1st Annual MIFC Fall "Color Tour" Planning Thread

[93formulalt1]

First off, in order to make the decisions a little less about compromise, and more about getting the event planned and organized, I'm going to limit participation in the PLANNING of the event to MIFC MEMBERS. If you would like to become a member, please see THIS THREAD. Participation in the event will be open to members as well as non-members. Just be forewarned, if you show up in a Chevy, expect to be at the back of the pack. haha

That stated, I would like to ask our current members to toss out some suggestions for the event. I have already made the executive decision that this event will be held in honor of Mike Greenier, the MIFBody member who passed away this week.

Everything else is up in the air currently. What we need to decide is:

Date
Time
Location
Route
Stop Locations (rest areas, fuel, restaurants, hotels, state parks, etc.)
Duration (one day event, weekend, 3 days?)
Prizes?
Entry fee?
Assist vehicles (if a car breaks down, do we want to have a "breakdown vehicle" at the back of the group with tools to help get them back on the road?)


Any other things we want to accomplish with this? I'd like to have a "club meeting" prior to this event where we can hash out the details and make arrangements to get this thing rolling. It would be nice to have places set up where we could stop for meals, rest breaks, refueling, etc. as a group, perhaps a barbeque at a park? Arrange for some patio tables to be reserved at a restaurant along the route?

I heard some great suggestions for routes we could take at our meet at Baker's on Sunday, including crossing over the Mackinac Bridge, crossing over into Ohio, doing a Lighthouse Tour, stopping at one of the Great Lakes for a photo opportunity, etc. If anyone has any other ideas, please share them!

I would like to incorporate a stop at Ft. Michilimackinac at the base of the Mackinac Bridge if we go that route, and there is a beautiful stretch of 119 between Harbor Springs and Cross Village that is called the "Tunnel of Trees" that would make for a nice drive and excellent photo opportunity. I will also look into having a photographer in a couple of locations along the trip to photograph the group.

There are a lot of beautiful places to visit in the U.P. as well as in the area right around Mackinac City, including the Soo Locks, Taquamenon Falls is absolutely AMAZING after the leaves start to turn colors.

US2 on the way to Manistique follows the shoreline of Lake Michigan, which could be a great place to stop for a picnic lunch and photos, but doesn't really fall in line with the "Color Tour" part of things, that's just a beautiful area to stop any time of year.

Straights of Mackinac, White Fish Point Lighthouse and Maritime Museum, Drummond Island, St. Ignace, there is a lot of really cool stuff to see/do up in that area.

I have 40 acres available in Atlanta, MI for camping, barbequing, lots of parking space, and a house that we could use as "MIFC HQ" while we are there. Has everything we'd need, and it's right outside of Atlanta, which has a small grocery store, a couple restaurants, gas stations, party store, etc., and it's right off the highway. Only thing is, it's near the center of the northern lower peninsula, about halfway between Gaylord and Thunder Bay River State Forest. This could turn our one-day cruise into an affordable 2-day cruise. Just an idea, it's available if we want to use it.


It all depends on where we want to go, how long we want this to last, and when we'll be making it happen. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Let the discussion begin!

[RickT]

having organized this type event in the past i believe that rhw most important thing to determine possibly via a poll of members is to decide on the length of the tour. For example i have found that generally the number of participants seems to be inversly porportional to the number of days of the tour. So it is important to determine what most members want in terms of length. One fall tour I helped arranged the club was evenly split between a one day and two day tour so we arranged it that the tour would depart Minneapolis the first day and loop to the south ending up back in Minneapolis for the night and then did the northern loop the next day. This allowed all members to participate. If they only wanted to do one part of the cruise they could or they could do both days. It also cut down on the cost because there was no need to pay for a hotel room. Prizes were given for each day and a combined two day prize. After the length of the tour another important thing to determine is what type of events do we want to have. For example on the tour I just referenced we arranged to have two hours of track time at Brainerd Raceway ( a road course) where we were allowed to use the track. Some members particpated and others didn't. During that same tour we also did some scenic tours of the lakes (this satisfied those that weren't into track time) The next day we had two hours of autocrossing. Part of each day was a timed run between four checkpoints for the most accurate time to each checkpoint obeying all speed limits etc. This however required four people to run the timed section to get an accurate average time. For this type of event it helps to have experienced road rally drivers and navigators to fo the preliminary runs. Just some thought starters you might want to consider.

[MikeM]

Nick, of course I will be coming on this . . . been wanting to do something like this for a long time!

One thing I would like to throw out there to everyone: do we have westsiders who are interested? Does the Western Michigan Firebird Club want to make this a joint event?

If you are interested, post up a reply and let Nick know . . . because if there are some people interested from the west side, we should plan a meetup spot somewhere in the middle as our "start point". This will have a big influence on which route we ultimately choose, so let us know folks!

