Yooper Color Tour 2023

[BUSHMIKE]

I would like to start the ball rolling on a late September Model T Fall color tour in the north western UP. This post is to see if enough interest exists to put the logistics in place. My goal would be to use as many Forest Service roads and County highways as possible, keeping off major highways. It could easily turn into a 2-day trip and if so a midpoint motel would be in order. The three closest T Chapters are all a couple hundred miles away, hence the pitch from me. Looking for suggestions and input. Thanx all!

BushMike

[Dallas Landers]

Is it mid july when peak color arrives up north Mike?

[Dallas Landers]

Sounds like great fun. Depends on my work tho.

[Atomic Amish]

Is it mid july when peak color arrives up north Mike?

On one of the Strategic Air Command FB pages I did read a story about a crew doing their 4 July celebration in winter gear with snow on the ground... at KI Sawyer.

My youngest considered Gogebic CC very seriously. Until we did our visit, I had no idea we could drive for 9 hours and still be within the state of Michigan!

v/r,
jason

[john in kzoo]

As a Michigan Tech grad, it sounds fun to me.... Go Huskies

[DHort]

Dallas

You are self employed. You just need permission from the lady of the house.
Bit of a hike for you all the way to the UP. If you can make it, so can I, as long
as it is after the 16th.

Good excuse to head up north.

I would be coming from Eagle River, WI.

[Dallas Landers]

Dave, I am in charge of my house.

[Dallas Landers]

If my wife is gone.

[BUSHMIKE]

The tentative timeframe is end of Sept. If its just a few of us, we can work out a best date.

[Ed Baudoux]

interested.

[Pat Branigan Wisc]

Where would the starting point be for a motel? Mostly dirt roads? Average speed expected? Thank you. Pat

[BUSHMIKE]

Right now, my initial thoughts are The Parkview Lodge and Grill in Twin Lakes SW of Houghton) to start and end. Twin Lakes State Park is just down the road if folks wanted to camp. One day north up into Copper Country and back. One day West to the Porky’s and back. My goal is as much travel on state trails, Forest Service roads, and secondary County roads as possible. All subject to change based on input and current Wx conditions. While I regularly hit mid 30’s in the TT, my moving average seems to be around 20mph. This ride is going to be far from “structured”. I just want to try to put together a fun ride for all involved. Color has the potential to be spectacular and points of interest are everywhere. I will try to arrange a truck and trailer tailgunner for the rescue of any Model A’s that may require it

[Pat Branigan Wisc]

Thanks for the explanation and for your time to promote one, always wondering as I would probably bring my 10T that is all stock and don't like to push it.

[Atomic Amish]

I'll talk to my wife... might be the tailgunner in our '22 F-150. Sounds like a great time but we don't have a mobile T... yet.

[BUSHMIKE]

I am hoping to ride the section of the Bill Nichols Trail this weekend that takes in (3) huge and high old railroad bridges. Most of the snowmobile trails are old rail grade and as such, are very flat. Ive been on several lately that are smoother than some county roads. Stay tuned.

[DHort]

Mike

Are you planning on inviting Model A's as well? That would make for a bigger group.
Haven't been to the Porkies in almost 50 years.

Jason could always ride with me and his wife drive the F-150. The second day we would switch. I hear she is a peach.

[BUSHMIKE]

I will put the word out to the Marquette Model A group.

The whole idea for this ride was to do a memorial ride to honor Rick McKay who passed away suddenly last fall. I just rec’d word from Ricks wife Becky that she approved of the ride. Rick was Merlin of all things antique auto. I thought a ride on Ricks behalf would be fun and rewarding. Any sudden and unplanned course changes will be a direct result of Rick nudging us past an old barn or shed where he and only he knew a Model T has been in hiding since the 30’s! Most of the course will be thru Rick’s old stomping grounds….which covers most of the northwestern UP.

[BUSHMIKE]

Right now I am looking at Sept 30th., which is a Saturday for our Color Tour. Originally, I was hoping this would be a 2-day tour. Reality is, that just the westbound leg to the Porky’s is nearly a hundred mile round trip…..but reasonably flat and easy motoring. A one day Saturday tour would allow folks to arrive Friday afternoon/evening and let us get a good mid-morning start on Saturday. I would like some feedback on this option to start solidifying dates. The northbound Copper County leg is VERY hilly with some VERY long grades in both directions. Certainly, folks could head that way Sunday if so desired. I am in the process of scheduling a back surgery in the first couple days of October and am just not comfortable chewing up another full day prior to. Looking forward to input!

BushMike

[DHort]

Mike

1. You could make it the 23rd and then you would not be so close to your surgery.

2. You could set it up as a 2 day tour with maps and all, but not drive the 2nd day yourself.

3. Maybe Parkview Lodge would store trailers, and we could drive to Copper Harbor, stay overnite, and drive back the next day. Of course then it is a 3 day tour.

4. You could do a totally different tour that is easier for you and still covers the UP.

5. ???

[BUSHMIKE]

Dave,
GREAT input and options! Thank you. All winter the parking lot at the Lodge is full of snowmobile trailers so that is certainly not an issue. I will continue down the path of creating a two day route…each being a full day. There are plenty of hotels sprinkled throughout Copper Country. Points of interest are literally everywhere. Keep the suggestions flowing.

