Drive Around the Lake (Michigan)
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 17 years
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I had a friend at work that was going to be losing his job because of outsourcing and cuts last October, so I came up with (what I thought) was a brilliant idea of driving around the lake over the weekend. "Hey, buddy, what are you doing next weekend? - Oh, have a family thing? what about the following weekend? Nothing? Cool - We're driving around the lake. Yes, seriously. Ok - we're all set - I'll drive, bring the camera."
In the following week, I did nothing (I'm not a planner like my wife - I am more of a let things happen kind of guy.) The week of our trip is when I looked up a few POI files so I'd know where gas stations were, and some stores like WalMart or Sam's Club that might be handy in case something is needed.
Armed with a laptop with Streets & Trips, DeLorme Street Atlas and space for pictures, as well as a Pocket PC with GPS and iGuidance to record the track, and camera's, we set off early on a Friday afternoon getting to the lake outside of Chicago's northside and went north. Of course, I forgot to copy the POI's from my computer at work to my laptop, so the first leg of the trip on Friday night saw us missing a few lighthouses and local sights. Most of the day on Saturday was cloudy and rainy, but it was still a good drive to get minds off of things. Driving along the northern end of the lake in the U.P. was actually quite nice and we got a lot of pictures of the trip. Heading back into Chicago on Sunday night and back out to the northwest suburbs to get home had us talking about taking another trip at a much more leisurely pace. It went almost too fast to really enjoy it. I could see taking my family around the lake on a week or longer trip though, as there was lots to do if there is also time to go with it.
That's Cool
That's cool.
You went in the right direction - going north (clockwise) through Wisconsin giving the passenger/navigator an unobstructed view of The Pond.
I'd like a POI of your travels (as would others, I figure). Maybe the Second Time Around would do it.
My visits to Marinette, Manitowoc, Milwaukee and Chicago are all I know about the matter.
When I was a tot, my folks took me along on The Circle Tour of Lake Superior. Hardly remember a thing! (but "Baby You're a Rich Man/All You Need is Love" first got heavy airplay that week). And a later trip up the Minnesota Norshore to Thunder Bay is pretty foggy, too.
I could go for a POI for a Lake Superior Circle Tour.
Here's the way I figure it: I priced the trip to the UK and it is not do-able. Even with the price of gasoline and the current bad situation of the US dollar, trips like this could be within reach of persons of modest means. Less fuel burned and fun of a different sort.
I could possibly contribute a few Wisconsin locations to such a POI (either Lake Superior or Lake Michigan). "Hint, hint, hint!" to anyone interested!
Thanks for posting!
GregPaul
I'll need to go through my trip log
and pluck some POI's out of there.
Marinette, Manitorow were stopping points for us. Being "from Chicago" we mostly ignored it.
I've been wanting to post the track on everytrail.com but haven't had a lot of time to clean the tracks up and put pictures that tied the locations together.
The funny part of the trip is the whole "Circle Tour" as we both had heard of it, and knew it existed, but didn't follow it. Well, not intentionally. We ended up being on it for more than 90% of the whole trip though.
And now, back to your regularly scheduled forum - already in progress . . .