MI Fall Color Tour 2010....

Todd Baumann · #1 (**permalink**) 10-06-2009, 10:13 AM

Cancelled

Well everyone due to the weather threat we have decided to cancel the Tour up to the Soo.

I am sorry that this did not work out. We really had a great cruise planned out. Seems more and more where interested in going than were registered. But overall you don't want to get wet and cold up there at the same time.

There had been some interest in possibly doing this in the spring or early summer to try and avoid the weather issues possibly. If you would be interested in this please let me know and we will get to work on setting up some timing. I know that we would need to avoid LCS and Woodward but it should be able to be done without too much of a problem. Even if you have some dates in mind let us know too.

Once again everyone sorry for the inconvience.

Todd

trularin · #2 (**permalink**) 10-06-2009, 12:44 PM

Well, depending on the situation, we will probably make the run.

I would like to take the cobra this time.

wildswing · #3 (**permalink**) 01-07-2010, 03:53 PM

Hey folks,

I'm one of the Canucks helping/hoping to organize this thing. I registered here at CC a very long time ago, but have not posted much. Heck, this is only my 2nd post. I've met some of you a while back. I was the Canadian guy with the blue Mustang who took pictures and sent out the CDs from the get together in Traverse City in '08.

Anyhow, we've settled on a date.

September 10 - 12

Please let us know if you are interested in attending. Either respond to this thread, send us a PM. You can also email me directly using the forum link.

For those wondering what there is to do in the Soo (that's what we locals call Sault Ste Marie), I can post touristy types of links as we begin to develop a possible itinerary.

For now, we need to here from you. Are you interested?

Some pics from '08

wildswing · #4 (**permalink**) 01-07-2010, 06:26 PM

Here's a brain dump of stuff to do in the Soo & general info. Obviously I don't expect to do all this stuff. Just examples of possibilities. There will be plenty to choose from...

City of Sault Ste Marie
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sault_Ste._Marie,_Ontario
http://www.city.sault-ste-marie.on.c...?ID=3&deptid=3
http://www.saulttourism.com/tourism/

Sault Canal (locks)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sault_Ste._Marie_Canal

Bushplane Heritage Museum
http://www.bushplane.com/visitors-ca...lane-heritage/

Ermatinger/Glergue Historic Site (Old Stone House)
http://www.city.sault-ste-marie.on.c...20BROCHURE.pdf

M.S. Norgoma
http://www.norgoma.org/main2.html

Great Lakes Forestry Center
http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/regions/glfc
http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/subsite/glfc-...tum/activities

Bellvue Park
http://www.townies.ca/sault/extras/B...ionprogram.htm

American locks (not sure if we can work this in)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soo_Locks
http://www.soolocks.com/locktour.phtml

Going east (St Joseph Island)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Joseph_Island
http://www.hiltonbeach.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Joseph,_Ontario
http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/on/stjoseph/index.aspx
http://gilbertsonsmaple.com/ (checking if they're open that time of year)

Going north (more rugged scenery of Lake superior but very sparse and a long drive)
http://www.trading-post.ca/Gallery.aspx
http://www.start.ca/users/mharris/wa...ewa-falls.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancake...rovincial_Park
http://www.pancakebay.com/index.php

Agawa Canyon Tour Train (this is a full day outing - would be extra for those interested)
http://www.agawacanyontourtrain.com/

Todd Baumann · #5 (**permalink**) 02-05-2010, 07:34 PM

TTT
Updates and questions for everyone. See above.
Thanks,
Todd

Todd Baumann · #6 (**permalink**) 02-20-2010, 08:17 AM

TTT
See the new hotel info above.
Todd

wildswing · #7 (**permalink**) 08-06-2010, 01:44 PM

Saturday will begin with a sit down breakfast. The Super 8 does provide a continental, so you may eat there if you wish. Our tour route does not have a convenient place to eat lunch near the half way mark, so lunch will be late.

Instead of the aforementioned eastern route on to St Joseph Island, you primary route has changed to the north. The east route is now relegated to weather related bail out status. The new tour route will take us north of Sault Ste Marie on Hwy 17 along the rugged eastern shoreline of Lake Superior. The route has the greatest wow factor of any road around, regardless of the amount of colors in the trees. We've heard many a tourist say it's one of the best scenic routes they've driven anywhere.

http://www.thekingshighway.ca/scenic.html

Here's a possible itinerary for the tour. Exact location and timing of stops is yet to be determined (stops can be either on the north or southbound legs), but this gives you a good feel of what you're in for.

Starting in Sault Ste Marie, we will travel north passing the small village of Heyden, then Goulais River, Haviland Bay and Harmony Beach.

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/24662794

wildswing · #8 (**permalink**) 08-06-2010, 01:51 PM

Now the highway turns slightly inland as we climb the Montreal River Hill. Truckers and cross country runners HATE this part of the highway. You may just feel your ears pop as we ascend through some amazing rock cuts.

