Labor Day weekend was quickly approaching and I had extended the long weekend by scheduling the Friday before and the Tuesday after the holiday as vacation days. I would be just as content turning the days into a celebration of domestication and spend the time quilting, canning, or just hanging out at home with a good novel. But Jeff had other ideas. This was an opportunity for a new adventure even though we had no idea exactly where to start. After a conversation with an acquaintance that spent some vacation time by Lake Superior, Jeff started to reminisce about his drive around the lake when he went ice fishing in Canada a few years back. So after a little research, I brought up the idea of the Lake Superior Circle Tour. I already calculated the miles which would total somewhere around 1600 depending on our exact route. To my surprise Jeff didn’t bat an eye; he thought it would be a great idea. So the planning began.
I immediately ordered maps from AAA then went to the Lake Superior Circle Tour website to order informational brochures and maps. According to the information, we would travel 1,300 miles to go entirely around the lake. It’s the largest of the Great Lakes, the coldest, and the deepest. The lake holds 10% of the world’s surface fresh water. The first decision would be to pick a city on the lake as the starting point. Since we had to go a few hundred miles just to get from Oak Creek to Lake Superior, we knew our start point would most likely be the first night’s hotel stay too. The next decision would be to decide which direction we should travel. Head west then around or start going east. Since we did a trip to Sault Saint Marie and Mackinac Island a few years ago, we chose to head west towards Duluth and then into Canada. But there was still the issue of the starting point….Marquette, Houghton-Hancock, Ashland, Apostle Islands-Bayfield – so many choices. Jeff wasn’t happy about the helmet law states we’d be traveling through so we eliminated Marquette and Houghton-Hancock, Michigan.
I started to research hotels in both Bayfield and Ashland. They are only 22 miles apart so it really didn’t matter which one. Since it was getting closer to the holiday weekend, we were limited to fewer choices as some of the good places were booked solid. After reviewing the ratings, newness, prices, and amenities we chose a hotel in Ashland. Part one of the first stop was complete, now we just had to plan the route to get there.
As we reviewed all the information sent to us, we knew it was going to be hard to decide where to stop along the way. On the second day we would go through Superior, Duluth, Grand Marais, and Thunder Bay for sure. The question that still needed to be answered was how much farther do we go until we stop for the night? Would we see Marathon, Nipigon, and Wawa or would we stop before we got that far? It’s really difficult to plan these things when riding on a motorcycle. The weather can wreak havoc on best-laid plans. So we usually compromise and allow for an average of 6 hours per day of riding just in case the weather holds us up for part of a day.
Jeff found a small town past Nipigon called Rossport. It looked quaint and was lined with bed and breakfast stops along the lake. He found a reasonably priced one that had great reviews so he booked it. Day two was now set. As we talked to others who’ve been in that part of the country, they all say the same thing, once you get past Marathon, there’s pretty much nothing but wilderness so the decision to stop here is part necessity and part strategy. Hopefully there’s someplace to eat nearby or else we’ll be in trouble.
During the days of planning I discovered a run/walk over the Mackinaw Bridge on Labor Day. I thought Bonus! This was right up my alley and as fate would have it, we could be in Mackinaw City on that day. Upon calculation of miles, we discovered that the Mackinaw area was a little far so we booked a room in Sault Saint Marie. So the run is iffy but that’s ok, it’s all about the lake tour anyway. Between the lighthouses, waterfalls, national parks, wildlife, and lake views, I won’t regret missing a thing or two, there’s so much to do and realistically I know we will have to come back if we really like it. We know for sure we will stop at a few overlooks, parks, local restaurants, and find the Harley dealer in Thunder Bay.
