Muskegon to Detroit.

Something is putting a fire under my nuts to do this tour. Comments?

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Permalink Reply by David P. on May 30, 2013 at 11:52am

Do it in mid- to late-September, show up for Bike Week in Detroit and ride the Tour deTroit, etc.

Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on May 31, 2013 at 5:38am
5 days?
Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on May 31, 2013 at 9:17am
The opt out would be Manitowoc to Chicago.
Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on May 31, 2013 at 2:48pm

It would be neat to walk into GM's lobby and get a glass of water.  I guess if we got a hold of GM's PR department they might do something nice.

Permalink Reply by David P. on June 1, 2013 at 10:42am

5 days would be plenty. I'm sure you could do it in less, unless you want to take it easy. And yes, you can fisnish the ride in the Winter Garden of the RenCen and get a meal, if you like. It's right on the riverwalk.

Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on June 1, 2013 at 2:07pm
Indeed, I want to be sweaty and covered with dirt when I walk in and ask the receptionist for a glass of water. Then I would politely ask if I could sit down for a few minutes. Something about the idea makes me tingle. My first car was from GM, so maybe that's why.

I need to get some promo material from Julie for this ride so GMC folks can get on Chainlink. Maybe I'm on a mission because I saw something about urban bllight in the city when I got back from Madison. Maybe a statement needs to be made because so many more cyclists are taking to the streets to commute to their jobs. Maybe it's my issues with cars. Maybe I need a steady girlfriend or wife. I m not sure. But I think I've decided to see something new and different.

So the logistical challenge is part of the fun. I just bought a Dahon folding bike which will be an easy piece of luggage on Greyhound. The Speed TR is built for touring and I'm excited about the possibility of using it.
Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on June 1, 2013 at 4:22pm

Henry Ford was a cyclist. 

The first car he built was called a "quadricycle" and was made with four bicycle wheels.  His first test ride on it was in Detroit.

Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on June 4, 2013 at 4:05pm

I found this PBS video inspirational.  I think we can make the ride to Detroit happen, folks.....

Permalink Reply by JeffB on June 5, 2013 at 6:43am

Please share your route info if you make the trip.  Any reason you're going from Ludington?  Itching to take the old ferry?  I'd say two days ride to Manitowoc (I had to take the Metra to Kenosha first to keep to my schedule: day1 to Pt Washington, day2: to Manitowoc in time for the ferry, then I circled back home around the lake).  Then anywhere from 3-5 days from Ludington to Detroit, depending on how hard you want to push.  You could shave two days by crossing at Milwaukee to Muskegon instead.

Love to do this, but doubt I have the time this year.

Permalink Reply by David P. on June 5, 2013 at 8:30am

Matt, I'd say Detroit is easier to come into from the west wide than from the north side. Once you get to ca. Birmingham it's not hard to find roads that are good to ride on, but it can be a bit tough in the outer northern suburbs. Coming from the west side, there are much better options - e.g. you can take Hines Dr. from Northville, 30 or so miles out to west Dearborn. Once you hit the city limits, you'd be taking Michigan Ave. from the west or something Woodward-ish from the northwest.

Permalink Reply by Matt M. 18.5KM on June 5, 2013 at 10:08am
Muskegon it is, then. I am itching to get on the SS Badger or ferry.. Not interested in heading to Manitowoc as Amtrak is an easy and fast choice from Glenview or downtown Chicago. I am considering this tour for next year or the fall.
Permalink Reply by JeffB on June 5, 2013 at 10:51am

I was looking at the schedules and distances, and you could be as far as Grand Rapids by nightfall of day one:  first UP-N train gets to Kenosha by 8:30am, then a 35-40 mile ride to Milwaukee to make the 12:30p Lake Express ferry (last of the day, 2.5 hr crossing to rest), arrive in Muskegon by 4pm, and then another 40 miles to Grand Rapids by dark.

Day 2 could get you to Lansing (65 miles). Day 3 to Ann Arbor (70 miles). Day 4 to Detroit (40 miles).

Kind of a challenging pace, plus there may be additional miles when you fine tune for optimal routes, so a fifth day for wiggle room seems safe.

Or you could skip the ferry and go south through IN and southern MI (300-330 miles, 60+ miles/day for 5 days).

Personally, I've found that I like to have time to detour and explore on long trips, rather than just make each day a race to cover the most ground, so you might want to budget even a sixth day.

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