[MikeM]

Oh, and one more thing . . . I will have a professional photographer in the car with me (my wife!) So we will DEFINITELY be able to get some great shots of your car if we park in a scenic spot. We should make this part of the plan, though, as it will take a few minutes per car to take the pics.

[93formulalt1]

Oh, and one more thing . . . I will have a professional photographer in the car with me (my wife!) So we will DEFINITELY be able to get some great shots of your car if we park in a scenic spot. We should make this part of the plan, though, as it will take a few minutes per car to take the pics.

That would be a good idea to have set up ahead of time, with multiple photographers. I am a hobby photographer, but I don't think I could compete with a pro. haha

We could set it up so one of our stops includes a detour to a nice, scenic location along the shore or something, and people can come as they want, then go refuel, grab some food, stretch their legs for a while, then meet up again to take off on another leg of the journey.

I thought it would be nice to have everyone slow down while crossing the bridge and have someone with a fast camera snap pictures of each car as it approaches them, but other traffic would prevent that.

Maybe photos of each car with the Mackinac Bridge in the background? There is a park right there before you get to the bridge, or there used to be one, I'm sure that would be a photogenic place to do individual photos.

[ktl711]

Yeah, I think we first have to figure out how many days this is going to take. To be honest, if it involves an overnight stay, I'm usually not very interested, but room rates for the fall around Mackinaw City should be pretty cheap.

I'm a fan of the Thumb route -- maybe not as sexy as having the Big Mac in the background of your photos, but it gets you anough driving, it has the lake, there are interesting little restaurants, and for those who want to bolt, it can be done in one day. For those who want to stretch it out, there was a quaint old time motel up there that was clean and decent. The second day could be just a breakfast, a tour to Frankenmuth for lunch, then the rabbits can high-tail it home, and the others could even go to Birch Run for shopping, or the Sloan Museum in Flint, or even go to Bay City to harass Don and the other BayCity folk. The Thumb is a totally scalable event -- everyone can make of it what they want. If we went to Mackinaw, everyone would definitely be committed for at least two days, possibly three.

Another suggestion is to see what Scott and the WMFC has planned, and maybe just join in with them. I can never get enough Lake Michigan sunsets! Or... plan our events on the same weekend, and plan to meet up somewhere at the midpoint.

[93formulalt1]

Let's keep the conversation going, I like the ideas I'm seeing! I will be speaking with Scott from the WMFC to discuss the possibility of meeting up at some point during the day, as it would give us all the opportunity to meet some folks we don't see very often from the West side of MI, and it would serve to start building a relationship between the WMFC and MIFC that could continue into something great.

[92conv]

Really I think Kevin is on task with his suggestions.

I'd suggest starting small the first couple years, and lead into the bigger two day event as membership grows. WMFC's first color tour was a simple 1/2 day drive along the old highway heading north. We stopped in a small, quaint, resort town about 2hours away from the starting point. The town was holding their annual Fall Festival, which included a car show, the lady's/wives walked around the shops in town as the guys checked out the cars, we all ate at a local restaurant, and then headed back home. To this day it's still one of my favorite events we've done.

Starting small is not a bad thing, getting good participation the first time out is key.

[93formulalt1]

Really I think Kevin is on task with his suggestions.

I'd suggest starting small the first couple years, and lead into the bigger two day event as membership grows. WMFC's first color tour was a simple 1/2 day drive along the old highway heading north. We stopped in a small, quaint, resort town about 2hours away from the starting point. The town was holding their annual Fall Festival, which included a car show, the lady's/wives walked around the shops in town as the guys checked out the cars, we all ate at a local restaurant, and then headed back home. To this day it's still one of my favorite events we've done.

Starting small is not a bad thing, getting good participation the first time out is key.

I appreciate the advice. We will likely be doing a small event, we are trying to encourage participation, especially since that is one area we have been lacking in. Our biggest event was at Baker's last weekend, which was about 5 members of the MIFC. I'm hoping to double that for the next event.

[Akodo]

I would recommend Bakers as our "rally point" to start from. Its centrally located, everyone knows where it is, and there is ample parking. I'm all for the thumb route, should be fairly easy to plot out a route.
Since my bird is nowhere near ready to drive, I can volunteer to be the breakdown vehicle. I can throw some jacks/jackstands/tools/cables/etc into my van and bring it.
I would say lets find a park somewhere along the route, and do a cookout for lunch. I can throw a barbecue or two into the van, or carry some coolers and the groceries. I'm a fan of home cooking.