Friday, September 1, 2006
So the day is her and it’s time to hit the open road. Jeff wants to be on the road at 6am. After packing up the bike, making sure we have taken care of everything at home, and determining we have to stop at the ATM, it’s 6:40 by the time we got on the bike. By the time we got the banking done, it and hit I-94 the traffic was a little heavy due to the morning commute which was expected. The weather was a little chilly because of the early hour and I was certain we would warm up as the sun rose higher in the sky. We were just outside of Milwaukee by 6:55 so getting out of the city wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
We got off the main highway and onto Highway 10 around Oshkosh and took a scenic route through many beautiful towns. There were 92 miles one the odometer when we got to this point. We had breakfast at Diane’s in Amherst. We pulled in at 9:25. Jeff is so used to the hustle-bustle lifestyle that he was bothered that it took so long to get his eggs. Hopefully he will settle into a slower pace before this day is over. What’s the point of vacation if you’re not going to relax? There would be a few gas stops along the way so I made sure I picked up a couple bottles of water at each stop. The wind in your face can really dry out your skin and dehydrate you rather quickly so I tried to counter the negative effects by keeping us well-hydrated. A few pieces of licorice at each stop was also a way to get a little sugar boost of energy along the way. I started to wonder where the Harley dealers were long this route.
At 10:42 we passed the Marathon County sign and by 1:15 the Iron County sign was in view. We stopped at Northern Lights Harley on Highway 51 in Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin. This was just outside of Minocqua and Woodruff which was bustling with touristy traffic. The scenery was gorgeous and the lakes pristine which explained why there were so many people there. But the large volume of traffic was moving at a pace that was way too fast for us. We were breathing a sigh of relief when we got through to the other side of town and back to the solitude of the open road.
At 1:50 we were driving through Hurley. I had noticed previously that there were many trucks pulling trailers with ATV’s but now it seems the trailers were gone and the ATV has become the favored method of transportation. There were ATV’s pulled up into the parking spots in front of the local bars. It brought back the memories of the golf cars parked in the tiny parking spaces in front of the grocery stores in Phoenix. They even had golf car lanes on the roads there.
It was a little after 2:00 when we found our hotel in Ashland. We pulled in, parked, and unpacked our things. The view of Lake Superior was beautiful, right in the hotel’s back yard. We stayed and the AmericInn which wasn’t my first choice since they catered to families with a kid’s water park right in the hotel. But the price was right and we figured we wouldn’t be spending much time there anyway.
So we headed out to Bayfield. It was reminiscent of the shops of Cedarburg. We parked near the marina and walked through the little downtown, quaint with shops and restaurants. We walked the pier as far as we could and took some pictures. We came across the place that does the boat cruises around the Apostle Islands, since we were there late in the season the Lighthouse evening cruises were not available. We vowed to come back again during the summer. The area is that beautiful. There was a little bar atop a restaurant that overlooked the water. We climbed the steep steps to enjoy the view with some of our favorite beers. It was a great place to sit and relax. After we sit a while, we found the restaurant that was suggested to us for dinner. The place was pretty busy and we could choose to wait half an hour for a table or sit at the smoke-free bar. We chose the bar and enjoyed a nice dinner.
By the time dinner was done, it was getting dark. We headed back to Ashland where Jeff eyed a Dairy Queen and he wanted it for dessert. We stopped for a frozen treat where we met a couple who inquired about our travels. Luckily we ran into them because they told us to make sure that we got on the old highway that runs along the lake because the new highway runs inland and doesn’t have the view.
Saturday, September 2, 2006
We headed out after a hearty breakfast at the free breakfast buffet. The sky looked a bit ominous, but we were hopeful. We got through Superior and Duluth without incident. No rain fell but they sky still looked like it could come down any minute. We found the old highway road that the couple mentioned the night before and after a few miles of travel down it we were grateful for the good advice. The view of the lake was gorgeous; the houses that lined the streets reminded me of the expensive homes along Lake Drive in the north shore area of Milwaukee. The next gas stop would become the point where we needed to put on the helmets since Canada had a helmet law.
The skies cleared and it was smooth sailing after that. We stopped at a park and did a little hiking until we found a clearing that overlooked Lake Superior. We stayed long enough to take some great photos, buy the standard souvenir coffee mug, then get back on the road. It seemed like everyone was heading in the opposite direction, which made us feel like we had the whole road to ourselves. Nothing but nature and the sound of the Harley. We had hoped to see some moose or any other signs of wildlife but we saw none. In a way that was a blessing, nothing crossed our path where we had to slam on the brakes either so that’s always a good thing. We got to Thunder Bay after 3 in the afternoon. Jeff followed the signs that said “Downtown” and wouldn’t you know it, we ended up right in front of the local Harley dealer. We pulled in and did some souvenir shopping. They had really cool Lake Superior Circle Tour pins customized with a Harley on them. We had to have them. The place was a bit pricey but we figured we wouldn’t be back so we took the bite and spent more money than expected on Harley stuff. After a rest at the dealer, we got back on the bike and headed to Rossport.
