Modern Buddy

Looking for route ideas - my husband & I are riding to Amerivespa (by way of Chicago) from NYC. We have almost a month. We're leaving NYC Mon 6/11 and plan to arrive in Chgo Fri 6/15.

On the way there, we're probably going through NJ to PA and taking Rte 6 through PA, but would love any suggestions, especially for Ohio & Indiana.

Also, (although I’m not looking for scenery here!) in terms of Chicago, any suggestions on how to get from Gary to Lake Shore Dr (final destination is Evanston) without doing the Skyway, etc.? I'll be on my 150cc Blackjack.

On our way back, we're hitting Madison after Amerivespa and then are thinking of going north, across the UP & into Canada. Again, suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Kate

NY86=hills mountains trees. Better than 90 unless you want to hit the falls.

US 6, if that is what you are talking about, also goes through Ohio and through the Northern section, through Cleveland and along Lake Erie, or at least near it. I also do believe that 6 would take you right by Pride of Cleveland. The only area of concern is the going through East Cleveland which is a area that is fairly impoverished and has a high crime rate, but it would only be a few miles.

Mousenut wrote:NY86=hills mountains trees. Better than 90 unless you want to hit the falls.

Sounds nice. We're hoping to avoid interstates unless we have no other choice.

bluebuddygirl wrote:US 6, if that is what you are talking about, also goes through Ohio and through the Northern section, through Cleveland and along Lake Erie, or at least near it. I also do believe that 6 would take you right by Pride of Cleveland. The only area of concern is the going through East Cleveland which is a area that is fairly impoverished and has a high crime rate, but it would only be a few miles.

Thanks! It does look like staying on 6 in Ohio might be nice. And I've heard so much about Pride of Cleveland - it'd be cool to stop by. In general, I'm not concerned about going through "bad" neighborhoods - I just make sure it's during the day.

86 (the old Southern Tier Expressway) is a beautiful route, but now that it's a limited access Interstate, it might not be Buddy-friendly. Consider NY5/US20 across to Buffalo and beyond. It runs all the way past Chicago towards Rockford, before which you could turn off to Lake Geneva. You might consider alternatives around Lake Michigan, but 20 will get you there generally.

US20 from Atlantic to Pacific is on my scooter bucket list.

PeteH wrote:86 (the old Southern Tier Expressway) is a beautiful route, but now that it's a limited access Interstate, it might not be Buddy-friendly. Consider NY5/US20 across to Buffalo and beyond. It runs all the way past Chicago towards Rockford, before which you could turn off to Lake Geneva. You might consider alternatives around Lake Michigan, but 20 will get you there generally.

US20 from Atlantic to Pacific is on my scooter bucket list.

Thanks - will look more closely at 20. We do have to get into Chicago proper - we're both from there and are planning to see friends and family. And we want to hit the Mods vs Rockers rally the weekend before Amerivespa!

I don't know about other states but in Wisconsin I can help you out. Take the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive. Use the link I have provided. It begins in Whitewater and ends in Elkhart Lake.

From Elkhart Lake get to the northwest side of Appleton (that's Greenville), lots of ways to get there. Take hwy76 out of Greenville north to Shiocton. There pick up 187 north. Take 187 to Hwy K which will merge with 47/55. Stick with hwy 55 out of Shawano. 55 will go through the reservation along the Wolf River. Excellent ride. Maybe more info than you wanted but you might be able to use some of it.

Have a great ride!

gr8dog, not too much info at all - exactly what I'm looking for!!

One of the Amerivespa rides is through Kettle Moraine - I'm looking forward to it - I vaguely remember going there as a kid.

I'd love to suggest a great route through southern-border Michigan... but there really aren't any. That part of the state is indistinguishable from Indiana and Ohio and the main selling point of the east/west roads in that area is just that they aren't I-80/90.

On the other hand, the scenic route from the Big Apple to Chicagoland includes a whole lotta Michigan, going by way of Niagara though Ontario to Sarnia/Port Huron, up the Huron coast to Mackinac, then through the UP and Wisconsin... which can also be done in reverse.