BushMike

[BUSHMIKE]

Update: I guess I underestimated the hotel bookings during color season. Every weekend room is already booked from mid September to mid October at Parkview Lodge & Grill. As of yesterday its almost an empty house Sunday Oct 1st thru Wed. Oct 4th…… 15 of the 16 rooms are available. If a couple of you early birds reserve/book rooms, that will of course solidify tour dates. Being retired, I dont care when it is, but feel much more comfortable weekdays on the trail without heavy/fast ATV traffic.

For those considering the ride, do you care if its a Monday/Tuesday ride? The upside is the trails and secondary roads we will be using will be largely empty of traffic. I charted and ran the entire route west to the Porky’s yesterday. 52 very easy and beautiful miles one way with a lunch stop planned in Ontonagon. About 1/4 rail grade/trail 3/4 paved county roads. The entry to the destination overlook of Lake of The Clouds has 220’ of continuous climb in 1/2 mile. Pretty steep in my opinion. The westbound leg should make a nice full day with a few planned stops/pic ops. I took some pics of the trestle crossings but cant post them till tomorrow….poor cell service today. Later this week Ill work out a northbound leg up into Copper Country with a few mileage options.

BushMike

[DHort]

I am retired so makes no difference to me.

I have tried Hotels.com, Expedia, Travelocity, and Trivago. Parkview Lodge is not listed with any of them.

[EricMac]

Simply because of work constraints I am not available this year but if you decide to make this an annual event I'd be interested.

[BUSHMIKE]

Lodge info

[BUSHMIKE]

1st ANNUAL RICK McKAY MEMORIAL COLOR TOUR update.

The fall colors are shaping up to be spectacular in just over a week now. I ran most of the route today to check conditions and plot the route. All maintenance on the stretch of the BILL NICHOL’S TRAIL that we are using is complete and the grade in great condition. Those booking rooms have a couple options…..the Parkview Lodge and Krupps Resort. Those wanting to camp have the Twin Lakes State Park across the street from the Lodge. I would really appreciate a note here on the forum of those who plan to attend ASAP so I can give restaurants a rough headcount as courtesy. I hope to be able to make map copy's to hand out Monday morning. We will meet at Parkview Lodge Monday morning(Oct. 2nd) as early as possible and plan to head out at 10am. I will give a short address before we start the tour. The section of the BILL NICHOLS’S Trail that we are using is just over 10 miles of graded railroad grade that is a multi-use state trail. It is my understanding that REGISTERED/LICENSED vehicles DO NOT need a trail pass. I will post the planned route as soon as I can figure out how to trace it on Google Maps. Attached is a photo take today from one of the three train trestles that we be crossing over. The view is breathtaking!

[DHort]

Unfortunately I can no longer make it this year, but I will put it on my calendar for next year.

Hope all goes well with your surgery.

[BUSHMIKE]

Bumping this back up top. Lots of Model A guys coming. Not much response from the T group? The weather is forecast to be stellar…..mid 70’s. The colors will be peaked.

[BUSHMIKE]

Last bump before the tour. Wx is supposed to be sunny and 82!

[BUSHMIKE]

We ended up with (4) cars on the tour. A ‘31 Model A pickup, a 1921 T touring, a 1915 and my ‘26TT. We did 65 miles and had perfect weather. Our moving average was 20.4mph…..a very enjoyable pace. Hopefully, a bigger turnout next year!

[TWrenn]

Gorgeous. I love the UP of Mich. Hands down no better scenery. Just leery a bit of the unimproved roads. We're spoiled here in our county in Ohio. Super great roads, even "one-laners" out in the boondocks. Maybe I'll make the tour next year...just a long trailer trip from here is the issue.

[MariaDenesik]

I think a Model T Fall colour tour in the northwestern UP is a great idea! Here are some suggestions: Choose a date in late September or early October. Plan a route that includes Forest Service roads and County highways. If you're planning a 2-day trip, consider staying overnight in Marquette or Iron Mountain I am a college student. As the clock ticked down on my capstone project deadline, I turned to the world of capstone writing services for solace. Not every capstone project is the same, and it’s a world where exceptional skills matter.

[Norman Kling]

That is quite different to me. Where we live it is still quite like summer. What few trees that do get autumn leaves are mostly yellow or brown and if you blink the Santa Ana wind blows them away. I guess every climate has it's good and bad features. We have had snow a few times in my 87 years. When we were younger we took the kids to the high mountains to ski and sled. But only for a few days. Then home to warmer weather.
Norm

[DHort]

The northwestern UP would not include Iron Mountain or Marquette. Those cities are in central UP.

[Joe Reid]

Watersmeet, Lanse-Baraga, Houghton. It is a sparse area.

[mbowen]

Gorgeous. I love the UP of Mich. Hands down no better scenery. Just leery a bit of the unimproved roads. We're spoiled here in our county in Ohio. Super great roads, even "one-laners" out in the boondocks. Maybe I'll make the tour next year...just a long trailer trip from here is the issue.

Trailering distance would be an issue for me too (a quick check says 8 hours to Marquette), but if my wife ever finds out about this I may not have a choice! If it could somehow be tied in with Jeff Humble and Ron Patterson’s Tunnel of Trees tour out of Prtoskey to do both in one trip it might be more doable.