Rounding Lake Superior, Starting Tomorrow

[slick_kipper]

Me and a buddy (both on Stroms) are fixin' to leave tomorrow around 10AM. Will start just South of Grand Rapids, MI, head West to Lake Mich., follow it North to the bridge and probably end up near Whitefish Bay/Point in the U.P. Then we'll head West to start the loop.

We're both real green w/r/t this adventure touring stuff. The info I've gathered from this forum has been very helpful as far as making trip preps. Sure do appreciate it.

Could be a rainy couple of first days but hey, it'll add a little more adventure to the some of the familiar roads we'll initially be following. Plan to take a bunch of pics and get some video too.

I'm geeked :) . I'm stoked.:mrgreen:

Will keep an eye out for other Stroms.

SK

[spongebob218]

Hope you have a nice trip. I'm jealous. Rounding the Great Lakes, specifically Superior and Huron, is one of my dream rides someday. See a bunch of lighthouses, the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald, etc.

[Martin]

...looking forward to a trip report and pix as I am planning the same trip in late August.

- Martin

[Rider_of_the_Strom]

...a few years ago. Started in Kentwood and slabbed it to Wawa, ON the first night. Then took it easy. Beautiful scenery, a little rain, and some great roads. Don't miss Ouimet Canyon east of Thunder Bay. Oh, and the Keweenaw Peninsula.

And as a side note, the leader of the group hit a moose on his Gold Wing, right in front of me! He was ok though, but watch the shoulders. I was a pretty green rider at the time and it scared the livin' !@#$ outta me!

Have fun, and post pics.

[slick_kipper]

Will post pics promptly. Did Wawa to Grand Rapids yesterday. Slept from 1AM to noon today. When I woke at noon I thought the power had gone off when I was sleeping, but it really was noon. Fantastic trip. The bike was great. Pic's coming.

sk

[slick_kipper]

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OK, here goes. Never tried this photo posting thing, but here goes. Was going to do a big narrative but it'll take too long. This trip was really a lot fun and it'd take me a month to say everything I'd like to say about it, so in the interest of immediate gratification, here's mostly the visuals.

Day 1: No pics. Just followed the W.Mich lakeshore up to the Lelanau Peninsula then to the state park in Traverse City. Still 8 hours in the saddle though. Done the ride a few times before, but a nice warm up for the rest of the trip. You get a few twisty roads and some nice scenery too.

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The only day it rained. It rained from Traverse City to the Mac Bridge on Day 2. Minutes after getting back on the road I narrowly avert hitting 2 deer (at 10AM?!).

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First view of Lake Superior near Brimley MI

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Same spot, but with Stroms.

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After hitting Whitefish Point, stopped in Seney for a Dew. Self-timer seems to be working.

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Had trouble remembering to photo the meals before taking a bike or eating them completely. Broasted whitefish in downtown Marquette.

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Eating a "Yupper Omlette" at Francois near Champion, MI on the morning of Day 3.

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Found some dirt near the tip of the Kewenaw Peninsula past Copper Harbor. Got some video but need to get it on the computer before I can post it. Big fun though.

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Stayed at Lake Gogebic State park that night. Campsite right next to the lake.

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Stopped here in Wisconsin for a lunch/snack and fuel.

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Here was the snack, and it was really really good smoked salmon.
Then, it was helmets off. Minutes after taking our helmets off, were hauling down the road at close to 80mph and my buddy riding ahead of me nearly hits a deer. There are folks by the road watching as it happened and I can't help but smile at the irony.

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Passing thru Deluth, MN. Hoping MN doesn't have a helmet law either.

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Fried pickerel in Grand Marais MN. Must have been missing my old lady because I found myself craving me some Latvian waitress.

[slick_kipper]

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Rolled in to Thunder Bay at 1130PM on Day 4. Next morning at the filling station I found "Malteezers" like in "Long Way Round" so I bought em and me and "Charley" tried floating them like in the movie. Some chick at the station was watching us and laughing?!

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Headed up the road to the amethyst mine on Day 5. Got some video of going up this hill, will try to post it later.

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Cool stuff that amethyst.

http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa51/slick_kipper/th_10c89883.jpg (http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/aa51/slick_kipper/?action=view&current=10c89883.flv)
Then it was time to bomb down Highway 17. It's like Thunderdome on this road. Too much road too few cops. Pretty much got to go as fast as we wanted, but so did everyone else. I suppose what made it dangerous is what made it fun, kindof a metaphor for something eh?

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Campsite on the lake at Obatanga Prov. Park. If you go there ask for site 7 because it's right on the lake and close to the showers and you can ride your Strom down a little dirt path from the sites parking area to the tent area. It's one of there "frequently requested" sites, apparently.

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Breakfast at H&C Family Lodge near Obatanga. The closest place to get a fishing license, fishing gear, hot breakfast, and "shockolat baerz" as the French-Canadian owner Henri would say as he rung up our morning "tab."

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Me hungry. Still at H&C. When mama asks you if you want "2 eggs, bacon" for breakfast, you get em served the way mama makes em. We were just so grateful for a hot meal close to the park, it didn't matter that with our fishing licenses, a few lures and breakfast came out to $112.47. We even tipped em. We'd inevitably eat there several times and it was good every time. The owners Henri and Carole Savoie are very nice people and very helpful. They have cabins for rent too and the prices are quite good, but you might need a reservation. We didn't stay there but I plan to come back and do a fishing-only trip.

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We rented this canoe in Obatanga for something like $12 all-day. It was already by the lake too. Fished out of it almost all day on Day 6.

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Caught 6 or 8 pike. Kept two just for a snack. Cooked em up over an open fire and man alive they were good with an ice cold Labatts.

Day 7: Gas'd up at the Halfway Lodge just a few miles East of Obatanga. The owners had (with a quad) chased a 300 lb black bear out of the campground there. It ran into the highway where it was hit by a "transport" (semi). Checked out the road kill then headed for Wawa. Ate a not-so-great breakfast at Columbia Pizzaria and Restaurant (don't go there for breakfast). Then headed for Pancake Bay Prov. Park. We were thinking of staying there because Henri from H&C recommended it, but the weather was great and we felt like riding. Stopped briefly at a Tourist Gift Complex near Pancake Park and a guy asks my buddy if I'm "The Kaneman." After that we headed to the Sault, crossed over, thru the U.P. and crossed back over the Mac
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Then hit 131 and bombed back to G.R. hopin' t'Gawd for no deer.
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Made it home around 1130PM without injury and a little wired on RedBull.

So, in summary:
Day 1: Grand Rapids to Holland , thru Sand Lake, Frankfort, Sleeping Bear to Lelanau State Park to State Park at Traverse City.
Day 2: Traverse City to Brimley,MI, following lakeshore to Whitefish Point to Marquette to the state park near Champion, MI.
Day 3: Champion up the east side of the Keewanau Peninsula, down the west side of the peninsula, through Ontonagon and down to State Park at Lake Gogebic.
Day 4: Lake Gogebic through Wisconsin (following lakeshore) thru Deluth, cross the boarder to Thunder Bay
Day 5: Thunder Bay to Obatanga Provincial Park
Day 6: Fished for Walleye and Pike at Obatanga
Day 7: Rode from Obatanga thru the Sault, across the Mac and back to Grand Rapids

...and in conclusion...
It was a great experience and a great adventure and I'd do it all over again if I hadn't just already done it. Can't think of a thing I'd have done differently on the trip and I'll be feeding off this experience for a long long time.

[roger123]

Nice trip. I'm heading to the UP on 7 Aug (going to see some aging grandparents before it's too late). Looking forward to it.