Ontario to Michagan & Wisconsin

Old Aug 19th, 2010, 04:01 AM
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Ontario to Michagan & Wisconsin

We intend travelling by bus from Toronto to Sault Ste Marie in May 2011.Are there any places on that bus route that are worth stopping off at?
Then we intend going on into Michigan and Wisconsin.This may sound a silly question but can we get from Sault Ste Marie Ontario to the same in Michigan by bus? I have looked on all the websites and it doesn't seem to tell me anywhere!
We are 2 seniors from Scotland (70 & 74,one who can't walk as far as he used to) travelling in the area by public transport (no Car!)
I have downloaded bus routes and we can get to most of the places we want to visit in N Michigan and Wisconsin by Greyhound and Indian Trails or by Amtrak.
We would welcome any advice on "Must see" places to visit in the area,or good places to stay.We like to stay in B&Bs and like small interesting towns! Prairie du Chien was a place we wanted to visit but i understand that there is no public transport there at all.
Any help much appreciated for this holiday that is just at the early planning stage!
Thanks
ethne is offline  
Old Aug 19th, 2010, 06:11 AM
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Is there a reason you are not getting a rental car? To be honest, most people only take the bus if there is absolutely no other option. The bus is not a great way to travel. Often the bus terminal is not in a great part of town. Once you get to your destination, how are you planning on getting around from there?

For someone with a walking challenge, I would see this trip as even more demanding because you are assuming there will be cabs or a way to get to your hotel, from the bus, and that is not always the case.

Your much better option would be to rent a car, or choose one spot to visit, like a larger city with public transportation, like Milwaukee, Chicago, Minneapolis, Ann Arbor,

You also might think about east coast cities like Boston, NY and Washington, DC with extensive transit systems.

The reason for no public transportation in some areas, is that there is no need for it, as everyone has cars, distances are too great and few would use it if it even existed.

Hope this helps.
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Old Aug 19th, 2010, 06:26 AM
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This is the bridge bus schedule http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MD...e_123999_7.pdf

When I went to school at the Soo, I sometimes hitchhiked over.

travelbuff is right about the bus being kind of the last resort (I've done that too), but in the Upper Peninsula, you shouldn't have to worry about bad parts of town.

Many of the must sees in the UP are not in towns. For example Tahquamenon Falls, Whitefish Point, or Seney National Wildlife Refuge. A couple of exceptions are the Pictured Rocks and Mackinac Island which can easily be seen once you get to Munising and St. Ignace. But I would consider taking an organized tour to the region, rather than going by public transit.

travelbuff, I don't know if this is their reason, but fewer firms will rent a car to someone in their 70s. That is something that worries me in the future.
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Old Aug 19th, 2010, 08:53 AM
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I had not heard that, not renting to over 70, ummmmm do I sense a lawsuit brewing????

My question would be how the op is planning on getting from the bus to the sites without a car, many places won't even have cabs, and walking long distances would not be possible. They really will need a car.
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Old Aug 19th, 2010, 09:50 AM
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I agree about needing a car. I think they would be better off if they hook up with a tour company.

But following up on my comment about maximum age, a quick look at some web sites shows that it is an issue outside the US, not in the US. They may be thinking the policies in Europe are echoed here. I did.

I can understand if they are not sure they want to drive a car in the US, because of the opposite side controls and opposite side of the road issue. I didn't enjoy driving in the UK. But there would be two things that might make that easier here. One is that traffic in northern Michigan will be light and the roads are much straighter and wider than in the UK. Also (unlike the UK) automatic transmissions are standard on US rental cars.

Keith
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Old Aug 19th, 2010, 01:25 PM
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Thanks travelbuff and Keith for your helpful advice.We find that driving on the wrong side of the road in the wrong side of the car makes for far too many arguments so we tend to prefer not to!On our first visit to the USA in Sept 2001(week of 9/11) we hired in Boston/New England (a nightmare!)and Nebraska(no problem)Since then we have had 5 more holidays and used public transport all the time with no problems at all.We have found the buses to be very comfortable and had no bad experiences so far,our last journey being from Chicago to Toronto over night!Another problem is that it is expensive, more so because we would want to hire and drop off in different places or states.We have enquired about this before.We hadn't thought about the age thing though that might be a problem too!!We had considered hiring in a small town but often there aren't rentals there
Thanks Keith for the International Bridge bus schedule-exactly what we wanted.Mackinac Island was the place that started me thinking about this area and the possibilities of getting there by bus.
A completely different thought is to get Amtrak Empire Builder from Chicago to Portland or Seattle, getting off and exploring areas on the way!! Any comments?
Thanks again for your help
ethne is offline  
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