There are literally only two roads that go across the UP west/east; coming from the south you'd naturally want US-2, which includes some great views of Lake Michigan at the east end. Be forewarned however: it's a fairly popular east-west route for truckers doing the Ontario/Seattle run (not so great on a 50cc, I can tell you). M-28 (the north route) is notorious for the Seney Stretch, a little bit of Kansas (no turns, no stops, no nothin) through the northern wetlands. On the other hand, it gives you access to Lake Superior (especially Pictured Rocks). I'm told that the route through Ontario after crossing into Canada at Sault Ste Marie is nice... but I can personally vouch for US-23 and M-25 on the east coast of Michigan: not as many beaches as the west coast, but still a nice ride. By the way, the Mackinac Bridge... can be a little unnerving. But totally do-able.

etak wrote:Also, (although I’m not looking for scenery here!) in terms of Chicago, any suggestions on how to get from Gary to Lake Shore Dr (final destination is Evanston) without doing the Skyway, etc.? I'll be on my 150cc Blackjack.
Kate

I didn't read through the responses, so this may have already been addressed. But, I live in the NW Indiana area so I might be able to help with this segment of your journey. I would try to get on 12 close to New Buffalo, MI and follow that all the way through Indiana. Some of it is fairly scenic (about as scenic as you're going to get for these parts), then beginning near 12 and 49 it gets very industrial and not very nice. Eventually from 12 you can take 41 through south Chicago (again not all that nice) and it will turn into LSD.

Another option, although I'm not current on this, might be to ferry across Lake Michigan from western Michigan to eastern Wisconsin. Might save you some time and would definitely be a nicer ride than the "steel highway".

Rob

Rob wrote:Another option, although I'm not current on this, might be to ferry across Lake Michigan from western Michigan to eastern Wisconsin. Might save you some time and would definitely be a nicer ride than the "steel highway".

There are a couple ferries across; for this route you'd want Lake Express from Muskegon MI to Milwaukee WI. To get to Muskegon from Ohio I'd recommend Grand River Ave most of the way through Michigan (roughly following the route of I-96). If coming via Sarnia/Port Huron, that corridor's mostly farmland; it doesn't matter what road you take.

Can't help with routes, but see you in Lake Geneva!

Without looking at a map, and not having been up there since 1979-1981 or something like that, look closely at Rt 97 out of Port Jervis NY The section along the Delaware River towards Glen Spay/Pond Eddy called the 'Hawks Nest' great views, 'twisty' riding and not too far off of where I'd think to pick up Rt 6 in Matamorris, Pa....

Oh By The Way:
I'm not going to AmeriVespa, but if you find yourselves anywhere near the Harrisburg/Hershey/Lancaster, Pa area, give me a 'holler'!

TVB wrote: On the other hand, the scenic route from the Big Apple to Chicagoland includes a whole lotta Michigan, going by way of Niagara though Ontario to Sarnia/Port Huron, up the Huron coast to Mackinac, then through the UP and Wisconsin... which can also be done in reverse.

There are literally only two roads that go across the UP west/east; coming from the south you'd naturally want US-2, which includes some great views of Lake Michigan at the east end. Be forewarned however: it's a fairly popular east-west route for truckers doing the Ontario/Seattle run (not so great on a 50cc, I can tell you). M-28 (the north route) is notorious for the Seney Stretch, a little bit of Kansas (no turns, no stops, no nothin) through the northern wetlands. On the other hand, it gives you access to Lake Superior (especially Pictured Rocks). I'm told that the route through Ontario after crossing into Canada at Sault Ste Marie is nice... but I can personally vouch for US-23 and M-25 on the east coast of Michigan: not as many beaches as the west coast, but still a nice ride. By the way, the Mackinac Bridge... can be a little unnerving. But totally do-able.

Great info - thanks! Right now the plan is to head for home via Wisc to the UP to Ontario. I was thinking of staying in Ontario, either to Toronto/Buffalo, or to the eastern end of Lake Ontario. But I hadn't thought of your suggestion to do the east coast of Michigan. hmmm.

