Exploring the Great Lakes on a Harley Davidson - 2024
[Music] straddling the border between the United States and Canada the five Great Lakes Superior Michigan hiron Erie and Ontario form the largest group of freshwater lakes on the planet containing over 20% of the world's fresh water the Great Lakes region is also rich with Legends and lore reflecting the cultural tapestry of the Native Americans and early European settlers along with the extensive Maritime history of the area the Landscapes around the Great Lakes are as diverse as the changes in the weather you'll find Sandy Dunes rugged Cliffs dense forests and picturesque islands and even though I've lived a cheese Kurds thorough away from the western shore of Lake Michigan my entire life I've never had the opportunity to explore more of the Great Lake and come to learn most of the crew hasn't either so let's go explore the Great Lakes the best way we know how on two [Music] wheels so let's meet the crew starting with Dan Dan rode in for the farthest 1,250 Mi one way from Rapid City with a night stay in Wisconsin the Jersey Boys Bill and Wayne made their two-day trip through Niagara Falls and Sudbury for their 900 mile [Music] Journey Mike and Rob they made their way over from Minnesota for their 550 M [Music] track Doug went down and around and up through Michigan on his Road Glide he had about a 470 m journey to sue St Murray next we have Dennis who rode in from West Central Wisconsin for about a 460 M ride in and me I was lucky enough to have my lovely wife join me for a portion of this adventure we had an easy 384m trip of course making a stop at iconic Lambo field before spending the night in Gladstone Michigan at the beautiful Terrace Bay Hotel H for the [Applause] [Music] night with some major construction completed on the hotel recently it has amazing views and a fantastic restaurant with a totally cool [Music] Vibe all right but enough about that we had to get up early and meet the boys so we made up the last 166 miles into Canada to sue St Marie to meet him at our destination [Music] [Applause] [Music] it was Bill's very important responsibility to induct three new members into the [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] club after a fun evening of dinner drinks of course lemon cello and fellowship it was time for our first ride today we headed north from Sous St Marie up the Trans Canada highway or Highway 17 38 mil to our destination Wawa Ontario [Music] Canada after we topped off our tanks only a167 well that's per liter but well worth it for the scenic ride we're about to embark on so it was time for Bill to do his thing and take the lead [Music] our first stop heading north was voyager's Lodge and cook house and it was home of some of the most delicious apple fritters you will find it was a really cute family run type of establishment with some incredible views of bachaana Bay of Lake Superior it really was a cool little place and definitely perfect for that Pit Stop on a road trip it has gas groceries a gift shop takeout food plenty of parking and definitely easy access to the men's restroom facility until Robin pointed this out [Music] [Music] [Music] with the world's longest coastline Canada is surrounded by oceans on three sides dotted with count countless lakes rivers and waterfalls and even when we didn't have sight of Lake Superior we were definitely reminded of the natural beauty all around us [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] w [Music] [Music] here we also have some extra shots of all the bikes as this was the only day all nine of us rode together but more on that later I just love seeing the entire pack all in a row w [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] so after one more rest stop and after Wayne put enough sunscreen on his face and more Fellowship trying to keep it up I'm just sliding getting closer and closer ventured out on the last leg of our journey North to Wawa [Music] the Wawa Goose was erected in 1963 to commemorate the completion of the Trans Canada Highway through the region the intention was to attract tourists to stop in Wawa since the highway bypassed the town's downtown area the name Wawa is derived from the oju word for wild goose or land of the big Goose so after we fueled up at the bang and burger and Chicken Shack [Music] we headed back south to sue St Marie for our 138 M journey of course we had to stop to take some pictures along the [Music] way so after an emergency dental situation to deal with Doug unfortun had to peel off and head back south to Chicago but where I'm happy to report that full dental function has been restored so the now eight of us headed back stateside to explore a sliver of the Upper Peninsula with our destination being the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in White Fish [Music] Point this was an easy 77 M trip well that is until after we got across the International Bridge the route took us Us West and back North along the western shore of White Fish Bay the SS Edmund Fitzgerald disappeared in Lake Superior in 1975 and this next song immortalized the tragedy I mean come on you didn't think you'd get through this video without hearing it did you [Music] the legend lives on from the chipa on down of the big lake they call [Music] Gigi the lake it is said never gives up her dead when the Skies of November turn gloomy with a load of iron or 26,000 tons more than the Edmund Fitzgerald we empty that good ship and true was a bone to be chewed when The gales of November came early the ship was the pride of the American side coming back from some Mill in Wisconsin as the big freighter go it was bigger than most with a crew and good Captain well seasoned concluding some terms with a couple of Steel firms when they left fully loaded for Cleveland