As we climb the hill we will be entering Lake Superior Provincial Park.

http://www.lakesuperiorpark.ca/

When we crest the hill we again turn towards the big lake and pass some high country inland lakes. Within 20 minutes we arrive at the Agawa Bay Lookout. It's easy to miss. The entry to the lookout is at the top of a long climbing right hander and the sign is not very big. This is one of the premier WOW moments of the route...

We then continue just another 10 minutes to our northern most spot on the tour, Katherine Cove.

http://www.google.ca/images?um=1&hl=...=&oq=&gs_rfai=
http://terravistastudios.ca/2/26174#...s-cove/kc-012/

wildswing · #9 (**permalink**) 08-06-2010, 01:54 PM

Another 25 minutes south we arrive at Pancake Bay Provincial park.

http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/panc.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancake...rovincial_Park
http://www.google.ca/images?hl=en&q=...w=1221&bih=777

A few minutes south of the park, we arrive back at Agawa Indian Crafts & The Canadian Carver for some fuel and to pick up those few souvenirs you picked out during your morning visit.

It's been a pretty long day so far, so let's stop for some lunch. Only 5 minutes from the fuel stop is the Voyageur's Lodge and cookhouse that I pointed out earlier. Once we've had our fill of lunch, we can decide as a group if we want to make any more stops or just head back into the Soo, about a 40 minute drive. A few minutes down the road is the Batchawana Bat Provincial Park

http://www.google.ca/images?um=1&hl=...w=1221&bih=777

Then it's only another 10 minutes until we arrive back at Chippewa Falls. We can break up the half hour drive back to the Super 8 by stopping at either Harmony or Haviland Bays.

One last stop before we get back to the hotel could be the Trading Post & Frontier Village at the north edge of town. It's another spot where you can pick yourself up some souvenirs.

http://www.soonews.ca/viewarticle.php?id=26973
http://www.trading-post.ca/

Once we're back at the hotel, we'll give y'all a chance to rest up, and depending on how we did for time on the tour along the shore, we may take you to a spot that gearheads get a real kick out of, the Canadian Bushplane Heritage center.

http://www.bushplane.com/

From there, it's a short blast through downtown to dinner at Dock’s Riverfront Grill where we can sit and watch the big lake freighters as they pass through the locks and St Mary's river.

http://www.docksriverfrontgrill.com/home

From there, it's anyone's guess. We'll leave that up to you all.

wildswing · #10 (**permalink**) 08-06-2010, 01:55 PM

Sunday breakfast has not been discussed. We can play that by ear. There's some good spots here as well as in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan where I'm sure you'll be refueling before getting on I-75 for the trip back.

Directions from Super 8 to the International Bridge:

MAPQUEST LINK >>>> http://www.mapquest.com/mq/8-t9u3tKB*

It's almost as simple as retracing your steps to get here, except instead of using Bay St, you'll be coming back to the bridge along Queen St.

Turn left out of the Super 8, going southbound on Great Northern Road
Go through the lights with Burger King on your right.
Turn right on to Bruce St at the next set of lights (Nissan dealership on your left)
Take Bruce St back down the hill, passing through lights, down hill, lights, tracks. Turn right onto Queen St at the 3rd set of lights after crossing the tracks, so you'll cross Wellington and Albert Streets, then turn right on Queen. That's a little under a mile from your turn at the Nissan Dealership on top of the hill.
In less than 1/2 a mile Queen St comes to what looks like a fork where Queen continues on the left (10 o'clock) while Gore St crosses from 8 to 2 o'clock. Take the 10 o'clock left to stay on Queen St.
You will pass north of the casino. 0.3 miles after the fork, you'll come to some traffic lights at an intersection with Huron St. Turn right.
The entrance to the international bridge is to your left under the "Bridge to USA" sign.

FYI... Downtown Sault Ste Marie can be somewhat confusing. If you consider the waterfront as south, there are 4 main streets running east/west and each is one way. From south to north they alternate east bound (Bay St), westbound (Queen St), east (Albert St) and west again (Wellington). The north/south streets are almost all 2 way, except for the furthest east and west the define downtown. If you miss a turn downtown, it's just matter of going around the block. Just be careful of the one way streets.

wildswing · #11 (**permalink**) 08-06-2010, 01:57 PM

Weather Info

For those looking for weather forecasts, the two web sites I trust more than any others in this area are:

SooWeather.com - local guy who's forecasts are much better than the national guys.

9and10news - northern Michigan

wildswing · #12 (**permalink**) 08-06-2010, 01:59 PM

Phew! OK, I think I'm done! I have some really cool news about the Bushplane Heritage Center, but that post will come a little later tonight.

For those checking this thread's most recent post for an update, my update began way back with reply #10 on page 1. I had too much info, pictures and links to manage posting in one reply.

Come on out folks. This is going to be a blast!

