If you do get to the Pictured Rocks area Route H-58 is a must ride ... It's all new pavement and is the UP's equivalent of the Dragon ... It's a great ride ... If you're considering staying in the eastern end of the UP make it a point to spend the night at the Clark Mootel ( no typo ), Andy and Patty are true biker people and offer great rates and the place looks like it jumped right out of a " Route 66 was like this Motel Book " ... Oh ya I can give you direct directions to Hell too ( check my location ) Have a great Ride Brother !

 

Reacher - First - thanks for the kind words - much appreciated.

Greymare is correct in the post above. But, because you live in the Chicago area I'm assuming you have already had pretty good exposure to Lake Michigan and surrounding areas. I'll also assume you have hit Door county more than once. We're all different, but imo, Door county (aside from the tourists) is the highlight of a ride around the lake because it's, for a lack of more manly wording, charming. Problem with Door county is one would need to invest 2 days to make it worthwhile. I've done the lake loop a few times and it's always enjoyable, but (again), I usually squeeze those trips into 3 days when I know I can't go somewhere better. Why better? Or more to the point - what's not so great about a trip around the lake?

Firstly, the bad - lake exposure. From where you live there isn't much. There isn't a lake route other than I-43 (unless you want to wind through such wonderful towns as Waukegan, Kenosha, Racine, Port Washington, which isn't bad, and Sheboygan) to speak of so your ride up to Manitowoc isn't great. From Manitowoc up to Door county you have a short stretch through Two Rivers and Algoma, but other than that, more farm fields than lake. Lets say we skip Door county and head north - yep - not much lake until you hit Marinette (which, btw, has Mickey Lu's BBQ - almost worth the drive itself). From there you ride along the lake for the most part, but it's unremarkable with spotty views. You'll pass through Escanaba (move along - nothing to see here) and Gladstone (best Filet I have ever had in my life at Terrace Bay Inn), and into tree lined two lane. It's pretty, but again, unspectacular. Frankly, I find the whole western shore something to be gotten over with because the Pros are mostly on the Michigan side and the UP. The last section along Hwy 2 is very nice and it represents what most of us envision when doing a lake loop - sandy beaches in nice little towns with resorts dotted along the lakefront. There are a few lookouts to get a nice vantage point of the Mac bridge to stop at for photo ops.

Now the good stuff - Michigan highlights - Crossing the Mac, Tunnel of Trees, A lunch or dinner at Legs (it's as good or better than everyone says), and following the lake through Petoskey, Charlevoix, Traverse City, Up 22 along Traverse Bay, and back down through Sleeping Bear. There are tons of quaint places to stop in and shop, have coffee, lunch, sight see, along this entire portion of the ride. I would devote at least a day, maybe two, to this portion of the trip. It's all good, much like Door County, down to Ludington - which isn't far.

Back to the bad - South of Ludington isn't really any better than the west coast - lots of farm fields and interstate. Sure, you can force it and hug the shore here and there but, imo, it's not worth it. I don't need to tell you what lies further south, but I will. Gary. Reason enough to take the high speed ferry and get back home from Milwaukee.

In summary - Not much lake, lots of great places to eat, pretty lakeside towns with fudge shops, and about 1/4 of the ride is along the lake......maybe. And this is just the Lake loop. The other destinations mentioned - Pictured Rocks, Copper Harbor, etc are great, but you would be better off accessing those from the west, maybe a GRR north (very pretty) and then over to Copper Harbor via Ashland. But, again, it's a big time investment with a bunch of dead spots in between. And I'll admit that I have been criticized by locals for my harsh reviews of midwest riding. It is what you make of it as they say, and I enjoy riding here. Cheryl and I just attempted a loop a few weeks back to see the Fall colors. The weather didn't cooperate and turned us around at Gladstone. We ended up riding back to Door County and stayed there for two days. It was quiet and the Fall colors were at peak - amazing. We toured the wineries and enjoyed fine dining in Fish Creek. It was a very nice short getaway. As I've said, I like riding this area and the lake. I don't mean to come off as harsh and say it's not a good ride. It is. But, in my experience, there are better multi day destinations.

Such as the Ozarks -

I'll start with the bad - getting there. There is no scenic route to the Ozarks. I have tried to find one for 30 years. I have tried many, many roads including a misadventure along the Great River Road, which has even less "river" than the lake loop has lake. There are some promising routes south of St Louis, but they don't go in the direction you want to go which is to the NW corner of Arkansas. So lets say you dedicate 2 days out and 2 days back and accept that the riding will suck until you get to Springfield MO. No other way to put it. I would lay over in St Louis or south like Rolla if you and the wife can handle it. I just did the ride last week and it took me 12 hours. From where your at to Eureka Springs it would be about 3/4 hours less. So you could conceivably knock the ride out in 2 - 4/5 hour rides. But the hours will seem like days.

I'll post the Ozarks Pros up later today.

 

I appreciate everyone's continued responses. I definitely like hearing different perspectives as I attempt to plan what I want to do.


Just a little personal info. Though I've had my motorcycle license for 10+ years, and have put thousands of miles on rented or borrowed bikes in that time, I just got my bike at the beginning of this year. Over the years I usually would rent a bike for a couple of days while on vacation (usually down in FL), or would do day trips from home. So though I'd sometimes put 1000+ miles on in 2-3 days during a rental, and I've done some 300-500 mile trips this summer on my bike, I have not yet ridden in WI or MI at all. The last time I visited Door County or the Mac areas was as a teenager on family trips, I've never ridden to either on the bike. So part of my motivation was to take my wife (who has never been to either ever) to some of those spots.