then later that night when the ship's bell rang Could It Be The North Wind they' been [Music] feeling the wind and the wires made a tattle till sound and the wave broke over the railing [Music] so after about a half day of riding unfortunately Robin had a peel off because of her boss who was not allowing any more PTO headed back to Escanaba and ultimately back to Wisconsin so the now seven of us headed back to sus Marie with a stop at the Su locks which is the busiest lock system in the world by cargo tonnage with an average of 7,000 to 10,000 ships passing through during an na a season each [Music] year so the next morning we headed over to explore St Joseph's Island [Music] [Applause] [Music] situated in the north channel of Lake Huron St Joseph's island is really a cool part of Ontario and it has a rich history with abundant natural [Music] beauty the surrounding Waters of the island are excellent for fishing with species like northern pike trout bass and salmon the islands marinas cater to both local and visiting boers enhancing its reputation as a recreational boating destination [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] the Island lies along the Northwest shipping channel of the St Mary's River a crucial part of the Great Lake shipping routes this channel is used by large Freighters heading towards Sue St Marie and ultimately on to Lake Superior this island provides excellent Vantage points for ship watching and as you can see we happen to catch the eloma Sue as it made its way up the channel into Sous St Murray and on to Lake Superior [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] so day four we checked out of the water tower in in Sous St Murray Canada and headed back stat side to explore the Mighty Mac otherwise known as The Mao Bridge [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] The Mao Bridge often referred to as the Mighty Mac or the Big Mac is an iconic structure connecting Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas Across The Straits of [Music] meno it was completed and open to traffic on November 1st 1957 and took 3 years and 8 months to [Music] build the Mao bridge is the fifth longest suspension bridge in the world with a total length of 26,37 Ft [Music] the main span between the two towers is 3,800 ft making it the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western Hemisphere [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the main cables in the bridge contain approximately 42,000 M of wire showcasing the immense scale of the Bridge's Construction and the towers well they stand approximately 552 ft above the water which is taller than the Statue of Liberty [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] not too far from maano city is the famous tunnel of trees this almost 20m stretch of Highway 119 hugs the shoreline of Lake Michigan between Cross Village on the North and Harbor Springs on the south [Music] the road is famously known for its canopy of trees that form a natural tunnel over the roadway and although we experienced the tunnel of trees in early August I can only imagine what it must look like during the fall when the foliage turns into bright Hues of red yellow and orange [Music] [Music] the relatively winding route has over 135 distinct curves and the road is narrow with no center line for most of its length which adds to its unique [Music] [Music] charm the tunnel of trees is definitely an experience of Nature's Ever Changing canvas through one of Michigan's most enchanting landscapes [Music] [Music] we arrived in Harbor Springs we fueled up with a burger and we took in the sights taking a tour of the beautiful Marina with boats well beyond my price range but ultimately we had to say farewell to Bill and Wayne as they headed back early to New Jersey to beat a tropical storm heading up the Atlantic [Music] coast so Dan Mike Dennis Rob and I we made our way South about 167 miles until we reached our destination for the night [Music] unfortunately Mike had an issue with his shift lover but thankfully we had some engineering minded folks with us along with a generous Hotel owner that gave Dan access to his shop they got it working while I provided support and encouragement and of course lemon cello [Music] the next morning we headed a couple miles to the Shoreline to the historic SS Badger a car and passenger Ferry which connects Michigan and Wisconsin by the way of Lake Michigan built in 1952 in Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin the SS Badger launched launched in 1953 and is the last Coal Fired passenger steam ship operating on the Great Lakes it burns about 30 tons of coal per day wi an operation producing a nostalgic plume of steam and [Music] [Music] smoke so as we all parted ways taking our own roads back to our resp active homes We Leave Behind The Journey but we carry with us the memories of friendship adventure and [Music] Brotherhood so cheers to health and happiness so that we can add more chapters of laughter and adventure and until then may the memories be our Compass always pointing us back to each other so we can experience the excitement of doing it all over again [Music] times and places are all in who you share them with and it's life in the p is enjoying who you share it with Joy is who you share it with and the weeks and the weekends are keeping close who you spending with and in time which you find is the time is who you spend it with [Music] Joy is who you share it with who you sharing [Music] with who you share it with [Music] yeah now it's a moment and a home who you share it with I believe what the point is is enjoying who you share it with joy is who you share it with who you shareing with who you Shar proba two Jersey he hey yeah yeah hey hey hey you know hey hey yeah hey hey hey
2025-01-07 19:33
