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Road Trip!

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  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,384
    I spent a day at that Knoxville fair!
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    Apparently 11 million people (and Bart Simpson) did, but I had moved out of state by then and missed it.

    I had almost forgotten about it, but when my Grandparents took me on an ~8 week cross country camping trip in 1982, the World's Fair was one of our stops. I don't remember much about it, except that I didn't like it. But, I was only 12, and was probably more in the mood for an amusement park with roller coasters and such.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    I had never been to any of the World's Fairs, but my parents went to the New York World's Fair in 1964-65 and I believe Expo '67 in Montreal.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    edited May 2011
    The basis for my recommendation is that we found the Copper Harbor area and the lake shore there, in particular, to be beautiful and rather unique. They're also very relaxing, in part due to their remoteness. The Porcupine Mountains may not be as unique, but they represent something different from the rest of the UP.

    Regarding whether it would be worth extending your trip to include these, I'm hesitant to be definitive because I don't know your (including your travel companions) likes and dislikes, budget, available time, etc. What's worthwhile or a "must see" to some is a "eh, it wasn't worth it" to others, if you know what I mean. Of course, one could say this about many destinations (some, like Rome, Paris, or the Galapagos, are definitely "must sees"), but in the context of the UP, I'd consider these very worthwhile, if time and budget allow them. If you can only do one of the two, I'd pick Copper Harbor, including the drive on the elevated road near there.

    I hope that helps. Please let us know about your UP experience when you get back.
  • kathyc2kathyc2 Member Posts: 159
    Actually, this trip is more about getting away from the stress of every day life than anything else, so we don't really have an agenda of certain things. I'm the researcher/ planner one out of the group, and like to have several ideas and then see how the time works out. We have from Wed noon to Sunday evening, so while not a huge amount of time, should be sufficient.

    Copper Harbor may work out great. One of the gals has a 95 year old Uncle in Lake Linden. If it turns out she wants to spend more than a couple hour visit with him, we can drop her off and the rest of us could go to Copper Harbor and then pick her up. Thanks for suggesting it. A lot of times I think the suggestions from people who know areas is better than what some of the travel sights recommend.
  • kathyc2kathyc2 Member Posts: 159
    That's a lot of coasters!

    I don't know if they still do it or not, but it used to be if you stayed at a hotel within Cedar Point you could get into the park an hour or two before it opens to the general public.
  • loucapriloucapri Member Posts: 214
    As I mentioned, I don't like camping due to lack of shower and bed. How do you spend your night during road trip? Just stop by any nearby local motel? or you book ahead of time? Back then I remember I use the AAA travel book and have the motel booked that way, did a short trip between San Diego, LA and Las Vegas. Kind of fun, drove a rental car and I think it was around $40/night :)
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    I don't know if they still do it or not, but it used to be if you stayed at a hotel within Cedar Point you could get into the park an hour or two before it opens to the general public.

    Yeah, that's what we do, stay at a place called the Hotel Breakers, or something like that, which is actually on the grounds. It's a short walk to one of the entrances to the park, and they let you in an hour early.

    I also booked us a place that's on the premises at Kings Island, but I don't know if they offer the same deal or not.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    I hope and pray your medical issue does not involve Colon Cancer.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    3 weeks is not much time for a round trip from Wisconsin to AK. Suggest you fly to Anchorage, buy a vehicle there and drive back.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    The last time I rented a car in Anchorage it was not bad. Best time to go is right after Labor day when the tourist season is pretty much over. Still nice weather, sometimes. Having made the drive to AK many times it is LONG. Taking the Cassiar Highway route is prettiest and cuts off 135 miles. Food, gas & lodging are expensive along the way. I don't think there are many Walmarts to park in over night. 3 weeks would be a push for me. My best trip from Anchorage to Minnesota was back in 1977. Took 10 leisurely days and enjoyed it a lot. Roads are much better now.
  • kathyc2kathyc2 Member Posts: 159
    As I mentioned, I don't like camping due to lack of shower and bed.

    I'm with you on the camping ban. I don't generally book a hotel in advance, unless we are sure of where we will be on a given night. Garmin is a great help, it lists hotels in area where you are along w/ phone numbers. When we are ready to stop, the passenger starts calling to find a vacancy, rates, etc. It one sounds ok, we first drive by it before booking to make sure it's not a dump. A internet connection would be even better, since you could also look at reviews, etc, but we do okay w/ the Garmin.

