DougG

This is a tour up the western shoreline of Michigan with stops in places like Frankfort, Traverse City, Charlevoix, Harbor Springs, and of course Mackinaw. Seven days, 384 miles, some of it a lot hillier than you might expect (dune terrain along the lake!).

I've wanted to do this for several years, and this looks like the year to do it. Has anyone here done this one? Any comments? Will it be a decent group of riders, or overcrowded with Chicagoans?

If you're interested and want to take a look at the itinerary, it's on the League of Michigan Bicyclists' site at https://www.lmb.org.

Barrettscv 

wtf

DougG

A lame attempt at humor given that a good portion of this forum section seems to be from that area.

"Fred"

This is a great ride that goes right through my hometown (Boyne City). Unfortunately my business does not allow me that weekend off.

Wiswell

I've been interested in this for a couple of years now, but boy the trip up from SC WI is LONG! I know since it is a shoreline tour that it would be difficult to make a loop tour, but that would be my preference, somehow. I hate the logistics of bike hauling/getting a ride/shuttle which is why I haven't attempted any of the point-to-point across WI tours yet. It also adds to the time required off from work for the trip. The mileage is perfect (maybe about 50 miles long, but I can handle it).

If you are looking for tours in WI, however, I recommend shuttleguytours.com. They have loop tours, they are inexpensive, and well organized. Not every stopping point is exciting, but you are guaranteed some great cycling terrain. I am doing my second tour this year with them. If I could get the time off, I'd do two tours a summer. They have a primary business as tour support (Tour of Wyoming, Tour of OK, SD), but they are starting to run more and more of their own tours. I realize that this is just as long a drive for you as it is for me to UP of MI, but thought I'd throw that out there.

skijor

I did it two years ago, and I'll be on it this year as well. I found it to be well organized. The food was quite good. The group I was with is mostly from the midwest (WI, MN, MI) and we swam in Lake Michigan every day. I couldn't believe how nice the swimming was. The water was pleasantly cool. Seriously, more than acceptable and refreshing for a Great Lake. The only thing I'd change is the mandatory meal plan. The friends I ride with prefer to go find our own grub, especially for breakfast. We'd rather get 20-30 miles in, eat, then only have another ~40 to go to set up tents and hit the beach...or take a nap.

DougG

Thanks for the reply. I'm already entered and noticed that 180 are signed up as of the end of April. I'm really not into camping much anymore, so I went with Bubba Barron's service that I used last summer on the Michigander tour. It's nice to pull into camp at the end of a long, hot ride and see your tent already set up and cool drinks waiting under a canopy.

See you in Montague!

dannwilliams

Which one are you doing? I am signed up for the WISPRIDE tour, and looking forward to the scenery in that part of the state.

Wiswell

I debated long and hard because I liked the longer mileage of WiSPRIDE but for the most part I can get to those parks on the tour within an hour to 90 minutes of my house so it didn't seem like much of a "vacation" so I opted for the Tri-State again, since it is a new route. I hope they do another WISPRIDE that covers other areas, although I was also a little hesistant to do a parks ride with no indoor "out" in case of inclement weather. On the Tri-State last year there was one night where they forced everyone inside a fitness center because there were tornado warnings, heavy rain, and high wind. Not sure what they would do with 150+ people at a state park.

You will enjoy your ride on WiSPRIDE - those are some of the best state parks in the state, and when you get to Devil's Lake area you'll have plenty of hills to keep you busy. I'd also love to see a WiSPRIDE mini tour - say Thursday through Sunday.

I'm definitely still thinking about those Michigan rides but with the long ride that effectively adds another 1-2 days I would need to take off from work.

dannwilliams

Last year a couple of friends and I did our version of the tri state, we rode from here in River Falls, down along the MS River and crossed into Lansing, IA and back up the west side of the MS River. Five days, 330 miles self supported loaded touring bikes in some cool windy weather the week after mothers day. Nice scenery, so worth it.

There are enough state parks in each area of the state that they could do a different part of the state and not use the same state parks for several years.

Several years back I rode from here (River Falls) down to Woodstock, IL and stayed at a few state parks along the way, makes for cheap lodging if the weather cooperates. Merrick in Fountain City, Devils Lake, and Kegonsa in Stoughton, that was my favorite.