We did see a bear run across the road about 300 yards ahead of us, a nice and safe distance away. Too bad it happened so quickly I could not get a picture.
Rossport is so small that from the direction we were headed we took a right to get on the road to Rossport which turned out to be a half-circle that would put us right back on the main highway if we kept going all the way around. We easily found our bed and breakfast. The hostess said she was starting to worry about whether or not we were going to show up, Jeff looked at his watch and thought it’s just a little after 7 so it’s not that late. It turns out we forgot about the time change to EST and it was really a little after 8 so now her statement was making more sense.
We walked over to another bed and breakfast that served dinner. The dining room was packed full of people. The menu featured fish caught 20 minutes away on Lake Superior. Jeff instantly ordered it; I’m not fond of fish so I ordered my usual steak. That was a mistake and I should have thought it through a little better knowing full well a place that specialized in fish would not do well with steaks. Oh well.
We walked the few blocks back to our bed and breakfast for some much needed rest after a long day of riding and fresh air. Little did we know that Rossport is a town that had train traffic. All night long. Every hour the bells sounded at the railroad crossing announcing the impending arrival of the train. Every hour the train whistles sounded reminding us the train was very close. Every hour the train chugged past making the entire house rumble. I think I slept for two hours total.
Sunday, September 3, 2006
In the morning the hostess chuckled about the trains and the comments she gets from guests. On the inside my tired brain wanted to strangle her, on the outside I just smiled and said nothing. We had our breakfast with an elderly couple traveling to Vancouver from the Ontario area. They were interesting people telling us some great stories of their lives.
We got packed up and headed out. We knew today would be a day without much lake view and we had a lot of ground to cover. It sounded like it might not be much of a ride, but it turned out that we were usually in the middle of a National Park. The view was fantastic. The rolling hills, bluffs, and trees were incredible and lush. There was a hint of color change on the tips of a few of the trees. Fall was coming but not too soon.
We rode from small town to small town, still not confident in converting gallons to liters and American money to Canadian money. We just put it on the credit card and let the bank sort it out for us. We stopped at a larger rest area for gas, got a sandwich, and a few more souvenirs. Then it was back on the bike. The saddest moment of the trip came when we passed a dead baby bear in the middle of the road. I’d hoped I could get that image out of my head rather quickly but I don’t think that will happen.
At the end of the day we pulled into our hotel in Sault Saint Marie. It felt like we just hit civilization. We were both so exhausted that Jeff generously went out and bought a 6-pack of Corona while I order a pizza to be delivered to our room. We stayed in all night with the pizza and beer. We really needed to catch up on lost sleep from the night before.
I researched the Mackinaw Bridge run and calculated that we would have to leave by 4 am tomorrow to get there in time for the run. I don’t think so; sleep is much more important right now.
Monday, September 4, 2006
We got up and headed to the free breakfast buffet as usual. We watched a little news on the television before we headed out. We felt lucky the whole trip because the weather was perfect, we never hit any rain and the temperature was consistently in the 70’s. In fact it seemed a little strange to us that the farther we got into Canada, the warmer it got. But today it definitely looked like rain. We thought we better get on the road and try to beat it and it was time to go home. There was 1,129 miles on the gauge when we headed out.
We got on the highway crossing our fingers that the weather would hold. After a few hours of riding, we stopped at a diner in Michigan for some coffee. We ended up ordering a little breakfast because everything smelled so good. We remembered being there before, when we went on a trip to Mackinaw with friends a few years back. It was kind of funny looking out at Lake Michigan after spending the last few days looking at Lake Superior. Two lakes down and three to go to complete the entire circle tour!
We got back on the bike and drove through the familiar territory of the Upper Peninsula and into Wisconsin. We could now take our helmets off but since the skies looked like they would open up at any moment I decided I would keep mine on. We got to Green Bay and a decision had to be made. Do we head inland or ride close to the lake? The skies were blacker over the lake so we stayed inland. I think it was a good choice; it didn’t start to rain until we were about 20 miles outside of Menomonee Falls. Since this was Labor Day and the holiday was coming to an end the traffic heading to Chicago was pretty heavy. It picked up drastically around Appleton and we knew we would be stuck in it until we got home. The rain got heavier as we got closer to home as did the traffic.
