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2016 Duluth and North Shore Roadmeet - July 30 and 31, 2016

Started by TheHighwayMan3561, August 11, 2015, 03:28:17 PM

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on_wisconsin

#50
What about staying in Ashland or the Spooner/ Hayward area? Fairly scenic and its a easy drive to the Twin Ports.

I might try to make it for Saturday (day trip) but most likely not Sunday, depending on how much PTO I have.
"Speed does not kill, suddenly becoming stationary... that's what gets you" - Jeremy Clarkson


TheHighwayMan3561

Those are certainly viable options. I was obviously narrowly focusing on the Duluth area, but of course whatever works best for people is perfectly fine with me.
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TheHighwayMan3561

self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

TheHighwayMan3561

Quote from: noelbotevera on February 02, 2016, 03:21:15 PM
Quote from: jpi on February 01, 2016, 11:45:10 PM
Quote from: noelbotevera on February 01, 2016, 07:04:08 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on February 01, 2016, 06:53:17 PM
We're slightly less than six months out now, so here's a quick update:

I'm not going to sugarcoat things: lodging rates are borderline outrageous, and filling up fast as Duluth has become one of the premier tourist destinations in the Upper Midwest. I highly recommend that if you are comfortable with doing so that you share a room with others to help offset the cost. I personally recommend the Super 8s in either Duluth, Superior, or Cloquet; the Motel 6 in Duluth is a hotel I would avoid. There are other options in nearby Carlton and Cloquet that might be slightly cheaper, but not by much. I apologize for this and I hope this doesn't deter anyone from coming.

I know I also have a few retail enthusiasts interested in attending; a couple malls in the area for you to potentially check out are Miller Hill in Duluth, which is the main mall, but the better attraction is Mariner Mall on 28th Street in Superior which is all but dead. : )
As a backup can we book hotels in the Twin Cities?
Wow kid! You trying to talk your dad into an even bigger road trip this summer?
Maybe...probably unlikely though.

You guys are of course welcome to come in the unlikely event that it works out. Just PM me at some point beforehand if you are going to come. : )
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TheHighwayMan3561

#54
A couple updates:

Last night I visited the planned meet restaurant for Saturday 7/30. They said they can accommodate the size of our group (I'm assuming it will end up being about 15-20) with their basement party room, however they said they may be reluctant to give us a reservation as per their protocol regarding weekend brunch-time reservations, which I don't understand but that's their policy I guess. Hopefully with enough advance notice they will. I'll check back with them in June or so, and if they won't give us a reservation I do have other options in mind.

Regarding car consolidations, the easiest thing for us will just be to leave any cars at Miller Hill Mall (1600 Miller Trunk Hwy, Duluth, MN 55811; located at the south/east junction of US 53 and MN 194) for the duration of the meet events. I'm not thrilled about it because the mall is generally out of the way of anything we're going to be doing, but parking in most of Duluth especially during the summer is on tight time restrictions or utilizes paid parking lots/ramps.

I'm also feeling more interested in adding the Virginia-area work to the Day 1 itinerary, which would include the US 53 relocation and possibly the MN 1/169 relocation near Ely. This will probably depend on the progress of these projects during the spring to the point if there's anything worth seeing. This might make more sense as the after-meet activity though.
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Brandon

Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on February 18, 2016, 03:09:43 PM
I'm also feeling more interested in adding the Virginia-area work to the Day 1 itinerary, which would include the US 53 relocation and possibly the MN 1/169 relocation near Ely. This will probably depend on the progress of these projects during the spring to the point if there's anything worth seeing. This might make more sense as the after-meet activity though.

It might be possible to create a loop on that Saturday, so that we don't have to keep going back and forth on MN-61.  Granted, that would be a long day, and I strongly suggest getting started early if that is the case.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

TheHighwayMan3561

I agree. In the ten minutes of retrospect I think it makes more sense as a post-meet option. I'll leave it for that instead.
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A.J. Bertin

Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on February 18, 2016, 03:49:32 PM
I agree. In the ten minutes of retrospect I think it makes more sense as a post-meet option. I'll leave it for that instead.

That's probably a good idea. I just looked at Google Maps. Virginia MN is 80 miles away from Duluth.
-A.J. from Michigan

TheHighwayMan3561

Quote from: A.J. Bertin on February 25, 2016, 07:52:01 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on February 18, 2016, 03:49:32 PM
I agree. In the ten minutes of retrospect I think it makes more sense as a post-meet option. I'll leave it for that instead.

That's probably a good idea. I just looked at Google Maps. Virginia MN is 80 miles away from Duluth.

I might as well throw out my other main post-Day 1 roading idea, which is to do the Bayfield Loop on WIS 13 and US 2 east of Superior. It's just a pretty drive along the south shore of Superior and there's no road work involved.
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JREwing78

I've put in the time-off request at work for this weekend. I'm looking at my budget and available time off to see if I can turn it into a longer Lake Superior Circle Tour trip. Got to get my passport first!