Don't forget, the Super 8 has extended the booking deadline to... Monday, September 6th!

wildswing · #13 (**permalink**) 08-06-2010, 03:27 PM

Another very exciting development!

The Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center has agreed to keep someone around for us just in case our late afternoon visit runs a little over their closing time of 6 pm on Saturday. They're also going to provide a tour guide. Admission fee is $10.50 for adults, $9.50 for those over 55. I'm going to see if we can get a group deal.

I slid in the suggestion of getting a picture of the cars with one of their aircraft. I included a pic of a Cobra of course. After his initial reply of, "Wow! I want one!" He said pictures would not be a problem and then asked if we would mind pulling a car INTO THE HANGER beside one of the planes!

They're stoked for this for sure. Enough so that they've asked if we mind if they invite the press! It's not often that we see a group of cars like this around here.

If this is your first time checking recent updates, you'll have to go all the way back to reply #10 on page 1.

wildswing · #14 (**permalink**) 08-13-2010, 01:15 PM

Update: The Bushplane center is dropping the price of admission for us to "Buy 1 get 1 FREE". They're also hoping to get all the cars inside with the planes.

This just keeps getting better!

T-minus 28 days... that's only 4 weeks folks!

wildswing · #15 (**permalink**) 08-20-2010, 04:10 PM

BUMP!

Dinner location for Saturday evening, Dock's Riverfront Grill, has agreed to cordon off a section of their parking lot just for us.

T minus 21 days and counting !!!!

wildswing · #16 (**permalink**) 08-27-2010, 03:44 AM

T minus 14 days and counting

The the weather forecast for the cruise weekend will finally show up on SooWeather.com over the next few days.

EDIT: Keep in mind that it is a long term forecast. It's not perfect and changes frequently. When I originally posted earlier this morning, the end of that week was partly cloudy with seasonal temps. Now just 2 hours later, it shows above average temps but with light rain. Cross yer fingers!

Reminder: The hotel reservation deadline is Monday September 6th.

wildswing · #17 (**permalink**) 08-29-2010, 05:25 AM

T minus 12 days and counting

The complete weekend is now in the long range forecast. Predicted conditions have improved. Let's hope it stays that way.

Normal daytime temp for this time of year is about 21°C (70°F). For the benefit of the metrically challenged...

My photobucket account stats show 70 views of my posted pictures. I'm curious... are you just browsing, sitting on the fence, or definitely coming? Talk to me.

wildswing · #18 (**permalink**) 08-30-2010, 06:29 PM

T minus 11 days and counting

Some more info for those coming from the US. Crossing the border can sometimes take a while. It's a bit of a crap shoot. there doesn't seem to be a predicable pattern. Friday evening can be busy at times. If any of you are traveling with a mobile internet capable device, you can check the following web sites when you stop for fuel in the Michigan Sault...

Border wait times...
Entering Canada: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/bwt-taf/menu-eng.html
Entering the US: http://apps.cbp.gov/bwt/index.asp

Bridge web cams (both are pointed northward, so the right lane is going to Canada): http://www.saultbridge.com/

The local guy's 2 week forecast is swinging like a pendulum between party cloudy and rain. Others, that have forecasts that go that far out, are looking better: http://www.theweathernetwork.com/fou...qlink_st_14day

wildswing · #19 (**permalink**) 09-04-2010, 06:07 PM

T minus 6 days and counting

I'm posting this for those watching the thread instead of getting their info from Todd and his emails to GLCC and Michigan FFROG and members. Todd is emailing members right now with questions about peoples plans vs the weather forecast. The tour IS NOT canceled yet. We're just gathering info on which we'll base decisions in the next few days.

The weather forecast is not looking good, with cool temps and rain on at least one or more of the 3 days.

http://www.shieldsweather.com/soo/ (check out his 2 week, 3 day or 7 day links)

OR

http://www.9and10news.com/weather/ (based in Cadillac MI)

It's still a week away so the forecast can change, but the hotel booking deadline is in 2 days (Monday). Here's an option for those sitting on the fence watching the forecast. Book your room before the Monday deadline. You can always cancel later in the week. That will give you a couple days to keep watching the weather. Right now there are only 4 rooms booked.

I will need final numbers by Wednesday or Thursday so I can confirm group size with the restaurants and the Bushplane museum.

I've discussed with others here and have spoken to Todd about this today. If the weather forecast remains unfavorable, my recommendation is that you do not come at all. I know y'all drove SUVs to Traverse City in the past when it rained, but this is different. Only a couple of our stops on the tour are places where you can go inside, unlike TC where we went inside at the wineries. Most of this tour is outside, and the Lake Superior shore is not a place to be in lousy weather. There's not a whole lot to do in the Soo in the rain. Coming in a covered vehicle does not improve things.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Todd or me directly.

Hopefully this weather pattern changes and we'll be able to pull this off. Stay tuned.