STAR 2018 Registration is Open 😁

[HawkGTRider]

As a gift to myself today (once family gatherings were over and back home) I've been doing some route planning on how to get to and home from LaCrosse. I can easily spend days doing such things and get a LOT of enjoyment out of it. It's a nice present to myself.


I'm excited and looking forward to STAR!

[Brick]

As a gift to myself today (once family gatherings were over and back home) I've been doing some route planning on how to get to and home from LaCrosse. I can easily spend days doing such things and get a LOT of enjoyment out of it. It's a nice present to myself.


I'm excited and looking forward to STAR!

Ok so inquiring minds would love to hear what you have come up with just quickly looking it like through the traffic of Chicago or taking a ferry across Lake Michigan. Got a more fun idea in mind? Hmmmm...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[stevegrab]

Brick that is pretty much the case, or go the long way around through Michigan UP and down through Wisconsin. Looking at times from near my brother in Jackson MI, 500 miles to LaCross going through Chicago, add about 220 to go through UP. I recall one of the ferries having some limited travel times, and other restrictions like needing to bring your own tie downs and such. Lots of ressearch to do, not something I'm going to tackle now, and while the thought of the event and travel is appealing not exactly my kind of fun. Different strokes for different folks and all that.

[Ride4MS]

Issue 3701, which is scheduled to be in Member's mailbox about the end of February, will have an article that I wrote on routes to La Crosse.  It outlines several choices if coming from the East, and as well as SE USA.  For those Members from the South and West, I did not leave you out, and gave some suggestions there also.  It all depends on the time you would like to spend on the road, as well as riding or hauling.


The same article also gives some ideas for people that would like to spend some extra time in Minnesota and Wisconsin, that may be too far away to make it one day ride from La Crosse.  Most of the routes and places to visit we have been there and are familiar with and make for good riding and or site-seeing.


It looks like there are many people that have not been to the La Crosse area, and are excited to go to La Crosse.  Well, you will enjoy the riding.  It is different from any place you have probably ever ridden before.  One of the things I like about the area, is you can ride some twisty sections for an hour or so, and then turn on a road and have some more relaxing road that is preferred for big cruiser type bikes.  It never gets boring.

[doug mcpeek]

I never go through Chicago.

[HawkGTRider]

I never go through Chicago.

I feel you!
After trying to get through Chicago on multiple trips years apart, I'm convinced there is NO good time to try to get into/through/out of that town. Even on weekends, I found traffic to be at a standstill in many places.

As some of you know, I've gotten into collecting stamps for my National Park Service Passport. I recently joined a club which is totally devoted to identifying, locating, and cataloging the stamps. Whereas I thought Illinois was limited to Lincoln Home Natl Historic Site and the Pullman National Monument, I've discovered through this club that there are over 50 places to get a stamp. In Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, there are nearly 200 places to get stamps. Some of these stamps are in such far flung places that it'll be nearly impossible to collect them. All I have to do is pick a few, make a route between them using the shortest way other than interstates and big cities, and I'll have a great ride.

[RIDEMYST]

......... I've gotten into collecting stamps for my National Park Service Passport. I recently joined a club which is totally devoted to identifying, locating, and cataloging the stamps. Whereas I thought Illinois was limited to Lincoln Home Natl Historic Site and the Pullman National Monument, I've discovered through this club that there are over 50 places to get a stamp. In Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, there are nearly 200 places to get stamps. Some of these stamps are in such far flung places that it'll be nearly impossible to collect them. All I have to do is pick a few, make a route between them using the shortest way other than interstates and big cities, and I'll have a great ride.

If you go to the "download" tab on this site and then select GPS downloads in the public section you will find a GPX file with all of the National Parks & monuments. Now granted these are already in the BaseCamp file but having them as waypoints makes them much easier to use as a route planning tool, just copy those points that are near your route and incorporate them into your ride.
Hope this helps! -JEP-

[hhemstreet]

Geoffrey - as you know, Beth is an avid stamp collector and would love to know how to join this 'club'?

[HawkGTRider]

Geoffrey - as you know, Beth is an avid stamp collector and would love to know how to join this 'club'?