SSOWorld

Quote from: JREwing78 on February 28, 2016, 07:01:06 PM
I've put in the time-off request at work for this weekend. I'm looking at my budget and available time off to see if I can turn it into a longer Lake Superior Circle Tour trip. Got to get my passport first!
Processing takes a while. (month+?) Better get on it.
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

TheHighwayMan3561

#61
Only four months (minus a day) to go! I posted some time ago about hotel pricing, which in the Duluth/Superior area itself could be very high especially if you are planning on rooming alone. If it would help with costs and you are comfortable staying a little ways out, here are some other areas you can check into lodging prices:

<30 minutes away:
Cloquet

Between 45-60 minutes:
Moose Lake
Sandstone
Hinckley
Virginia/Eveleth/Mountain Iron

~90 minutes:
Mora
Grand Rapids
North Branch

You can check Ashland, WI but I didn't include it because I expect it won't really be any cheaper but I could be wrong. And after checking, it's actually more expensive than Duluth at this point.

The Twin Cities and Eau Claire each are 2 1/2 hours away, which in terms of lodging costs would likely be your best bets but obviously the distance is the least ideal. As for Duluth/Superior itself, some of the $90 options are still available as of today.
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Rothman

Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on March 31, 2016, 08:57:54 PM

You can check Ashland, WI but I didn't include it because I expect it won't really be any cheaper but I could be wrong. And after checking, it's actually more expensive than Duluth at this point.



I guess a lot of people want to stay overnight in a town that has an Xcel Energy plant smack dab in the middle of it.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

SSOWorld

Quote from: Rothman on April 01, 2016, 11:15:59 AM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on March 31, 2016, 08:57:54 PM

You can check Ashland, WI but I didn't include it because I expect it won't really be any cheaper but I could be wrong. And after checking, it's actually more expensive than Duluth at this point.



I guess a lot of people want to stay overnight in a town that has an Xcel Energy plant smack dab in the middle of it.
Proximity to Bayfield and the Apostle Islands makes Ashland that expensive - it is also a go-to town along with Washburn.  There are many ma-and-pa resorts all around the area and access to the lake is enough of an attraction.
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

Rothman

Meh.  Bayfield's a lot nicer than Ashland and you're right about the resorts.  However, I can only imagine that the ignorant out-of-state tourists that reserve a spot in Ashland get there and go, "Oh no."
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

TheHighwayMan3561

Three months to go! I don't have any updates at this point other than contacting the restaurants in June, but I just want to keep the worm in your brains. :D
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Brandon

Alright, I'm booked and ready to go.  Note to people still looking, Virginia, MN still has some inexpensive hotel rates.  I got the Super 8 there for $102.65 (incl tax) on Friday night, but others were going for $50-70/night.

I'm staying in Duluth on Saturday night at the EconoLodge by the mall ($146.53/night incl tax).
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

hbelkins

Quote from: Brandon on May 30, 2016, 10:32:04 PM

I'm staying in Duluth on Saturday night at the EconoLodge by the mall ($146.53/night incl tax).

Probably one of the more expensive EconoLodge rates I've ever seen.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

SSOWorld

Quote from: hbelkins on May 31, 2016, 01:12:45 PM
Quote from: Brandon on May 30, 2016, 10:32:04 PM

I'm staying in Duluth on Saturday night at the EconoLodge by the mall ($146.53/night incl tax).

Probably one of the more expensive EconoLodge rates I've ever seen.
Because tourist trap.
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

froggie

This time of year, most Northwoods towns are touristy of some sort or another.  Another factor in Virginia's case this year is a lot of construction workers working on the new US 53 alignment.

TheHighwayMan3561

#70
One quick update that will also be reflected in the itinerary: I found more convenient parking for us instead of having to go all the way up to the mall, which is in the Duluth Depot/Duluth Public Library lot in downtown. It appears to be a free and unlimited public lot on weekends, although when I do my final scout run next month I'll make sure this hasn't changed as some things tend to do unexpectedly during the peak season. The mall will remain the fallback option.

And as Brandon pointed out a little while back, there are much more reasonable lodging options in Virginia if you're still looking for rooms. It's an hour away, but it's an easy drive on mostly 65 MPH expressway.
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TheHighwayMan3561

Update: the Day 1 (July 30) restaurant has changed. Instead we will be going to Grizzly's Wood-Fired Grill up by the mall. I will be noting this on the Facebook event shortly.

1722 Miller Trunk Hwy, Duluth, MN 55811
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TheHighwayMan3561

Also apologies for not asking sooner, but if anyone attending has any two-way radios would they be willing to bring them along on the Sunday portion? We'll likely not have any phone service for the final 30-35 miles of MN 61; I generally lose service about 10 miles or so past Grand Marais.
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SSOWorld

Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on July 11, 2016, 04:29:21 PM
Also apologies for not asking sooner, but if anyone attending has any two-way radios would they be willing to bring them along on the Sunday portion? We'll likely not have any phone service for the final 30-35 miles of MN 61; I generally lose service about 10 miles or so past Grand Marais.
Blame Canada :P
Scott O.

Not all who wander are lost...
Ah, the open skies, wind at my back, warm sun on my... wait, where the hell am I?!
As a matter of fact, I do own the road.
Raise your what?

Wisconsin - out-multiplexing your state since 1918.

JREwing78

Sorry. Can't attend. Summer got damn busy all of a sudden. :(



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