Michigan - RoadRUNNER

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Michigan

A collection of 20 posts

Unusual Destinations: Ship’s Bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald

Ship’s Bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald

When it was launched in 1958, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald was the largest freighter sailing the Great Lakes. But shortly after 7:10 pm on Nov. 10, 1975, disaster struck the mighty ship. The entire crew of 29 was lost when a severe storm, with waves up to 35 feet

Classic Roads: Michigan's River Road National Scenic Byway

Classic Roads: Michigan's River Road National Scenic Byway

The Au Sable River, which flows 138 miles through Michigan’s Huron National Forest on its way to Lake Huron, packs plenty of history. The “River of Sand” is a designated National Wild and Scenic River, and River Road, which twists along the southern banks of the Au Sable from

Classic Roads: Tunnel Of Trees Road (Aka M119)

Classic Roads: Tunnel Of Trees Road (Aka M119)

Travel One of Michigan’s Most Famous Roads Tracing the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, the Tunnel of Trees road is a delightful and curvy scenic cruise, albeit a relatively short one. A must do ride for motorcyclists traveling through Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Classic Roads: Tunnel Of Trees Road

Ann Arbor, Michigan Shamrock Tour®

Jan/Feb '22 Premium Content

Ann Arbor, Michigan Shamrock Tour®

"Bill, your mission—should you choose to accept it—is in Michigan. Your weapon will be a Harley-Davidson.” To an adventure rider, these words are akin to telling a Cordon Bleu chef they just won a free gift card to McDonald’s. Michigan, especially around the Detroit area, was not

City Escape: Traverse City, Michigan

City Escape: Traverse City, Michigan

> Welcome to the land that glaciers carved. What remains is a natural landscape of forests, lakes, the highest freshwater-adjacent sand bluffs in America, vast coastal beaches, historic lighthouses, expansive bays, and a collection of charming small towns. The central urban area for the region is Traverse City, MI, located at

City Escape: Bay City, Michigan

City Escape: Bay City, Michigan

> This route’s northern section—from Port Austin to Bay Port—offers a twisting road (Hwy 25) along the Lake Huron shore. The eastern stretch of 25 from Forestville to Grindstone City pulls back from the Lake Huron beaches in some sections of the route, but the area offers interesting

Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ontario: The Superior Trip

Jan/Feb '19 Premium Content

Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ontario: The Superior Trip

This story is a gift to my father, Daniel Lynn Swab, the most important person to me on earth. In fact, he’s the reason that I got into photography when I was younger. Not because he enjoyed taking photos, but because there were no photos taken of him. Born

Dualsporting in Michigan: Doing the Drift

Nov/Dec '18 Premium Content

Michigan: Doing the Drift

The old lumbering town of Lewiston located in the north-central area of Michigan’s lower peninsula has a unique claim to fame. Lewiston is the only town in the U.S. to host two National Rally events a year. In January, the rally crowd descends on Lewiston to turn their

Riding Motorcycles From Ann Arbor, Michigan: City Escape

City Escape: Ann Arbor, Michigan

> Enjoy a relaxing ride through small towns and farmland to the northwest before dipping south into the Irish Hills, which got its name from the Irish immigrants who settled there in the 1800s. Some of the best scenery and roads in southeastern and central Michigan are incorporated in the route.

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula: Northern Exposure

Nov/Dec '16 Premium Content

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula: Northern Exposure

I’ve been curious about Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (aka the U.P.) for a number of years. This northern exposure has plummeting wintertime temperatures and lake-effect snow piling high. The U.P. constitutes 29 percent of Michigan’s total landmass, but the unforgiving winter weather explains why only three

Michigan: A Quest for Pie

Nov/Dec '15 Premium Content

Michigan: A Quest for Pie

Polishing off a pre-tour mahimahi taco and Key lime pie dinner while watching the sun slide behind a row of tethered yachts, I wonder if my preconceived ideas about the tour are about to be blown out of the water. I envision four days of sleuthing small town diners with

Lake Erie, Circle Tour - U.S.: A Tale of Two Worlds

Sep/Oct '13 Premium Content

Lake Erie, Circle Tour - U.S.: A Tale of Two Worlds

Detroit. The name alone conjures up images of cars rolling off assembly lines, factories belching smoke, Henry Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. In a word, industry. First settled in 1701, Detroit (aka: Motor City) is one of the oldest metropolitan areas in the Midwest. Along with holding responsibility for the

Michigan: Riding 'round the Mitten

May/Jun '12 Premium Content

Michigan: Riding 'round the Mitten

Once again, the “Lost Squadron” of Norb on his H-D Ultra, Jim on his Gold Wing, and I on a borrowed 2011 H-D Tri Glide (in the new “Cool Blue Pearl” color) are hitting the road. This time it’s a circle tour of Michigan’s shoreline, from Muskegon north

Lake Huron Circle Tour

Jul/Aug '11 Premium Content

Lake Huron Circle Tour

Sarah and I planned this trip for many months. It was a very romantic idea: two lovebirds in their mid-20s on a camping trip around Lake Huron, keeping traveling costs down and excitement up. Sarah had been camping quite a bit with her family, so Ms. Camping had all the

Reader Ride: Michigan

Jan/Feb '11 Premium Content

Reader Ride: Michigan

Thirty years ago, in an attempt to replace a native herd hunted to extinction in the 1920s, the state of Michigan re-introduced elk to the Pigeon River State Forest. A great success, a large herd of the impressive beasts now call the northeast corner of the lower peninsula home. One

May/Jun '10 Premium Content

Lake Superior

The shore of the northernmost lake is made famous in poetry and song, from Longfellow's tribute to the shores of Gitche Gumee, to the inspiration for Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." Tragic shipwrecks, 350 to date. Lonely lighthouses. Gaping mine shafts. Waterfalls. Three states, two countries. Lake

May/Jun '09 Premium Content

Lake Michigan

"I love this state. When I was in the Marines, I couldn't wait to come back here," says the state trooper as he hands back my license. Thankfully, that's all he's handing back - no reprimands, no strings and no tickets attached. Pulling over quickly must have helped. My cold,

Northeastern Michigan: Bay City and Presque Isle County

Sep/Oct '06 Premium Content

Northeastern Michigan: Bay City and Presque Isle County

The opposite ends of this tour take in two different worlds connected by great scenic roads. In Bay City, you can stay busy sightseeing, shopping or sampling the night life. And over in Presque Isle County where the simplest pleasures hold sway, you can stroll in settings of undeveloped serenity

Up North Michigan

Nov/Dec '03 Premium Content

Up North Michigan

The dark, narrow pavement defined by nothing more than white stripes at the edges winds through the deep shade of the forest canopy. Occasionally I catch glimpses of water far below. Impossibly blue, it stretches to the horizon and sparkles in the late afternoon sun. Homes are tucked away, nestled

Great Lakes Escapade

Summer '01 Premium Content

Great Lakes Escapade

Destination USA doesn't always have to be the much-visited Southwest. Foreign visitors, who think only of red boulders and dry desert expanses in association with the US, should think again. A vast gamut of alternatives runs everywhere. In this case, a tour of the Great Lakes region in the northern