I know she is...and you guys might be surprised to see how many stamps are available just in your home state. There are way more than you might think.
It's the National Park Travelers Club.
https://www.parkstamps.org/index.php
In their database, you can put in a state or geographic area and see pictures of all the stamps people have collected. There are a number of filters you can apply so that you can see specific type locations or everything. You can display a map showing where stamps available and see any special instructions for getting them (ie This stamp is under the desk and you'll have to ask for it). Dues are $10 for the first year and $5 for each year thereafter. I consider that one heck of a deal!


The attached picture shows the stamps I've identified in my own personal GPS file. I've got almost 1800 stamp locations identified now. But I just added over 50 locations in just 3 states based on info gleaned from the Travelers Club site. I've read somewhere there are something like 2200-2400 total available. I've actually gotten around 500 stamps I think (haven't counted lately), so there are a LOT more places to go. And so far, every one of my stamps has been bagged via 2 wheels. Do you need an excuse to go for a ride?


I love this stuff.

[HawkGTRider]

......... I've gotten into collecting stamps for my National Park Service Passport. I recently joined a club which is totally devoted to identifying, locating, and cataloging the stamps. Whereas I thought Illinois was limited to Lincoln Home Natl Historic Site and the Pullman National Monument, I've discovered through this club that there are over 50 places to get a stamp. In Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, there are nearly 200 places to get stamps. Some of these stamps are in such far flung places that it'll be nearly impossible to collect them. All I have to do is pick a few, make a route between them using the shortest way other than interstates and big cities, and I'll have a great ride.

If you go to the "download" tab on this site and then select GPS downloads in the public section you will find a GPX file with all of the National Parks & monuments. Now granted these are already in the BaseCamp file but having them as waypoints makes them much easier to use as a route planning tool, just copy those points that are near your route and incorporate them into your ride.
Hope this helps! -JEP-

That's a very good starting point. From there you can compile info on the parks that have multiple stamps. For instance, Acadia NP in Maine has, I believe, 12 unique stamps. The Great Smoky Mountain NP on the Tennessee/North Carolina border has more than that. It can be a real challenge to get to all of the sites in a big park like those two within a limited period of time. Obviously, we all need more time riding and less taken by all of those other silly demands on our time.
Once you've gotten the parks identified, then you discover there are things like National Scenic Trails that may have 1 or 2 up to 20+ sites spread out across half the country.
https://www.nps.gov/nts/nts_trails.html
Each of those may have a unique stamp. Bazinga! That's more excuses to go riding to places you haven't been before. And maybe you'll find yourself going back to places you have been when you discover they had a stamp and you didn't know about it.

What's really cool about all of this is that when you take a little time at each location to look around, you start learning this interesting country. It's not always good stuff...our ancestors haven't always been the best stewards of the land or the best at getting along with others.
One place I went was the site of a battle with an Indian tribe. One particular chief had been a leader in his tribe at trying to get along with the new settlers. The U.S. Army attacked his encampment and wiped out most of his band while he was away hunting. He moved to another location hundreds of miles away and was later killed when his band was again attacked by the U.S. Army. That really stinks. And this was someone who had spent a lot of effort to get along with the settlers when most his in tribe were against it. It was a different era, but it's still pretty sad to think about some of the things that have happened.

[RIDEMYST]

Not to get off topic here but try Appomattox National Park. We toured it two years ago. Our tour guide was a Black Slave that gave her perspective of what happened and stayed in caricature throughout the tour. Worth the stop! -JEP-


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[HawkGTRider]

Not to get off topic here but try Appomattox National Park. We toured it two years ago. Our tour guide was a Black Slave that gave her perspective of what happened and stayed in caricature throughout the tour. Worth the stop! -JEP-


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I visited Appomattox long enough back that it was during a trip to the JFF Miller School event. I didn't get the tour you did. I've been thinking about going back some time when I'm up that way. Cindy & I are visiting Williamsburg in March, so perhaps we'll stop by there.

[Brick]

Not to get off topic here but try Appomattox National Park. We toured it two years ago. Our tour guide was a Black Slave that gave her perspective of what happened and stayed in caricature throughout the tour. Worth the stop! -JEP-


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

OH my... that kind of a tour would be soooo cool! Talk about real education! I would love to go and get a tour like this!!
Brick

[Landon]

I'm registered and will be looking for some others to dual sport with. I'll be bringing my Klx250s.

[Ride4MS]

We are working on the dual sport routes, and have at least 4 completed as of today.  They will be in issue 3701 as well as on the forum in the future.  The routes that I looked at, designed by Doug Marsh have a great variety of terrain and sites to see.


See you in June.