    A couple years ago we were in eastern PA when we decided to stop for the night around 10. Called for around an hour to no avail. Finally, we stopped at Denny's and found out Little League World Series was going on, and not much chance of finding a room. I loaded up on coffee, and my friend went to sleep. I drove I-80 across state in the middle of the night. It was a full moon, and I could see the outline of the mountains in the moonlight. I pretty much had the road to myself and sure was glad an animal didn't cross in front of me! At the OH line, I was exhausted and we switched drivers. So, we ended up having lunch in Portland, ME on Sat and were back in IN by noon Sunday.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Those are often the trips (or parts of trips) you remember the most.

    We flew to Chattanooga one time to visit my family and rented a car and went to Lakeland FL to visit my wife's mom. We drove back to TN through Savannah and wound up in Augusta GA one night. Ordinarily we'd be camping but not on a fly/drive.

    Anyway, we wheeled into a modest motel and the rate was like $160. I was expecting maybe $60 tops. Upon inquiry, we found out that the Master's practice rounds were starting in 4 or 5 days and they had cranked up the rates to gouge the tourists.

    Only took 20 minutes to get back into the world of normal rates.

    Another time we were heading to the UP (the FL mom was a snowbird), and decided it'd be fun to go into Green Bay and see some countryside. After we got the plane tickets, we had a heck of a time finding a car rental. Turned out the fly-in at Oshkosh was going on and people had sucked up all the rental cars around for miles and miles. Wound up finding a Buick dealer who rented cars and that worked out well.

    The 2 am arrival in Bangkok without accommodations one trip didn't work out as well, lol. We pre-plan those kind of trips a bit more now. :blush:
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,256
    It's just about 270 miles from exiting I-81 to the Ohio border.
    Do you remember seeing the sign 'Highest Point on I-80 east of the Mississippi'? Elevation is 2250 feet.
    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • kathyc2kathyc2 Member Posts: 159
    I don't remember the sign, but we would have went past it.

    The 270 miles doesn't seem like much. But, we had started the day in Montpelier, went to Portland, and then worked our way through MA and CT. As far as I can tell from google maps, we drove around 1200 miles in less than 30 hours. It wasn't bad since we would trade off driving.

    The following year I went to Hilton Head with a different friend. We split it into 2 days going down, but came back in 1 day; around 15 hours. Her driving scares the bejeezers out of me, so I drove the entire time, most of it in rain. That was a long haul!
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    Longest one day drive for me was from Childress, TX (2 hours SE of Amarillo) to Phoenix, AZ via I-40 and I-17. Almost 900 miles and i think we did it in 15-16 hours.

    And this was in 1986, when the speed limit was 55 ...
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,384
    No it involves a lot of thing but not cancer. I have myleodysplasia - my bone marrow makes lousy blood. They have it under better control than it has been but I'm soon going into NY for the real experts.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • euphoniumeuphonium Member Posts: 3,425
    We wish you the best of care & a successful journey out of the affliction. :)
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Good food is never accidental in Kermit, TX.

    The List: 4 Tips For Finding Great Road Food (Straightline)
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,384
    We'll be doing the annual Memorial Day run to New Hampshire. A lot of miles and a quick turn around but the company is worth it. A friend of mine started this annual event 29 years ago when he still lived in Jersey.

    Driving through the middle of Connecticut and Massachusetts in pretty nice actually - at least until you hit Worcester.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,256
    With all the rain we have had, everything will be really green when you pass though.
    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,384
    Cool.

    We take 84 across and just past Hartford it starts to pretty up and right at the state line it's just perfect - nice green hills. I could live there. I'll just forget about the winter part.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    SANTA MONICA, Calif. — May 27, 2011 — As families plan holiday travel this Memorial Day weekend, many of them will have their pet dogs along for the ride. Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, offers a helpful guide for safely traveling with your pooch in “Dog-Safe Driving.”

