Great Lakes Fun

I'm not sure quite how to make this work but here's my first try...

Day 1- I left Ottawa and headed to 1000 Islands Bridge where I met my travel companions... Two guys each riding on BWM R1150GS and one riding a K1200GT... Once we had a bite to eat at a convenient chip wagon, then we headed for Port Hope where we stayed at a friend's place... beer & barbeque...

Day 2- We headed up to Orillia, across to Wasaga Beach and then across the Bruce Peninsula to Kincardine where we stayed at a friend's place... Wasaga Beach was a hopping town with plenty of pedestrian hazards.

Day 3- We discovered the Tobermory ferry dock is actually 2 hours from Kincardine... which meant a bit of spirited riding to ensure we got there on time. We lacked reservations but the ferry had just enough room for us! Manitoulin Island is lovely. We especially liked Bridal Falls. One of the GS riders challenged me to park my Harley under the falls (there is a cave and a walking path) but the stairs down looked a bit too flimsy for my RoadKing so I declined. We continued on later and ended up camping at Waterfalls Resort outside Spanish, ON. A bit off the beaten path but worth the gravel road ride.

Day4- We headed to Sault Ste Marie. After lunch, we heard the border crossing was plugged so we found the Bush Plane Museum on the waterfront. They have an excellent display of historic and current bush planes plus a few other gems. They have two small movie theatres. We watched the 20 minute movie on fighting forest fires and it was excellent. We headed south. The border crossing was relatively painless although the GT rider got 'secondary' treatment via random computer selection. We ended the day camping at the Hiawatha National Park.

Day 5- We explored the Upper Peninsula, including the Whitefish Point Shipwreck Museum which had fascinating displays, including the ship's bell from the famed "Edmund Fitzgerald" immortalized by Gordon Lightfoot. Tahquamenon Falls was lovely. Plenty to see. Eventually, we drifted south and ended up camping in the KOA at Petowski. No tenting sites were available so we grabbed a cabin... and we were glad we did as overnight rains & thunder storm were heavy.

Day 6- We rode along the coastline up to the Tunnel of Trees (Highway 119) which was another highlight. 50 kms of twists, turns & hills surrounded by trees and cottage country with frequent views of Lake Michigan. When we reached the top, we turned and rode back the same way. Yes, it was that much fun! We followed the coast down and then turned inland and stayed overnight outside of Grand Rapids with a friend.

Day 7- We headed for home. I rode with the others across Highway 96 but then our paths diverged when I took Highway 69 toward Flint, then Sarnia for the border crossing. The rest of the trip was all on 400 series highways... boring but expedient EXCEPT in Toronto where the 'stop & go' started at Milton and didn't completely end until Whitby. Everything the rest of the trip lacked... hot, humid and heavy traffic... In retrospect, I should have cut north at Guelph and stayed north of the Big Smoke... Highway 7 is a better ride...