But honestly, the Ozarks or Smoky Mountains sound appealing as well, and I'm not dead set on anything yet. I look forward to the rest of your info when you get a chance to post it.

 

Based on that maybe the best choice would be a lake loop. Taking the wife into consideration I would focus on Door County and the northern east shore area. The nice thing about that plan is the ride north can be broken up into short sections which won't dull the wife's enthusiasm for riding. Maybe as you suggested, ride to Appleton your first day or so. Then cut over to Door County for 2 days. Then up to a nice resort on the UP near the Mac. Next day cross the Mac and hang out in Charlevoix for a couple of days - make sure to have a great dinner at Legs. From Charlevoix you can also easily access Sleeping Bear and good riding up Traverse Bay. After that maybe a run down to the ferry and cross back to Milwaukee to avoid Gary and some ugly riding. Spend a day in Milwaukee (I can give you loads of info on that - maybe Cheryl and I could meet you for a few beers at a bike night or something if the timing works out) at the HD museum and checking out our fair city.

The above is a nice vacation on two wheels and a good way to acclimate the spouse.

As far as the Ozarks - that's more of a road trip. Imo, not a big one. But still requires a little more enthusiasm for being in the saddle vs a ride from vacation spot to vacation spot. The readers digest version of the Ozarks -

Once you get to Eureka Springs you will have noticed that it's in the middle of the Ozarks -which equals hilly twisty roads. A visit to ES is fun as a vacation on it's own because it's a small, victorian tourist town with much to see and do. You would be well advised to stay there for the duration and ride out in different directions, or on an off day, just stroll the town with is built into the mountains and cliffs. It reminds me quite a bit of Galena Il. I won'tgo into much detail because I think you get the idea - even though this is a great place to vacation - it's about the ride. Endless curves and hills. Many maps are available and I can give you plenty of routes. Suffice it to say, there are days and days of fun rides based out of ES.

Obviously, weather is a variable. I would consider that. The Ozarks can get HOT in the summer. And humid.

If you would like more detail, PM me and I can give you more. But, it's starting to sound like a lake loop is the right choice.

 

Awesome man, I appreciate the thought and detail that went into the reply. Part of our enjoyment for vacations is going into detailed planning for them. We aren't at all the type to lay out a tight schedule full of things to check off the list and rush around to accomplish them. But we are the type that starts planning far in advance, we do a ton of research, then we take our time and enjoy the things we thought we would be interested in.

I think for me, the Ozarks might be preferable. I think for my wife, and her first trip on the bike longer than a weekend, the lake loop still might be the call. The most important thing for me on this trip is for her to enjoy it. I know I will just being on the bike and away from work for a week. Buf if she enjoys it, it'll open up the door to a lot more trips together in the future, and it'll give her an idea of what to expect and plan for. Fortunately I have time, and thanks in part to this forum plenty of research available, to decide between now and then which route to go. As the time gets closer I may take you up on the offer for more insight. Thank you!

 

You sir, are a wise man. Like I said, if you're in the area and you have some time, look us up.

 

Reacher, normally when we plan to go somewhere in the car, I'm always waiting on the wife to head out the door. If I tell her that we're going on the bike, she darn near knocks me down getting to the garage. She has her gear and helmet on afore I can lock the door. I thought that I might encounter a bit of trouble coaxing he to go along, but it has turned out to be just the opposite. You are wise, start her on shorter trips, toughen her backside then ask her if she's ready to do an extended trip. Let the decision be hers and adhere to her words. You don't have to do 500 miles a day either, shorter runs are jsut as exciting. Planning is key, make frequent stops at places that she enjoys. I had planned a stop once at the Hershey chocalate factory, but the wife opted for a STEEL TOE TOUR of the York, PA factory. certainly did surprise me. Good luck with the planning and have a safe journey. OBTW, Neveda72 does a really good road report and story if you care to visit the kinks he has attached.

 

You guys get it.

She was the one who finally said "You have really wanted a bike for such a long time, it's time you finally buy one instead of continuing to rent them all the time." Unlike some of the guys I see post here, I actually enjoy being around her, and prefer to have her on the bike instead of using the bike as an escape from her. So if I can tailor the trip in such a way that she likes it and wants to do another one, it's a win-win.

Thanks again for the input fellas.

 

I definitely get it. I used to ride alone every trip - for years. Since I met Cheryl I haven't ridden alone except for finishing off a ride back from Daytona last week. I put her on a flight (Charlotte NC) home so she could get home to work. From there I hit the Dragon and the Ozarks. It just didn't feel the same at all. Not nearly as enjoyable. I looked at pics from Killboy and it was obvious even in my facial expression - almost looked like I had a pained expression vs the big grin with Cheryl on back from a previous trip. Frankly, I don't care to bother doing a trip without her anymore.

So look forward to those trips with your wife and enjoy the hell out of them. I know you will.

And Jay - thanks again for the kind words.

 

Almost two years later, the trip ended up not materializing. I've done lots of other trips around the area (and beyond), but never completed the Lake Loop.

But it looks like it is happening now in August. My brother is coming in from PA. He, my dad, and I will be making the Lake Loop together. Heading up the Michigan side first. Staying a night in Traverse City. Then a short day the next day (because this area is where we'll likely have the most side excursions) up to Sault Ste Marie. Third day along the shore of Lake Superior to Painted Rocks, then head south towards Green Bay. Then the final day back home.

Still appreciate all the feedback above, we took some of it into consideration, and are always open to more if anyone has any updates.