    Everyone knows how important it is for adults to buckle up and for children to be properly restrained in age-appropriate car seats (described at http://www.edmunds.com/car-safety/car-seat-safety-new-age-guidelines-old-install- ation-challenges.html.). So it should come as no surprise that the safest way for your dog to travel is in a harness and seatbelt. Many pet owners might prefer to keep the dog in a crate, and while that’s not a poor alternative, it does have its drawbacks. In the event of an accident, the dog could be slammed into the side of the crate; and if the crate is not properly secured, it may not hold in place.

    Keeping the dog in a restraining harness isn’t just safe for the pet, but for the driver as well. An unrestrained dog can become a dangerous projectile in the event of an accident or even a short stop. And a survey by AAA last year found that nearly one-third of dog-owning drivers admitted they’d been distracted by their dogs in the car. One pet safety advocacy group has put the number of car accidents caused by dogs at 30,000 annually.

    Experts consulted by Edmunds.com also warn drivers not to let dogs ride with their heads out the window. As much as they might enjoy it, they could be at risk of getting injured by flying debris. Likewise, it’s even more unsafe for dogs to travel in the flatbed of a pickup truck, where they could jump or be ejected at high speeds. Some states even have specific laws regulating how dogs can be transported in an open area of a vehicle.

    The car doesn’t have to be in motion to pose a threat to your dog; leaving your pet in an unattended vehicle can also be very harmful. Experts say that even on a 60-degree day, the temperature in a car exposed to the sun can rise to over 100 degrees. Prolonged exposure in that type of heat can cause seizures or central nervous system problems in the short term and organ function problems in the long term. The best advice from experts is to simply leave your dog at home when you’re out running errands.

    For more details on safe travelling with your dog, please check out the full “Dog-Safe Driving” guide on Edmunds.com at http://www.edmunds.com/car-safety/dog-safe-driving.html.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Traveling with pets can be expensive. In December of 2005 I bought a MB Cruiser RV so my wife could take her cat with us on vacation. The cat was not thrilled even with all that room to roam. He spent most of the time hiding behind the toilet in the back. Our 10 day trip to TX was the last with the cat. We stayed in Motels and the cat lived in the motor home. After a year on Craigslist we sold the Motor home for nearly what I paid for it. I just wish my Sequoia could get the 25 MPG the MB Cruiser delivered.
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    The only time I've taken the dog on an extended trip is when camping. However, my current dog is prone to motion sickness so its short car trips with her. And why do people take their dog when running errands? :confuse: I would never leave my dog alone in my vehicle for any reason.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited May 2011
    Our cats did pretty well on two long trips last summer. They weren't travelers before. I think the trick with either is to not let them roam (depending on the dog I suppose). In a strange place, they probably like to hide out in a box more than being left to their own devices.

    I did have one cat in my 20s that would ride around on the back of my neck.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Leaving a pet in the car can have serious consequences. I see dogs in cars all the time in the heat. That was the other thing when we took the cat. My wife had me go out and check on Sammy several times in the evening before we went to bed. He was strictly a house cat so camping and letting him out was not an option. She was paranoid as his sister got killed by a coyote right in front of the kitchen window when we lived in town.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    My cats HATE travelling in the car. They'll be in their "Pet Taxis" ME-OOOWWW! ME-OOOWWW! the whole trip! Don't try to put a cat in a harness even though you can get them at a pet store. They DESPISE them! My normally mellow male cat tried to bite me when I tried to put on on him. I didn't even try it on the more tempermental female cat.
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    Castle Rock, CO to Sedona, AZ and back, with a stop in Santa Fe, NM, each way.

    Will post more info tomorrow, after I've had a chance to compile the numbers and my thoughts.
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    As previously mentioned, my wife and I took a week long vacation that included stops in both Santa Fe, NM and Sedona, AZ. Details and observations below.

    Weather was great for the whole trip - no rain whatsoever at all. However, both I-25 and I-40 were quite windy, especially on the return trip.

    1827 total miles driven, with an average MPG of 22.51 - this was on a 2010 Mazda CX-7 AWD that had 6,000 miles on it when the trip started. Best tank was 25.79 MPG, worst was 19.93 - the EPA estimates for the CX-7 are 17 city, 23 hwy.

    I use shell V-power 91 octane exclusively ... the most I paid per gallon was $4.099 in both Pecos, NM and Flagstaff, AZ. The lowest price per gallon was in Pueblo, CO at $3.889. I spent a total of $315 on gas, which was just $15 over my pre-trip estimate.

