How to get to Indiana, thru Detroit, Flint or ???

[Armitage]

So what do you guys think is the best way to get to Indiana from Canada...

Burlington, Ontario L7M 4Y9, Canada to Fishers, IN 46038

8:27

8:32

8:44 ... the extra time doesn't bother me.

I don't know if I'm going to do it all in one drive, or stop somewhere half wayish... I have a short attention span and get bored driving much past four hours. Ha, it took me two days to drive the 8 hours to Washington...

I suppose the different crossing points may have different wait times too.

I don't mind spending a little extra time for a more scenic route rather then just a gray highway, but not a lot.

Is there anywhere worth visiting? Anywhere worth avoiding? I've been through Detroit a bunch of times and while some of it is really nice, some of it... well, isn't.

Oddly, Google Maps says it'll take almost 2 hours longer then my Garmin GPS. The Garmin may be taking into consideration my usual driving speed (25% over the limit) that I won't be doing driving down in the States (unless everyone else is).

I'll be going down on a Friday morning, about half way should be early afternoon, and coming back on a Sunday, probably one straight drive. I don't have to take the same route back.

Thanx for the help.

[specialk]

I've never been in that part of the country, but I like the third choice. You not only bypass Detroit but you swing near Kalamazoo. Stop in and say hi to the Heritage guys.

[cynic]

I just did the 2nd one a couple months ago. I've also gone thru Sarnia then down to Detroit. There's really no bonus in my eyes to either one of them. The 3rd option bypasses Detroit and more importantly, Toledo....I thought Detroit was bad!

My choice of your options would be number 3.

If a little more extra time doesn't bother you, add another half hour to the longest route and go thru Buffalo. That's a nicer drive in my opinion.

[crunchee]

Friday afternoon, with the possibility going through Detroit and Toledo at that time. Sounds like an adventure!

With that in mind, I vote for #3.

[sledhead44]

The 3rd choice seems best to me. It may be a little longer at a constant speed, but the other two options you are more likely to be sitting in traffic jams which would make the travel time even longer than the first two options.

You could also go to Ederly Instruments if you go through Lansing.

If you get over to the far west side of Michigan, I'm in Holland.

[triodecr]

I live in Fort Wayne, IN. Your 3rd route looks the best to me. Interstate 24 from Toledo to New Haven is a pain. It's a single-lane each way, undivided highway. Lots of traffic lights in little towns and passing can be dangerous and annoying. Interstate 69 is a easier drive but most of the scenery is farmland.

Cool guitar places to stop at would be Elderly in Lansing and Sweetwater Sound in Fort Wayne, if you want to check out some studio gear. They have the best selection in guitars north of Indy and south of Detroit, though nothing that you wouldn't find in big city.

[JohnnyB]

The 3rd option bypasses Detroit and more importantly, Toledo....I thought Detroit was bad!

Yeah, but don't they have most of the strip joints?

[veatch]

I've done all three in the past. I prefer #1. Rush hour in Detroit ain't nearly as bad as it used to be (something about high unemployment reducing the actual number of cars on the road...), so really the only diff is going to be your personal comfort in regards to safety. Personally, i've never had an issue on the interstate, so "driving through" is really no big thing.

But, if you think that will be your mid-way point for foodage, i would stop either around exit 240 (Highway M-59 has a number of places West of I-94) or wait until you get past the airport (around mile 210-ish). There are plenty of *great* places to go in between, but also a few that will make you reach for your gun. So again, if safety is your concern, keep it as a "drive through" point.

That being said, if you prefer to drive 70 and don't mind burning the gas, option 3 is a fair option.

Either way, Sarnia has always been much easier to get through than Windsor as far as traffic. So toss #2. And, all three give you next to nothing to look at - mostly corn fields, etc outside of the cities.

Anywho, if you do choose number 1, let me know - i might be able to buy you a beer or a burger if i can get off of work.

[gtone]

Border crossing at Sarnia is a snap. I'd also avoid the I-75 (Fischer Freeway) corridor between Detroit and Toledo. Driving in central Michigan is very, um..."pleasant" on the other hand.

[killerteddybear]

I did this trip in mid June, returning from my parents place (Grimsby) back to California.

Take option #3. Stop in Lansing at Elderly Instruments. Leave your wallet in the trunk of your car.

What part of Burlington? I grew up on Brock Ave.

[gtone]

What part of Burlington? I grew up on Brock Ave.

Get the feck outta here, Larry - my grandparents lived in those condos on Brock just off Lakeshore in the 70's! First I run into yer old buds out here in SK, now I find out I spent my summers probably not too far down the street from you back in the 70's. Small world.

[Armitage]

The 3rd option bypasses Detroit and more importantly, Toledo....I thought Detroit was bad!

Yeah, but don't they have most of the strip joints?

The strip joints in Detroit I've been to were terrible, then didn't even take their panties off!

[sledhead44]

The 3rd option bypasses Detroit and more importantly, Toledo....I thought Detroit was bad!

Yeah, but don't they have most of the strip joints?

The strip joints in Detroit I've been to were terrible, then didn't even take their panties off!

Yeah my co-workers at the time said those were just Juice Bars...,

so they took me to Windsor when I was 19...Whoa!!!

[killerteddybear]

What part of Burlington? I grew up on Brock Ave.

Get the feck outta here, Larry - my grandparents lived in those condos on Brock just off Lakeshore in the 70's! First I run into yer old buds out here in SK, now I find out I spent my summers probably not too far down the street from you back in the 70's. Small world.

474 Brock Ave. - one house north of Elgin St.

We moved to eastern Ontario in '69, I don't remember condos on Brock... must have come later.

So where are you in SK?

[Armitage]

I took the third option, it was longer, but no traffic, just zooming on the highway. Saw lots, and I mean 50 or so, and when I say 50 I don't mean "a bunch" and exagerated, I mean 50 dead deer at the side of the road. Ouch. I couldn't imagine hitting a few hundred pounds of meat with a car traveling highway speed.

[murkat]

^ love the puzzle box