It felt good to get home and warm up. Considering our luck with the weather over the last four days, we felt lucky that we only hit rain this one time. It was a beautiful long weekend and a wonderful trip and I’m glad we did it. Total mileage: 1,574.
I immediately ordered maps from AAA then went to the Lake Superior Circle Tour website to order informational brochures and maps. According to the information, we would travel 1,300 miles to go entirely around the lake. It’s the largest of the Great Lakes, the coldest, and the deepest. The lake holds 10% of the world’s surface fresh water. The first decision would be to pick a city on the lake as the starting point. Since we had to go a few hundred miles just to get from Oak Creek to Lake Superior, we knew our start point would most likely be the first night’s hotel stay too. The next decision would be to decide which direction we should travel. Head west then around or start going east. Since we did a trip to Sault Saint Marie and Mackinac Island a few years ago, we chose to head west towards Duluth and then into Canada. But there was still the issue of the starting point….Marquette, Houghton-Hancock, Ashland, Apostle Islands-Bayfield – so many choices. Jeff wasn’t happy about the helmet law states we’d be traveling through so we eliminated Marquette and Houghton-Hancock, Michigan.
I started to research hotels in both Bayfield and Ashland. They are only 22 miles apart so it really didn’t matter which one. Since it was getting closer to the holiday weekend, we were limited to fewer choices as some of the good places were booked solid. After reviewing the ratings, newness, prices, and amenities we chose a hotel in Ashland. Part one of the first stop was complete, now we just had to plan the route to get there.
As we reviewed all the information sent to us, we knew it was going to be hard to decide where to stop along the way. On the second day we would go through Superior, Duluth, Grand Marais, and Thunder Bay for sure. The question that still needed to be answered was how much farther do we go until we stop for the night? Would we see Marathon, Nipigon, and Wawa or would we stop before we got that far? It’s really difficult to plan these things when riding on a motorcycle. The weather can wreak havoc on best-laid plans. So we usually compromise and allow for an average of 6 hours per day of riding just in case the weather holds us up for part of a day.
Jeff found a small town past Nipigon called Rossport. It looked quaint and was lined with bed and breakfast stops along the lake. He found a reasonably priced one that had great reviews so he booked it. Day two was now set. As we talked to others who’ve been in that part of the country, they all say the same thing, once you get past Marathon, there’s pretty much nothing but wilderness so the decision to stop here is part necessity and part strategy. Hopefully there’s someplace to eat nearby or else we’ll be in trouble.
During the days of planning I discovered a run/walk over the Mackinaw Bridge on Labor Day. I thought Bonus! This was right up my alley and as fate would have it, we could be in Mackinaw City on that day. Upon calculation of miles, we discovered that the Mackinaw area was a little far so we booked a room in Sault Saint Marie. So the run is iffy but that’s ok, it’s all about the lake tour anyway. Between the lighthouses, waterfalls, national parks, wildlife, and lake views, I won’t regret missing a thing or two, there’s so much to do and realistically I know we will have to come back if we really like it. We know for sure we will stop at a few overlooks, parks, local restaurants, and find the Harley dealer in Thunder Bay.
Friday, September 1, 2006
So the day is her and it’s time to hit the open road. Jeff wants to be on the road at 6am. After packing up the bike, making sure we have taken care of everything at home, and determining we have to stop at the ATM, it’s 6:40 by the time we got on the bike. By the time we got the banking done, it and hit I-94 the traffic was a little heavy due to the morning commute which was expected. The weather was a little chilly because of the early hour and I was certain we would warm up as the sun rose higher in the sky. We were just outside of Milwaukee by 6:55 so getting out of the city wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
We got off the main highway and onto Highway 10 around Oshkosh and took a scenic route through many beautiful towns. There were 92 miles one the odometer when we got to this point. We had breakfast at Diane’s in Amherst. We pulled in at 9:25. Jeff is so used to the hustle-bustle lifestyle that he was bothered that it took so long to get his eggs. Hopefully he will settle into a slower pace before this day is over. What’s the point of vacation if you’re not going to relax? There would be a few gas stops along the way so I made sure I picked up a couple bottles of water at each stop. The wind in your face can really dry out your skin and dehydrate you rather quickly so I tried to counter the negative effects by keeping us well-hydrated. A few pieces of licorice at each stop was also a way to get a little sugar boost of energy along the way. I started to wonder where the Harley dealers were long this route.