    I am amazed by the quality of the roads I traveled on - particularly I-40 in NM and AZ, given the amount of truck traffic there is.

    Boneheaded move of the trip was by a pickup truck with Wyoming plates on I-40 eastbound in NM. He changed lanes and cut off a NM State Trooper, who promptly pulled him over. Surprisingly, I only saw one true speed trap - in northern NM on I-25, where 3 state troopers had congregated. Fortunately, I was heading the other direction.

    Spent most of the trip driving 4-5 over the limit - so 79 or 80 on most of the interstates.
  • slorenzenslorenzen Member Posts: 694
    Does that Mazda call for premium fuel?
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    The CX-7 has the turbo 2.3L engine in it, which prefers premium fuel.

    I've researched this issue heavily and while I could use midgrade fuel (87 octane), I just feel more comfortable using a name-brand and the highest octane I can get - which, in Colorado, is 91.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Smart thing to do.
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    Smart thing to do.

    Thanks for the validation.

    However, I will admit that my other car ('06 Saturn ION - 2.2L) gets 85 octane from the local grocery store gas station.

    No road trips in that car, however. The farthest its ever been from home is about 100 miles.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Since the ION is designed for 85 octane (in your area; 87 in most parts of the the U.S.), it would be a waste of money to anything more than that. So, again, smart.
  • slorenzenslorenzen Member Posts: 694
    For some reason I thought your car had a V-6.

    Yeah, if the manual says high octane, i'd use it too.
  • kathyc2kathyc2 Member Posts: 159
    edited June 2011
    I hope that helps. Please let us know about your UP experience when you get back

    Very enjoyable time up north. Quite chilly but some great scenery.

    We took off Wed around noon, and hit Chicago around 3 with 104 temps. The person in the back of the vert got a little toasted! As we headed north the temps dropped over 50 degrees. We spent the night at Island Casino Resort outside of Escanaba. Very nice place with super staff and all the locals we met were very friendly. A young guy we met at the Roulette table suggested river jumping as an activity for the next day, but we decided to pass on that one. :)

    The next day we headed into Escanaba. We were going to take the boat out to see Pictured Rock, but the lighthouse staff told us it was too choppy that the boats wouldn't go out. The others had seen it from the shore, so we opted to bypass this and headed to see my friends 95 year old uncle in the Lake Linden area. Turned out he lives right on Lake Superior. Absolutely beautiful setting. Enjoyable visit, and he was still very much with it. Must me the low key life of the north. He gave us directions to take the back roads around LacLe Belle to Copper Harbor.

    We spend Thurs night at a Copper Harbor motel. The lake was 50' off our patio door. I think it's the first time I stayed in a hotel room that had a thumblock rather than a deadbolt. :) The next morning we took 26 around the northern shore. Very pretty and nice curvy roads. At Eagle Habor we stopped by a little bakery that turned out to be run by monks. The chocolate muffin I got there was probably the best I've ever had. Unfortunately, I didn't open it until an hour or so down the road, or I would have went back to buy more things to bring home.

    We got back along the shore in Ontonagon and then the Porcupine Mountains. We took the park road to the Lake of the Clouds and the south boundary road to see the waterfalls. It was all very pretty. We forgot to get the bug spray out of the car, so we didn't stay a long time at the falls. Northern bugs are quite big and juicy, my front bumper is absolutely covered.

    Since we had good luck at a casino hotel the first night, we stayed at Bad River Casino Friday night. Would not recommend this, the casino was very run down and we all had back aches the next morning from the mattresses.

    Sat morning we went into Bayfield WI and took the boat tour aound the Apostle islands. Devils Island was very interesting to see. The entire tour was around 3 hours. If it had been warmer to be on the top deck and enjoy the sun and water, it would have been better.

    Hitting Chicago at 1 this morning with 6 lane traffic, road construction and idiot drivers, I was longing to be back on those twisty two lane roads.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    All in all it sounds like you had a great trip. I'm glad you included Copper Harbor and the Porcupine Mountains in your itinerary. My feeling is that the UP is almost like another country. Did you also get the feeling that there's nothing quite like it anywhere in the U.S.?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    a little bakery that turned out to be run by monks

    The Jampot! We've been hearing about that place for months now.