Rob wrote: I live in the NW Indiana area so I might be able to help with this segment of your journey. I would try to get on 12 close to New Buffalo, MI and follow that all the way through Indiana. Some of it is fairly scenic (about as scenic as you're going to get for these parts), then beginning near 12 and 49 it gets very industrial and not very nice. Eventually from 12 you can take 41 through south Chicago (again not all that nice) and it will turn into LSD.

Another option, although I'm not current on this, might be to ferry across Lake Michigan from western Michigan to eastern Wisconsin. Might save you some time and would definitely be a nicer ride than the "steel highway".

Rob

Thanks Rob! - the info on SW Ind and Chicago is just what I wanted to know. 12 to 41 looks like the route to take just by looking at the map, but it's good to have confirmation. (Haven't lived in Chicago for for > 30 yrs - and I was a Northsider!)

I didn't think the ferry was really feasible since we're going to Chicago first (vs. going straight to Lake Geneva), but I'm starting to wonder. So frickin' expensive though!

Are you going to Amerivespa?

TVB wrote:

Rob wrote:Another option, although I'm not current on this, might be to ferry across Lake Michigan from western Michigan to eastern Wisconsin. Might save you some time and would definitely be a nicer ride than the "steel highway".

There are a couple ferries across; for this route you'd want Lake Express from Muskegon MI to Milwaukee WI. To get to Muskegon from Ohio I'd recommend Grand River Ave most of the way through Michigan (roughly following the route of I-96). If coming via Sarnia/Port Huron, that corridor's mostly farmland; it doesn't matter what road you take.

The ferry is starting to sound appealing...

KABarash wrote:Without looking at a map, and not having been up there since 1979-1981 or something like that, look closely at Rt 97 out of Port Jervis NY The section along the Delaware River towards Glen Spay/Pond Eddy called the 'Hawks Nest' great views, 'twisty' riding and not too far off of where I'd think to pick up Rt 6 in Matamorris, Pa....

Damn, that looks nice! Have to try to fit that in!

KABarash wrote:Oh By The Way:
I'm not going to AmeriVespa, but if you find yourselves anywhere near the Harrisburg/Hershey/Lancaster, Pa area, give me a 'holler'!

Probably not this trip . We did go to the 3 Mile Island rally a couple of years ago - do you attend that?

ericalm wrote:Can't help with routes, but see you in Lake Geneva!

Looking forward to it, Eric!

etak wrote:Great info - thanks! Right now the plan is to head for home via Wisc to the UP to Ontario. I was thinking of staying in Ontario, either to Toronto/Buffalo, or to the eastern end of Lake Ontario. But I hadn't thought of your suggestion to do the east coast of Michigan. hmmm.

One further thought if you take the east-coast route: Crossing into Ontario at either Port Huron/Sarnia or Algonac/Walpole (just north of Lake St Clair), and riding the north shore of Erie to Buffalo would save a bit of time compared to the congestion and distance of going through metro Detroit.

You know, regardless of which side of Huron you take, with just a little effort, you could visit all five Great Lakes on this trip.

By the way, a good resource for finding scenic routes that may be going your way in areas you aren't familiar with is http://www.motorcycleroads.com

...and Niagara Falls!

etak wrote:

KABarash wrote:Without looking at a map, and not having been up there since 1979-1981 or something like that, look closely at Rt 97 out of Port Jervis NY The section along the Delaware River towards Glen Spay/Pond Eddy called the 'Hawks Nest' great views, 'twisty' riding and not too far off of where I'd think to pick up Rt 6 in Matamorris, Pa....

Damn, that looks nice! Have to try to fit that in!

etak wrote:

KABarash wrote:Oh By The Way:
I'm not going to AmeriVespa, but if you find yourselves anywhere near the Harrisburg/Hershey/Lancaster, Pa area, give me a 'holler'!

Probably not this trip . We did go to the 3 Mile Island rally a couple of years ago - do you attend that?

