I've done GRABWAAR three times. Last time was '09. Take the bus ride before the tour rather than after. It's a lonnnng ride (6-7 hours) so bring some good reading material. They stop for eats about halfway. The ride is good, nothing crazy challenging but there are usually some optional miles that have some more challenging terrain. The food plans for GRAB, Northwoods, and SAGBRAW got more flexible a few years ago. I'll be on the Northwoods tour this summer with a dozen or so friends. We usually do our own things for meals but the meal plan is usually decent. I highly recommend tent camping rather than "gym camping". The tent city has its own mentality...a bit more friendly, rain or shine. The towel service is nice although I've never used it...several friends have. The Northwoods tour has shower trucks this year. I'd suspect that'd also be the case for the other two tours. Past years have seen chilly showers at some of the schools. Frankly, I'm fine with that after many miles on a summer tour. I always bring a small "bag chair" though they can be rented too. They limit you to two bags but plenty of folks bring the two bags and a bag chair. The luggage trucks are quite big and some days the riders that arrive early end up helping unload the mountain. It's not that they have to, it's that they want their bags so as to shower and hit the beach or whatever. Take advantage of the swim stops. I've done the Shoreline West tour in lower Michigan twice now. Nothing beats that tour for beach stops. But GRABWAAR isn't too bad. Just plan ahead...take a suit on your bike if you're like me...don't like to bike in a soggy diaper bike shorts.

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