I got home last night after a 3 day 1022 mile ride around Lake Michigan, I left Monday morning and rode up to the UP and spent the night with a friend on the Garden Peninsula, I left the next morning a rode to the Mackinac Bridge and discovered that after I paid my toll the south bound lanes were shut down for repaving, anyone who has ever taken the trip across knows that this is a 4 lane bridge 2 each direction and the inside lanes crossing the bridge are steel grating so this being my first time found out the lane I was going to be using had almost 2 miles of butt clinching riding, I then headed south to make Indiana by night and 10 miles north of Grand Rapids MI ran over the remains of a pallet that had fallen off of a truck and was smashed all over the road and after about a 1/4 mile felt the backend start to wobble, pulled over and got out my trusty Road America card and called for a tow to the nearest HD shop they said a driver would be out in 45 minutes, 15 minutes later a truck from Hansen Towing was pulling up and 30 minutes later we were on the road, the driver got me to Grand Rapids HD where Brian one of the service writers was waiting for me 30 minutes after closing and got my bike inside and promissed me someone would get on it first thing in the morning, I called the next morning 15 minutes after they opened and was told by Korey that they were already on it, I walked over the the dealer and met Steve the tech who was working on it and he asked if I wanted my brake pads changed as long as he had the rear wheel off as I had about 30% left and it would need to be done before I needed another tire, I was back on the road at about 9:30 got to Chicago in about 3 1/2 hours and with a stop in Milwaukee was home by 5, having the flat set me back and I missed out on a few things I wanted to in Chicago and Milwaukee but theres always next time.

 

well Matty that bridge sure is fun (grating) i did it on a sportster
great ride

Ride Safe Man

 

Cool trip , did it a few yrs back in 3 days and yep had to steel grate the whole Mack.

Like to do it again only maybe 10 days this time , way to much scenery just to drive by.

Did you stop long enough to get a petoskey stone?

 

I'm thinking about doing this trip this summer starting off in Chicago. What route did you take? What shouldn't I miss along the way?

 

I saw the Petosky stones for sale in gas station I stopped in they looked cool but I did not buy one.

 

Starting in Green Bay I took 41N to Menominee MI then M35 to Gladstone hooked back up with 41 to US2 in Rapid River over to the Mackinac then 31 to 131 to 196 to 90 ane up through Chicago, Milwaukee and back home, the dunes on us2 were nice I would spend more time on 31 in Michigan and stay off of 131 I was trying to make some time in order to beat some weather that was coming in

 

I like maritime museums and the wife likes lighthouses so if you have the time

Manitowoc ( museum ww2 sub), then up through Two Rivers and of course your in

Door county , 300 miles of shoreline and several lighthouses, peninsula state park.

I've had plenty of vacations just in Door county.

Escanaba ... shoot I'm not even though sconsin yet , just hug the lake on both sides .. you won't be disappointed.

Say Matty64 , I wonder how many are goggling petosky stones .

 

3 day 1022 mile ride and just 1 (one) picture?

 

ok here ya go moon rise, Rich's cabin, the Big Mack

 

tornado damage in northern Wis, a PT Cruser to match, sunset over lake Michigan