[93formulalt1]

I would recommend Bakers as our "rally point" to start from. Its centrally located, everyone knows where it is, and there is ample parking. I'm all for the thumb route, should be fairly easy to plot out a route.
Since my bird is nowhere near ready to drive, I can volunteer to be the breakdown vehicle. I can throw some jacks/jackstands/tools/cables/etc into my van and bring it.
I would say lets find a park somewhere along the route, and do a cookout for lunch. I can throw a barbecue or two into the van, or carry some coolers and the groceries. I'm a fan of home cooking.

That sounds like a plan. I will do some recon and see what route is going to have the best scenery and least traffic, as well as scope out a place for a barbeque/picnic. Should we set it up like a potluck, where everyone brings a dish to pass, and the club provides burgers and hot dogs? I think that would be the most effective way, but at the same time, we would have to break for lunch rather early on to prevent food from spoiling.

I will plan on taking a trip out that way the first weekend in September, if anyone would like to meet up and ride with me to help plan the course, schedule stops, choose the spot for lunch and photos, etc., I would like to have someone ride with me and help out by taking notes, plotting the course, and just generally helping me organize everything.

The tentative date for the event is going to be Sunday, September 30. I know that some people won't be able to make it, but I've found in the past that if you try to please everyone, the date is never chosen.

Please mark your calendars. I'll be making sure I have the whole weekend off to get everything squared away the day prior.

[MikeM]

I'd be glad to ride along with you Nick to help plan the route.

[RickT]

i agree. starting with a small event is more likely to increase participation. as i said in my earlier post i have found that the longer the event generally the less members participate due to other commitments.
if someone could send out a map of the "thumb" route then members could be scouting out places and things to do along the way. I am not familiar with what that is since we only moved here this past year.

[phoenix_rising]

Ben's idea.... Start: Bakers Day 1
Stop: Somewhere in the thumb (Lighthouse tour route)
Start: Thumb Hotel Day 2
Stop: Frankenmuth / Bay City for Bay City Rides Coop show....

That is all

http://www.motorcycleroads.com/Routes/Michigan_98.html

Motorcycle Road Length: 144 Miles

Report a map error

Written Directions

Start in Point Huron, MI and look for Pine Grove Ave heading north, which will then veer right, onto 24th Ave. These roads get you through town, and onto M-25, or Lakeshore Rd. Head north out of town on MI-25. MI-25 will follow the thumb shaped coastline all the way up to Harbor Beach, Port Hope, and Port Austin (you'll see that Lakeshore Rd. turns into Grindstone Rd. and heads west into Port Austin). Continue on to the town of Sebewaing and to the end point of Bay City, MI.

From there you can go through Bay City and hop on I-75 to go the fast way home. Or, for the more adventurous, travel directly south from Port Austin on M-53/Van Dyke Rd. towards Bad Axe. At Bad Axe, turn right heading west on M-53 and then turn right, onto Huron Line Rd heading west [about 35 miles south from Port Austin at this point]. Huron Line road will intersect Richie Rd. Turning left [south] will take you to the famous Octagon Barn [http://www.thumboctagonbarn.org/] - a true rarity and must see. After seeing the barn, keep going south on Richie Rd. to Bay City Forestville Rd. - turn right and head west again, towards Gagetown - who's claim to fame is the first bank to have FDIC!! And, if it's still there, also home of Michigan's only Anastazi Indian /Southwestern style restaurant. You can either backtrack to M-53 and continue south, or beeline straight south of Gagetown on Dodge Rd. til you T-bone M-81/Cass City Rd., where turning left [heading east] will take you to M-53, or turning right [heading west] will take you towards Saginaw where you can jump on M-23.
Scenery

Once you get onto scenic highway M-25, north of Port Huron, the sense that "you're somewhere else" really takes over. The hwy takes you close to Lake Huron quite frequently, as well as pastoral farm scenes as the road twists following the contour of the thumb. You can do this whole route as a day trip, or stay overnight in Port Austin and enjoy some of that good 'ol Michigan hospitality. Either way, it's a great motorcycle ride.
Road Quality

North of Port Huron, M-25 it's mostly 2-lane - no dirt or gravel roads. Not many blind corners, but be wary of wild turkeys crossing the road [they go left when they should go right].
Roadside Amenities

Port Austin, at the very tip of the thumb has inexpensive lodging, The Garfield Inn (yes, the fmr. President was a frequent visitor) has wonderful food and very nice rooms, also there's several local eateries and taverns all on the main strip, south of the harbor breakwater. Make sure you walk out onto the harbor breakwater for a super view of the lake and the town inland. There's fishing charter boats available as well.
Additional Info

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather .
Nickname (optional) jokermtb

[Formul8d]

Definitely interested in this, I've planned a couple of these up more north towards Traverse City and haven't become quite familiar with the area down here yet. I think we would definitely get better attendance from a 1 day trip though, not an overnighter. Hopefully once the date is set I can get it off work.