At 10:42 we passed the Marathon County sign and by 1:15 the Iron County sign was in view. We stopped at Northern Lights Harley on Highway 51 in Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin. This was just outside of Minocqua and Woodruff which was bustling with touristy traffic. The scenery was gorgeous and the lakes pristine which explained why there were so many people there. But the large volume of traffic was moving at a pace that was way too fast for us. We were breathing a sigh of relief when we got through to the other side of town and back to the solitude of the open road.
At 1:50 we were driving through Hurley. I had noticed previously that there were many trucks pulling trailers with ATV’s but now it seems the trailers were gone and the ATV has become the favored method of transportation. There were ATV’s pulled up into the parking spots in front of the local bars. It brought back the memories of the golf cars parked in the tiny parking spaces in front of the grocery stores in Phoenix. They even had golf car lanes on the roads there.
It was a little after 2:00 when we found our hotel in Ashland. We pulled in, parked, and unpacked our things. The view of Lake Superior was beautiful, right in the hotel’s back yard. We stayed and the AmericInn which wasn’t my first choice since they catered to families with a kid’s water park right in the hotel. But the price was right and we figured we wouldn’t be spending much time there anyway.
So we headed out to Bayfield. It was reminiscent of the shops of Cedarburg. We parked near the marina and walked through the little downtown, quaint with shops and restaurants. We walked the pier as far as we could and took some pictures. We came across the place that does the boat cruises around the Apostle Islands, since we were there late in the season the Lighthouse evening cruises were not available. We vowed to come back again during the summer. The area is that beautiful. There was a little bar atop a restaurant that overlooked the water. We climbed the steep steps to enjoy the view with some of our favorite beers. It was a great place to sit and relax. After we sit a while, we found the restaurant that was suggested to us for dinner. The place was pretty busy and we could choose to wait half an hour for a table or sit at the smoke-free bar. We chose the bar and enjoyed a nice dinner.
By the time dinner was done, it was getting dark. We headed back to Ashland where Jeff eyed a Dairy Queen and he wanted it for dessert. We stopped for a frozen treat where we met a couple who inquired about our travels. Luckily we ran into them because they told us to make sure that we got on the old highway that runs along the lake because the new highway runs inland and doesn’t have the view.
Saturday, September 2, 2006
We headed out after a hearty breakfast at the free breakfast buffet. The sky looked a bit ominous, but we were hopeful. We got through Superior and Duluth without incident. No rain fell but they sky still looked like it could come down any minute. We found the old highway road that the couple mentioned the night before and after a few miles of travel down it we were grateful for the good advice. The view of the lake was gorgeous; the houses that lined the streets reminded me of the expensive homes along Lake Drive in the north shore area of Milwaukee. The next gas stop would become the point where we needed to put on the helmets since Canada had a helmet law.
The skies cleared and it was smooth sailing after that. We stopped at a park and did a little hiking until we found a clearing that overlooked Lake Superior. We stayed long enough to take some great photos, buy the standard souvenir coffee mug, then get back on the road. It seemed like everyone was heading in the opposite direction, which made us feel like we had the whole road to ourselves. Nothing but nature and the sound of the Harley. We had hoped to see some moose or any other signs of wildlife but we saw none. In a way that was a blessing, nothing crossed our path where we had to slam on the brakes either so that’s always a good thing. We got to Thunder Bay after 3 in the afternoon. Jeff followed the signs that said “Downtown” and wouldn’t you know it, we ended up right in front of the local Harley dealer. We pulled in and did some souvenir shopping. They had really cool Lake Superior Circle Tour pins customized with a Harley on them. We had to have them. The place was a bit pricey but we figured we wouldn’t be back so we took the bite and spent more money than expected on Harley stuff. After a rest at the dealer, we got back on the bike and headed to Rossport.
We did see a bear run across the road about 300 yards ahead of us, a nice and safe distance away. Too bad it happened so quickly I could not get a picture.
