Road Trip!
The 2018 VMC National Meet will be held July 19th through 22nd in Grayling, Michigan. That's only around 1,400 miles, so why not turn it into a thoroughly epic two-week road trip? There are many amazing stops and side trips along the way, including The Vic Shop, Mackinac Island, the Tunnel of Trees, the Badlands Loop, not to mention lots of great riding and camaraderie during the National weekend.
Kick Stands Up:
Two weeks of non-stop fun leaving Colorado on Saturday, 14 July and returning on Sunday, 29 July.
Meet at the Conoco Station at 1958 N State Hwy 83, Franktown, CO 80116. KSU @ 8:00 a.m.
Total mileage ~3,000 miles
2018 VMC National Meet Information:
The registration site is now available for the VMC National Meet. If the passengers are not VMC Members, they would register for the National Meet as a Non-Member unless they joins the VMC for $20. Then register as a member for the Meet and save $5 overall. Register for the National Meet here. Meet Information: 2018 VMC National Meet
Hotels:
The Amazing Mary Moore has put together an extremely detailed list of hotels where we will be staying along the route. If you're interested in coming along on our journey, drop us an email and we will be happy to provide all of the documentation.
Lake Express Ferry:
We will be taking the 12:30 pm Lake Express Ferry from Milwaukee, WI to Muskegon, MI on Wednesday, 18 July 2018. It is HIGHLY recommended that we purchase our tickets before we arrive (https://res.lake-express.com/). The cost for 1 Adult (Classic Cabin) is $93.50 and the cost for the Motorcycle is $51.00. If there are two riders on the bike, you will have to buy 2 Adult tickets. This information is also outlined within the Excel Trip summary.
The Lake Express Ferry normally allocates 12 bike spaces. If more than 12 bikes, they can switch some of the car spaces over to motorcycle spaces but they would need to know at least 1 1/2 months ahead of time. If we are traveling with 6 or fewer motorcycles, they recommend reserving 2-3 weeks ahead of time; more than 6 bikes at least a month and a half ahead of time. They provide ratchet canvas tie downs for us to tie down our bikes.
If for some reason folks don't get on the 12:30pm ferry the next ferry is at 7pm - arriving in MI at 10pm. You will just have to hang around in Milwaukee and get to the hotel late.
Excursions:
We will look for attractions along the route. We will be driving on average around 300 miles per day so if we find something along the way we do have time to stop. We do have five excursions planned and have also included “known” rides at the VMC.
Monday, 16 July 2018: The Vic Shop, Inc
We will stop at The Vic Shop on our drive from Fremont, NE to Cedar Falls, IA.
19-21 July 2018: VMC Guided Tour(s)
The President of the Northern Michigan Victory Riders has indicated that there will be a guided ride during the VMC on the Tunnel of Trees (Tunnel of Trees Map). Here is the full list of Guided Rides.
Monday, 23 July 2018: Mackinac Island
During our stay in St. Ignace, MI we will take the Ferry over to Mackinac Island on the 24th of July.
Tuesday, 24 July 2018: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Saturday, 28 July 2018: Badlands Loop State Scenic Byway
Depending on the temperatures, we may route the trip through the Badlands.
Saturday, 28 July 2018: Custer, SD
Depending on “time” we could possibly visit Mt. Rushmore and/or Crazy Horse Mountain Memorial.
For more details, or to let us know you're interested in joining us, please shoot us an email.