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Getting There: From the Northeast January 26, 2006
By Paul Bachorz, #115456


The Appalachian Gap in Vermont
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Choosing your route to West Bend will be the most challenging part of the rally experience. No matter where you start in New England or New York the choice of routes is rewarding and overwhelming. The only undesirable route is all super slab but if you are short of time and need to get it done then follow the most direct route - through Chicago with tolls and traffic. There are ways around Chicago. Check "From the Southeast" by Ian Schmeisser #50592. Chris Rasmussen #117546 has a route around Chicago on Illinois 47.

Get help from your computer and library. There is no perfect route. Except for the Iron Butt route each suggested adventure has a website to find additional ride information. Stop and enjoy the local scenery, food and history. Use the routes described as starting points to build your own itineraries and adventures. If you have plenty of time to plan secure a copy of Off the Beaten Path for each of the states you cross. These books are loaded with great tips for travel. I bought mine for 75 cents apiece on www.half.com. Two books were old library editions but the information is still fine. If you are looking for something inexpensive and more current look for websites or try out your local library. If you are an AAA member up to date tourbooks are available free as part of your membership.


A scenic road in the Adirondacks.
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The routes to the 2007 BMW MOA Rally from the East are a mixture of personal knowledge, computer mapping and inputs from the BMW MOA Forum. PUDGYPAINTGUY and iRene, BionicMaineWoman, made some early suggestions for Michigan and Maine. There is a Forum thread in the Rally Section labeled To the Rally From the East. If you have additional suggestions please add them to the growing list of submissions.

Distances are given from Albany, New York and from Boston Massachusetts. Boston is one of the furthest points in the East. Albany is the point which riders from Vermont, New Hampshire would access I-90 across the width of New York and then on to the Mid-West.

The software used for calculating distances and generating maps is the 2007 edition Microsoft Streets and Trips. I also use the Garmin software for my GPS. Both programs will calculate distances and give turn by turn directions. The Microsoft's edition is more up to date at the writing but does not easily download data to Garmin products. When July arrives I will plot the route with Streets and Trips and then transfer significant twists and turns to the Garmin software as waypoints. The mileage and times assume you will start at nine in the morning and will stop around 5 in the afternoon.


Route map
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Iron Butt from Boston
The distance to the Rally is 1,110 miles from Boston and 942 miles from Albany. Take I-90 all the way to Chicago and turn north on I-94. Follow I-94 to the bypass - I-894. Stay straight and it becomes Highway 45, which will lead you right to West Bend and the rally site. No one on the BMW MOA Forum recommends this route due to Chicago traffic and tolls. But if you have an iron constitution and an iron butt it could be done in one day.


Route map
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Fair Compromise
Take the middle ground and visit Michigan. This route is 1,142 miles from Albany and 1324 miles from Boston. The computer says 2 days and three hours of riding. From Albany take I-90 across New York, across the Province of Ontario (using the QEW and routes 403 and 402 to Sarnia) and into Michigan. At Flint turn north on I-75 cross the Mackinac Bridge into Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Then follow routes 2, 35, and 41 to West Bend. One of the highlights of this route is crossing the Mackinac Bridge which opened in 1957 linking the upper and lower peninsulas. 2007 will mark the 50th anniversary of the 5 mile span. As you ride across there are 42,000 miles of wire supporting you. At the highest point you are 200 feet over the water. The toll is $1.25 per axle. The bridge even has its own website at www.mackinacbridge.org.

Shortest Distance Route
If you need to save time continue West from Flint on I-69 to I-96 to Muskegon and take the Lake Express Ferry to Milwaukee and finally US-45 to West Bend. This route is computed to be 747 miles from Albany and 926 miles from Boston. This will be the fastest route if you catch the Ferry without waiting at Muskegon. Lake Express offers three roundtrip passages daily. The trip takes 2.5 hours. For Lake Express Ferry times and cost go to www.lake-express.com. Use the Web site to get departure times and plan your riding time accordingly.


Route map
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West Coast Scenic Michigan
This route adds some miles. Mileage is 1,287 from Albany and 1465 from Boston but the trade-off includes a tour through Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The National Park Service lists this Lake Michigan Coast as the best nature escape in the Midwest. Fees at campsites range from $5 to $30 with the top end featuring electrical hookups. Modern bathrooms are readily available. Bring your camping gear. For further information go to www.nps.gov/slbe. South of the Mackinac Bridge you will pass through the town of Alanson. Be sure to stop at the Dutch Oven Bakery. The bakery is famous for its pastries and cinnamon bread baked daily. Pick up some cookies and brownies for your ride. The bakery even has a Web site at www.dutchoven.com.

Grand Trunk
I might take this one on the way home.


Route map
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It is the longer but takes in a lot of great sights and rides. The route in Vermont crosses the Appalachian Gap on route 17. For the less adventurous try the Lincoln gap just to the south. The Appalachian gap is paved while the Lincoln gap has sections more suitable for GS riding. This route back East to Boston goes 1,483 miles or roughly double that of the shortest way to the rally, but what a ride. It includes:
  • Ontario's Manitoulin Island, the largest freshwater island in the world. For more information check www.manitoulin-island.com
  • North shore of Lake Huron. It has the longest shoreline of the Great Lakes, counting the shorelines of its 30,000 islands.
  • North shore of Lake Ontario. Lake Ontario is the only Great Lake that does not border the state of Michigan
  • St. Lawrence River
  • The Adirondacks
  • Appalachian Gap in Vermont
  • Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire
  • Atlantic Ocean

Start planning well in advance. There is no perfect ride. The routes suggest go through some of the most scenic parts of the country. After reading this article get on the web and visit the official tourism site for each state. Free maps and travel information are available for each US State and Canadian Province. Enjoy the planning and I hope to see you at the rally.

 

 

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