Rossport is so small that from the direction we were headed we took a right to get on the road to Rossport which turned out to be a half-circle that would put us right back on the main highway if we kept going all the way around. We easily found our bed and breakfast. The hostess said she was starting to worry about whether or not we were going to show up, Jeff looked at his watch and thought it’s just a little after 7 so it’s not that late. It turns out we forgot about the time change to EST and it was really a little after 8 so now her statement was making more sense.
We walked over to another bed and breakfast that served dinner. The dining room was packed full of people. The menu featured fish caught 20 minutes away on Lake Superior. Jeff instantly ordered it; I’m not fond of fish so I ordered my usual steak. That was a mistake and I should have thought it through a little better knowing full well a place that specialized in fish would not do well with steaks. Oh well.
We walked the few blocks back to our bed and breakfast for some much needed rest after a long day of riding and fresh air. Little did we know that Rossport is a town that had train traffic. All night long. Every hour the bells sounded at the railroad crossing announcing the impending arrival of the train. Every hour the train whistles sounded reminding us the train was very close. Every hour the train chugged past making the entire house rumble. I think I slept for two hours total.
Sunday, September 3, 2006
In the morning the hostess chuckled about the trains and the comments she gets from guests. On the inside my tired brain wanted to strangle her, on the outside I just smiled and said nothing. We had our breakfast with an elderly couple traveling to Vancouver from the Ontario area. They were interesting people telling us some great stories of their lives.
We got packed up and headed out. We knew today would be a day without much lake view and we had a lot of ground to cover. It sounded like it might not be much of a ride, but it turned out that we were usually in the middle of a National Park. The view was fantastic. The rolling hills, bluffs, and trees were incredible and lush. There was a hint of color change on the tips of a few of the trees. Fall was coming but not too soon.
We rode from small town to small town, still not confident in converting gallons to liters and American money to Canadian money. We just put it on the credit card and let the bank sort it out for us. We stopped at a larger rest area for gas, got a sandwich, and a few more souvenirs. Then it was back on the bike. The saddest moment of the trip came when we passed a dead baby bear in the middle of the road. I’d hoped I could get that image out of my head rather quickly but I don’t think that will happen.
At the end of the day we pulled into our hotel in Sault Saint Marie. It felt like we just hit civilization. We were both so exhausted that Jeff generously went out and bought a 6-pack of Corona while I order a pizza to be delivered to our room. We stayed in all night with the pizza and beer. We really needed to catch up on lost sleep from the night before.
I researched the Mackinaw Bridge run and calculated that we would have to leave by 4 am tomorrow to get there in time for the run. I don’t think so; sleep is much more important right now.
Monday, September 4, 2006
We got up and headed to the free breakfast buffet as usual. We watched a little news on the television before we headed out. We felt lucky the whole trip because the weather was perfect, we never hit any rain and the temperature was consistently in the 70’s. In fact it seemed a little strange to us that the farther we got into Canada, the warmer it got. But today it definitely looked like rain. We thought we better get on the road and try to beat it and it was time to go home. There was 1,129 miles on the gauge when we headed out.
We got on the highway crossing our fingers that the weather would hold. After a few hours of riding, we stopped at a diner in Michigan for some coffee. We ended up ordering a little breakfast because everything smelled so good. We remembered being there before, when we went on a trip to Mackinaw with friends a few years back. It was kind of funny looking out at Lake Michigan after spending the last few days looking at Lake Superior. Two lakes down and three to go to complete the entire circle tour!
We got back on the bike and drove through the familiar territory of the Upper Peninsula and into Wisconsin. We could now take our helmets off but since the skies looked like they would open up at any moment I decided I would keep mine on. We got to Green Bay and a decision had to be made. Do we head inland or ride close to the lake? The skies were blacker over the lake so we stayed inland. I think it was a good choice; it didn’t start to rain until we were about 20 miles outside of Menomonee Falls. Since this was Labor Day and the holiday was coming to an end the traffic heading to Chicago was pretty heavy. It picked up drastically around Appleton and we knew we would be stuck in it until we got home. The rain got heavier as we got closer to home as did the traffic.
It felt good to get home and warm up. Considering our luck with the weather over the last four days, we felt lucky that we only hit rain this one time. It was a beautiful long weekend and a wonderful trip and I’m glad we did it. Total mileage: 1,574.
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