Do any of you have some traveling suggestions for a fellow Hybridfest traveler who is coming from Ontario? He is coming in his Prius. Here's the message I received: Thank you in advance.
First of all, I'm guessing you're closer to Windsor then you are to St. Clair or parts further North and West. If not, then you hop into the Upper Penisula of Michigan, go across, then down, and avoid Chicago by hundreds of miles. Well, I would take 401 South to the Blue Water Bridge (Port Huron), then hop on I-94 West (South) and take it down and around all the way through to Chicago and parts beyond. (Again, unless you're closer to Detroit, then take the Ambassador Bridge and hop onto I-94 [Or I-75 to I-94]) You can, if you're feeling ambitious, take I-94 to I-696, I-696 to Southfield Road. Southfield Road South becomes M-39 South, the Southfield Expressway. You can then take that to I-94 West (South), and bypass the City of Detroit, as well as cut a few miles off your trip and go past Ford World HQ as well. I-94 is structured well, and is currently free of major construction, so you should be able to traverse it without much difficulty. As for Chicago, that's Waynes speciality I think. You can either take the toll road(s), or not, and save yourself a few bucks there as well. While the ferry across Lake Michigan drastically cuts down on your commute and also avoids Chicago, there's only about 16 Ferrys the entire day, and the cost is around $115 (US) for a one way trip. Considering that last year, from Detroitish to Hybridfest is about 500 miles driving through Chicago and whatnot, it's a costly option IMHO. Plus, the Ferry takes about four hours to cross, so it's not a whole lot faster either.
I'll be taking the ferry again this year. It's nice to just sit back and relax and let someone else do the driving for a little while
Hi Eric: ___I will try and come up with a more precise plan for those coming through the Chicago area (anybody coming in from the East coast basically) but do not follow your NAV’s as they will lead you up I-90 (the Skyway) right into the Ryan and then into the Ike. JUST DON’T DO IT unless you are traveling through our area in the middle of the night (08:00 PM to 04:30 AM) or possibly between 09:30 AM and 01:30 PM. Follow 80/94 past the Ryan to the Tri-State (I-294) and follow that around to I-94 and up through Milwaukee. I-894 Bypass and then I-94 heading straight across the state of Wisconsin to Madison. Chicago can be a real nightmare and I remember telling Terry not to take the NAVI’s suggestion. He balked at my suggestion and this is what he saw on the Dan Ryan … Looking forward. -------------------- Looking back. ___The Ryan is cleaned up a little better then what Terry and Hobbit drove through but it is still a daily nightmare anytime during Rush. ___If you come through at night however, I highly suggest it as the Chicago city scape/skyline from the Ryan and Kennedy are absolutely breath taking imho. ___Another route is to bypass the Ryan again but once on the Tri –State, take to I-90 West to Rockford. Follow that out to Rockford and then over to Madison … The scenic views leave a lot to be desired on that route however ___Wayne Mitchell would be another source as I believe he drives the Ryan every once in a while. A strong driver in a Prius II would be the only way I could even think about enjoying that nightmare ___Good Luck ___Wayne
I've sort of been wondering if it's possible to give Chi-town a wide berth when coming around from the *east*... but still get relatively conveniently to north chicagoland. Probably not possible, at least without adding 100+ miles. . _H*
Driving I-90/94 Dan Ryan in rush hour is GREAT for Prius II milage, frustrating and dangerous but great MPG. Having said that I would avoid the Ryan except between 12:00AM and 4:00AM, when most of the night work is taking a little break. I-294 would be the way to go up north to Wayne's. To Madison I-294 to I-290 to I-90 would be best, but it is toll road most of the way in case your cheap. For those looking for best potential MPG take I-294 to I-290 to IL-53 to US-14 up to Janesville. In the near future the I-355 extension to I-80 will be a even less crowded by-pass north. Wayne
From Ontario, I would *definitely* recommend the route through Michigan's Upper Peninsula - it's a *much* prettier trip, IMHO, & far less likely to turn into a parking lot (The first time my husband came to a family reunion hosted by my Traverse City cousins, we drove up & across the Mackinac Bridge, then down to T.C. For the trip home, he wanted to go the "southern route", & I couldn't talk him out of it - we got stuck on the tollway for more than 2 hours I didn't say I told him so )
As I said, it depends on where in Ontario he is. If he's close to Windsor, he's adding about 200 miles to his trip taking 75 N and then across the UP and down. If he's closer to St. Clair, he's better off taking the UP across and then down.
