia2X693mAhWTQs0KHZhbC9EQ4dUDCAs&uact=5)
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Wisconsin DNR Nazis will probably jail me for tree mounting that rig along the Superior shore. A hammock is now on my pack list. makes sense, but I'd better try it out on my back in the yard first. Flashing my Visa for a no-tell motel en route maybe my best plan.
PS- Johnny: What's the name of your beaded seat cover? from where?
Yesterday I donned an elastic kidney belt like I used to don for motocross. It seemed to stabilize my lower back nicely..forced a somewhat more erect seating posture. Think ill add this to my long ride kit.
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greetings...
thats a taintilator... its $117.95 delivered conus...
if you taint aints right you is whack...
click me (http://www.motobrick.com/index.php/topic,13220.0.html)
j o
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After you MOE's get jabbed in the arse any one still doing this thing?
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Unfortunately, the Canadican Prime Minister appears to have no desire to reopen the border. I have a trip to Alaska on hold because I have to go through Canadica to get there.
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Unfortunately, the Canadican Prime Minister appears to have no desire to reopen the border. I have a trip to Alaska on hold because I have to go through Canadica to get there.
Are you going to be running Heidenau Tires? Which model?
When are we leaving?
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Be sure to get a certificate of insurance that states " Valid in Canada." The Mounties don't accept the standard USA issue. They are free of charge from your local agent. That is assuming that they are going to let you cross the border.
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Fresh Shinko Tourmasters. It's all asphalt where I'm going. There's no corduroy left on the Al-Can that I know of, and I don't think I'm young enough anymore to wreck my K75RT on the Dalton.
9k miles round trip; out of the mountains and running home on I-80 after 7k. The Shinkos will do the trip in style. Like I said, the timing depends on Mr. Trudeau.
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Be sure to get a certificate of insurance that states " Valid in Canada." The Mounties don't accept the standard USA issue. They are free of charge from your local agent. That is assuming that they are going to let you cross the border.
That's good to know. I know I have coverage in Canada, but it isn't shown on my insurance I.D. card. Will check with my agent.
Maybe if I got a Guatemalan driver's license and learned a little Spanish lingo I could pass as an illegal. Then I wouldn't have to stop at the border, avoiding those damn lines along with not needing any insurance at all.
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Highway Route 2 that goes all the way across the top of the states is a good ride, provided that you are not in a hurry. A side trip to the Canadian Rockies is a bonus must see.
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I tried to ride the Canidcan Rockies a couple years ago, but the Mounties stopped me outside of Fort McLeod on the Trans Can and wouldn't let me go any further because of a blizzard at 6000 feet. Had to go south and do the Rockies on US 2.
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A great lakes circumnavigation is still very much on my radar, but who could blame the Canadians for not welcoming Americans at their border these days. Solo it's a brick trip, with my bride we've added a GL1800 moto couch for her comfort.
In December I fulfilled a bucket list goal and started flying a Piper Archer with the help of a local airport club. I foresee doing the Great Lakes circuit at 2500 feet and 140mph too.
2020 was a total @#$%@%@#$%... If we can't cross a border it would be satisfying to meet more of you. Johnny has met up a couple times and huge fun ensued.
maybe a modified circuit in 2021 is in order. Id like to see the Mackinaw bridge area, Id love to ride the Badger Car Ferry. I'd enjoy tracing more of the Mississippi river flowage.
this would be fun, Ive never done it, Johnny has I believe. https://www.slimeycrudrun.com/ (https://www.slimeycrudrun.com/)
addendum- my aviation images continue to fly inverted. Leave this one be....
(http://www.motobrick.com/gallery/3/1601-230221012657.jpeg)
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That inverted flying photo looks fun. Reminds me of Tom Cruise in Top Gun flying inverted over the MiG! If I were a betting man (and I'm not...typically) I would bet that the border restrictions will be lifted by summer. God, let's hope so. Can someone explain this to me? You can fly into the States from Canada but you can't drive across (for non-essential travel). But you can fly across and have a service deliver your car across the border and then carry on to Florida, Arizona, wherever. Seems crazy. And people are still flying all over the place anyway, it seems. With warmer weather on the way the risk scenario should look a little better, assuming we all mind our Ps and Qs going forward. As it's turning out it might be the US that chooses to keep the border closed to Canadians. We are woefully behind all modern nations in vaccinating our citizens. Although our numbers are dramatically lower the mutant viruses threaten to set us back. The heat is on for the Canadian government to get its shit together and get this moving! This whole lockdown/ partial lockdown/ DEFCON 5 stuff is wearing badly on people. Business, for many, is being gutted and mental health compromised (again, thank God that we're heading into Spring). I can't wait to get back on two wheels. I'll take just about any strip of asphalt at this point! Here's hoping....
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A great lakes circumnavigation is still very much on my radar...
this would be fun, Ive never done it, Johnny has I believe. https://www.slimeycrudrun.com/
addendum- my aviation images continue to fly inverted. Leave this one be....
RC Maverick of the Cheez
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The old inverted image gag, I'm such a kidder. Running gag w. Laitch. I did teach myself to correct such folly, but now it's well suited to the topic.
So for giggles how long would it take to circumnavigate? About 12 hours by air 140mph cruise with only fuel stops. about 1200 miles 74 gallons AVGAS at $3.70/gallon, so roughly $300 fuel conservatively.
Here's a link to my 5-minute flight plan
https://plan.foreflight.com/share/accept/01b8f7jLzPvQNBrOaO click on the MAPS tab and scroll out until you see the great lakes then scroll back in to follow the coastal track.
Like my other 45 year old toys the Archer has needed a battery boost of late to crank up. After some pattern work this balmy afternoon I dropped it off with the A+P. Needs maybe a voltage regulator.