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Wisconsin west to east after the rally

glenfiddich

TravelsWithBarley.com
So...Barley and I have a very nice route picked out for the trip from Vermont to the rally in St Paul, but need some feedback on Day One of the return trip. We need to get from St Paul to the ferry landing in Manitowoc. On the map, it looks like the most direct route would be to drop down to Wisconsin 10 and take it all the way. The western half of that corridor looks like it has a lot of curves in the hills, with plenty of back roads and lettered roads roughly paralleling route 10. None are marked scenic on my maps, and there aren't many ride reports in that neck of the woods, but I'd much prefer farm country to a big highway. Any suggestions?

We'd be laying up for the night in Manitowoc and the ferry doesn't depart till 2pm the following day, so we would have an entire day to cross the state avoiding big cities.

Suggestions?

Pete and Barley
 
Trip takes about 6 hours from St. Paul to here. You can take 10 or 29 to Green Bay, if slabs are your thing. A longer and scenic route would be across Hwy 8, then down from Niagara on 141 to Green Bay and points south. Or even find Hwy 35 along the Mississippi (the Great River Road) to La Crosse and pick up Hwy 33 east to near Beaver Dam, then head NE on 151 to Manitowoc. It'll take you longer, but scenic.
 
Thanks, Scott. For all the advice you've given me when planning trips to and thru your stomping grounds I owe you a beer. If you see us at a rally, please introduce yourself. Our rig is hard to miss!

Pete
 
side trip

Catch hy 64 east out of Chippewa falls, to antigo, then a short ways south on 45 to 47 through the Menominee indian reservations to 55 into Shawano then Hy K south meets up with 156/187 to Shiocton then 54 across to green bay and Packer Museum then less then an hour to Manitowoc.
 
Or Highway 8 east to Crandon, pick up 55 south to Shawano (Enjoy the road, it's not straight). From there east and a bit south, you can find 29 or anything else heading to the lakeshore.
 
Trip takes about 6 hours from St. Paul to here. You can take 10 or 29 to Green Bay, if slabs are your thing. A longer and scenic route would be across Hwy 8, then down from Niagara on 141 to Green Bay and points south. Or even find Hwy 35 along the Mississippi (the Great River Road) to La Crosse and pick up Hwy 33 east to near Beaver Dam, then head NE on 151 to Manitowoc. It'll take you longer, but scenic.

Great suggestions. The Great River Road route is historically fascinating, and HWY 33 east from La Crosse (goes thru Wildcat Mountain State Park) to WI Dells is one of my favorites - "The Dragon" of Wisconsin riding. Enjoy!

PS: Get to Manitowoc early enough for two venues practically within walking distance of the ferry dock - the WI Maritime Museum, which includes the opportunity to fully tour a WW II submarine (the USS Cobia, berthed in the river adjacent to the museum), and a fenced-in dog run along the lakeshore for Barley.
 
PS: Get to Manitowoc early enough for two venues practically within walking distance of the ferry dock - the WI Maritime Museum, which includes the opportunity to fully tour a WW II submarine (the USS Cobia, berthed in the river adjacent to the museum), and a fenced-in dog run along the lakeshore for Barley.

I served aboard the nuke fast attack submarine USS Gurnard in the 80s. In SF I had a chance to tour a WWII pig boat. I never again felt my boat was small!
 
I served aboard the nuke fast attack submarine USS Gurnard in the 80s. In SF I had a chance to tour a WWII pig boat. I never again felt my boat was small!


IMG_0449.jpg


Sub driver, eh?! Thought you might appreciate the photo I snapped at a ride on The Dragon some years back - impressive trailer.
 
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If you see a sign for a Wisconsin Rustic Road, take it. They are usually short, very senic loops.
 
Can you share the route planned from VT to MN? Planning for trip to rally with no interstate.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
 
Can you share the route planned from VT to MN? Planning for trip to rally with no interstate.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

This shows the approximate route, though I've decided to dip further south in Ohio to catch the Amish country. Altogether the trip follows short sections of slab (one exit to the next) for a grand total of less than 20 miles. The rest is all US highways or secondary roads

 
How many miles is this? Can you share the hwy #s? (Can't enlarge your graphic enough to show them.

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Being from Southern WI and travelling a lot in northern WI and upper MI, I just have to comment on what I would call a big mistake if you aren't really planning on being this way anytime soon. You are cutting off the Keweenaw peninsula. You can save a little time in WI and add this to the trip, as much as I love WI it would be a better choice IMHO. You can just go from Duluth/Superior direct to Ashland WI ( and I do love Bayfield County, which you would be missing), then use your best judgement to get to Houghton/Hancock MI and up towards Copper Harbor MI and explore a few of the roads on the Keweenaw peninsula. After your waypoint E (the next 3), one must be Bayfield and the next one might be Ontonagon, MI? From there you want to explore the peninsula after that 3rd waypoint, beautiful riding. I wouldn't miss it, being just that close to it. I would also head east across Canada instead of lower MI and Ohio.
 
Thanks, Gilly. I've taken the Canadian routes several times and spent several days on the Keneenaw, but have never seen lower Michigan nor the eastern half of the UP. I also want to linger on the backroads of Ohio's Amish country. I look forward to retirement when time isn't a factor, but for now I have to pick and choose what I see along the way. And this time I choose places I've not seen before.
 
OK, if you have been there, then you know what I mean, if you hadn't been there it would be a must-see. I understand wanting to see something else.
 
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