Manitoulin Island, Anyone?

[jbrough7]

Anyone ridden Manitoulin Island?  I've been about halfway in a cage but will go on my bike this summer.  I've heard that lonely little road going all the way west to the end is very cool on a bike.  

For those of you who don't know it, it's a good size island in Lake Huron.  You can get there by ferry from Tobermory to the south or you can drive down from Espanola.  It's very rugged and beautiful but getting more built up all the time.  Tons of Ojibways live there so there are always different cultural events/things to see, in the summer.

http://www.manitoulin.ca/TIM/getting.html
jim

[Airmotive]

It's a bit late to reply....oh well.

I ride up to Manitoulin almost every year. This year it's from DFW...about 1800 miles each way. Best time is early October. Tourist season is over, leaves are just starting to change but all the shops and restaurants are still open. Gets down to around freezing at night and mid 50s to 60 in the day. Brisk riding, but perfectly manageable with decent gear.

My family has a place on Lake Kagawong....great place to turn off the cell phone and unplug from the world for a while.

[jbrough7]

Cool!  I got that email thingie there was a reply to this post or I would never ever have noticed.

Dallas Fort Worth!  It took a minute but the flag helped!

How did you hear about the place?  You have Canuck relatives?  That is one heck of a ways from home.

Have you gone as far west on the island as you can?  I still have to do that.  

jim

[Airmotive]

My family has had a place up there since the 1920s. I haven't been to western Manitoulin in 20 years...back when there was only one paved road on the island. So I imagine a lot has changed...or maybe not.

The last ten years have seen a huge increase in tourists there. To the point that now I try to schedule my visits in off-season in mid-October. I'm worried that the Island is going to become like the Outer Banks in NC. Transforming from a hard-to-get-to, rural getaway to a weekend party spot in the country. Rumor is Paul Allen (of Microsoft fame) recently purchased property on Lake Kagawong.

Another bizaar experience is going up there in the winter. No one but the cattle ranchers and you can drive across the lakes!

[captain casual]

Great to see people ride up in manitoulin. I used to rent a cottage there on Manitou lake, then stopped going for a few years. 2 years ago I purchased a cottage just south of Tobermory, and with wife and child we took the chichimaun over this past summer. Everything looke dthe same but we didn't bring our car. It was just a small tour of southbay mouth and right back. Was a fun day, and i had planned on organizing a bike trip up there with some friends. It never panned out this summer but there is always next year? From my cottage the ferry is about 45 minutes, easy to make that first one out. I thought I could spend a day driving the entire island and have some lunch, then back on the ferry for the last trip back. THen it would be a short ride to my cottage for accomodation. Great weekender i would think? Is it possible to do the entire island in one day? Thanks in advance.

[fossil]

Did Manitoulin Island this past summer with three friends.  Took the ferry over from Tobermory and stayed at Red Lodge on Lake Manitou.  Spent the weekend touring the island, fishing and enjoying the scenery.  Everyone had such a good time that we are talking about doing it again next summer.

[DaveG]

hey you're here too
fellow Bandit neighbour

so where in Ontario??

[fossil]

About 10 minutes from you in Inglewood.  If I hadn't put my bike to sleep for the winter I would suggest we meet up for a ride The weather is suppose to be okay this weekend.

[Nedmold]

Been there >>> done that on my Triumph Adventurer several years ago.  I took the fairy from Tobermory.
It was an awsome ride.