You may have read about last year's Michgan Dam Grand Tour, where riders visited hydroelectric dams around the state. Well this year, we have an even bigger and better grand tour. We'll be visiting fourteen points around the perimeter of the Great Lake State, with 8 checkpoints in the lower peninsula, and 6 in the upper peninsula.
The concept behind a grand tour is to visit designated check points, at your own leisure whenever you have the time and the inclination to do so, and obtain proof of your visit. The proof in this case is to take a picture of your motorcycle, with the checkpoint visible behind it, and with the 2014 Michigan Fourteen Corners Grand Tour sign visible in the picture - now how easy is that? You can visit the checkpoints any time between when you receive the information from me, and November 16, then email your photos to me. Additionally, to encourage sightseeing and learning about Michigan, I'm offering up to 3 extra credit points for each checkpoint for visiting Michigan historic sites, scenic sites, tourist sites, or businesses. At the end of the year, we'll have awards for those who complete some or all of the checkpoints. If you visit all 14 checkpoints, you'll get a Grand Tourer Award. For visiting all of the lower peninsula checkpoints and 1 or more UP checkpoints, you'll get a Baby Grand Tourer Award. And if for whatever reason you get all 8 checkpoints in the lower peninsula, but are unable to go above the bridge (that'd be the Mackinac Bridge for those unfamiliar with Michigan), you'll get the Troll Award. For whoever visits all 14 checkpoints and gets the most extra credit points, you'll get a special certificate, and be named the Grandest Tourer of Them All!
Keep in mind, this is not a contest. There are no trophies, champagne to spray, large cash prizes, or pretty women (or handsome men) to kiss the winner. Instead, what you get is a reason and a destination (or fourTEEN destinations) to go for a ride, along with the memories and the stories that go along with the ride. You can do it alone, or you can do it with a few friends. You can do it in 1 week, or you can take all summer to do it. It's up to you.
If this sounds interesting to you, just reply or send me a private message, and I'll send you a copy of the rules, with a listing of all of the checkpoints and some suggested extra credit stops, the sign for you to print and take along to have in your pictures, and a GPX file with all of the checkpoints.
I hope to hear from you. Have a great summer.