    It's still chilly (62ish today) but supposed to be warming. My brother is down in the Holland area and on his way up for a day or two at our house. Have to send them up to get some muffins.
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,384
    When you send your brother for muffins, have him get some for me! I'll send you my address....

    Yeah, I can't think of a place I'd compare to the UP. Sounds like a great trip!
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • kathyc2kathyc2 Member Posts: 159
    I would say the UP is very similar to NE states in many ways. UP has the lakes but NE has the mountains.

    Both are great places to visit, but I wouldn't want to live in either. The remoteness is great for a few days, but it would get old quickly. Not to mention the extreme cold!
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Hm, record low for Marquette is minus 24, per Wiki.

    Record low for Chicago is minus 27.

    Record low for Boise (where I last lived) is minus 25.

    Anchorage's record got down to minus 38.

    The UP has the warmest winters of anyplace I've lived in 30 years. :P
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    edited June 2011
    Yeah, I agree with your comments. Having grown up in Wisconsin, I can tell you that you learn to adapt to the cold, but the length of the winters, and the number of days with gray skies, can be difficult to deal with. As for the remoteness, it would definitely be challenging for most people. That said, there's a certain quaintness and beauty to the winter season in those parts that merits a visit, but not a relocation.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    The UP has the warmest winters of anyplace I've lived in 30 years.

    You need to get set up to leave in the winter. Rent a place on the Gulf for the 4 worst months. Your heating cost a lot UP there? It does sound like a great place for a road trip. One of these days I will just take off and not worry about when I have to be back.
  • kathyc2kathyc2 Member Posts: 159
    Aren't the wind chills pretty brutal? The wind really seems to come off of Superior. Of course, Chicago can get pretty brutal in the cold with the winds off of Lake Michigan also.

    I was surprised the Uncle had just bought a new Fiesta. I figured everyone up there needed 4 wheel drive.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited June 2011
    Plenty of wind, but the closer you are to the lake, the less extreme the temps tend to be or so they tell us (we're a couple of blocks away). It was nice that our first winter here was pretty mild. Part of it is that we don't have to leave the house when it's windy, so it's easier to laugh at the commuters in Chicago.

    Plenty of snow though - ~200 inches. Anchorage got maybe half that, but it's lighter and easier to move around here. And it's not as short a day or as gray as Anchorage was. That did get to me, but it's been okay here so far.

    I got stuck once this winter and that was in my AWD Subaru. Blew through a T intersection (as did my wife another week at the same place). Both times in the Outback. If the FWD van had winter tires, I'd drive it more in the winter and avoid steep driveways. That was most all I drove in AK.

    Gary, the in-laws here had a Florida place and they'd do the drive twice a year. We're more likely to fly off for a week or two and tough it out the rest of the winter. But there are lots of summer people here who will leave after Labor Day.

    No worry about finding campsites or solitude up here, if that's your ideal for a road trip.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    No worry about finding campsites or solitude up here, if that's your ideal for a road trip.

    My ideal is a small, clean, comfortable, inexpensive motel, that I can park my vehicle right next to the room. I gave up camping about 20 years ago. Camping and RV parks have gotten way over priced. Just a tent spot is $25 or more. And to park an RV you will spend $40 and up. I rarely pay over $70 a night for a nice room with AARP or AAA discounts. We almost always stop driving early in the evening to avoid the rush for rooms. Always look at the room before signing on the line. Too many horror stories of people booking ahead online or via travel agent. I have never had to sleep in the car. Close a couple times when I traveled too far into the evening. Once up in the Okanagan Valley with some sort of fruit festival going on. We finally found a room at a town on the far end about midnight.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    My ideal is a small, clean, comfortable, inexpensive motel

    Me too, if I'm not camping. Lots of those family run spots up here, not many franchise ones. For camping, I like the free remote forest service type spots.

    Can you still boondock out in the desert in your part of the world, like Anzo-Borrego?
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,384
    Yeah, my experience is that I was never hurting for chep but nice motel rooms up there.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Anza Borrego camping is $25 per night with hookups where available it is $35. They charge $7 for parking to hike up to Palm Canyon. We try to only go where it is a Federal park or facility. Then I can use my lifetime Senior pass.
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