I was there in '09

etak wrote:

Rob wrote: I live in the NW Indiana area so I might be able to help with this segment of your journey. I would try to get on 12 close to New Buffalo, MI and follow that all the way through Indiana. Some of it is fairly scenic (about as scenic as you're going to get for these parts), then beginning near 12 and 49 it gets very industrial and not very nice. Eventually from 12 you can take 41 through south Chicago (again not all that nice) and it will turn into LSD.

Another option, although I'm not current on this, might be to ferry across Lake Michigan from western Michigan to eastern Wisconsin. Might save you some time and would definitely be a nicer ride than the "steel highway".

Rob

Thanks Rob! - the info on SW Ind and Chicago is just what I wanted to know. 12 to 41 looks like the route to take just by looking at the map, but it's good to have confirmation. (Haven't lived in Chicago for for > 30 yrs - and I was a Northsider!)

I didn't think the ferry was really feasible since we're going to Chicago first (vs. going straight to Lake Geneva), but I'm starting to wonder. So frickin' expensive though!

Are you going to Amerivespa?

No problem at all. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

A Northsider? Hopefully up near Wrigleyville, although it's changed considerably since the 80's.

I think we're going to Amerivespa, although we never booked lodging. We're still weighing some other family obligations into the equation. Since they're in-law obligations, I'm heavily tilted towards Amerivespa, but "Da Boss" is slightly tilted the other way. Regardless, I expect to attend for at least 1 day.

Rob

TVB wrote: You know, regardless of which side of Huron you take, with just a little effort, you could visit all five Great Lakes on this trip.

Funny you should say that - this occurred to me just earlier today (when I was daydreaming instead of working)! It's a good thing (I guess) I can't get on MB from work.

TVB wrote:By the way, a good resource for finding scenic routes that may be going your way in areas you aren't familiar with is http://www.motorcycleroads.com

Thanks - I've looked at this a bit, but not yet for all the areas we're going to be in.

KABarash wrote:

etak wrote: We did go to the 3 Mile Island rally a couple of years ago - do you attend that?

I was there in '09

I think we were there in '10. The pictures must be on the other computer. It was fun, but we got poured on riding back to NY.

Rob wrote:A Northsider? Hopefully up near Wrigleyville, although it's changed considerably since the 80's.

I think we're going to Amerivespa, although we never booked lodging. We're still weighing some other family obligations into the equation. Since they're in-law obligations, I'm heavily tilted towards Amerivespa, but "Da Boss" is slightly tilted the other way. Regardless, I expect to attend for at least 1 day.

Rob

I hope to meet you! I hear you on family obligations. We have family in the Chicago area and family in Madison so we're trying to do that before/after AV. But we may have to miss some of Saturday because there's apparently some kind of family reunion (husband's side) about 20 miles west of Lake Geneva that day. One good thing is that we both tend toward "tilting away" from family events.

In terms of Chicago, I lived further north than Wrigleyville - Edgewater and Rogers Park. But I am (but of course!) a Cubs fan.

If you're heading to Amerivespa, post here and let us know:
topic22283.html

etak wrote:I hope to meet you! I hear you on family obligations. We have family in the Chicago area and family in Madison so we're trying to do that before/after AV. But we may have to miss some of Saturday because there's apparently some kind of family reunion (husband's side) about 20 miles west of Lake Geneva that day. One good thing is that we both tend toward "tilting away" from family events.

In terms of Chicago, I lived further north than Wrigleyville - Edgewater and Rogers Park. But I am (but of course!) a Cubs fan.

I just found out that along with the family stuff, a friend of ours is also have a "block party" to celebrate the 5 year anniversary of his restaurant .... sooooooo, I'm in the negotiating phase with my wife. I really would like to spend 2 days at the event. In the old days I probably could have gotten my way with some roses .... now it'll likely cost me jewelry.

My daughter is looking to buy a condo and has been checking our Edgewater, Andersonville and Lincoln Square.

Rob

Rob wrote: My daughter is looking to buy a condo and has been checking our Edgewater, Andersonville and Lincoln Square.

Rob

All nice areas - and close to Scooterworks!