[toximus]

I know this is a little early for some to start making plans, but I wanted to share this so it'd be on your radar.

Last year we had a blast with this event! There was a few hundred Jeeps that did the bridge crossing and many went over to the island after to Jeep around the Drummond and Turtle Ridge trails.

The minimal $35/person fee covers crossing the bridge once and Drummond Island ferry fare both ways. Based on last year, there's no formal events besides the bridge crossing worth going to imho unless you want to sit around a non-existent fire and drink beers instead of wheeling. A bit disappointingly there was no Jeep vendors either (just local sponsors, which was nice getting free fudge ). No trail leaders or spotters either. That said, there's a fair amount of trails a stock Jeep can do; you might need to bypass a few of the more difficult obstacles. For modified and heavily modified, there's a bunch of great holes to play around in. Dirt, rock, mud, water, snow, there's about everything.

I'll be driving from Northern WI and meeting up with some buddies around Rapid River, MI. If anyone is coming from this direction let me know if you want to caravan.

http://www.stignace.com/event/jeep-the-mac

Schedule (tentative):

Friday, April 21

10:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m. Staging at Little Bear Arena in St. Ignace
2:30 p.m. Mandatory driver's meeting/Blessing of the Jeeps
3:00 p.m. Mackinac Bridge crossing, ending in St. Ignace
4:00-7:00 p.m. Meet-n-greet with live music, appetizers, craft beer, house wine, and pop available at Little Bear Arena

Saturday, April 22

8:00 a.m. Rides begin on Drummond Island
5:00-7:00 p.m. Awards Ceremony on Drummond Island (must be present to win)
Enjoying Jeep-ing in St. Ignace, on Drummond Island, and around the Eastern U.P.!
Geocaching Scavenger Hunt begins in St. Ignace

Sunday, April 23

Geocaching Scavenger Hunt in St. Ignace - turn in sheets to Mackinac Grille from 10am-2pm

The $35 entry fee per person ($10 for child 10 years or younger) includes:

Mackinac Bridge fare
Drink Coupon (beer, wine, pop, water)
Kewadin Casino coupon
Shuttle service through St. Ignace Friday afternoon through Saturday
Commemorative dash plaque
Drummond Island ferry fare (trailer will be an additional cost)
Awards & Giveaways
Coupon for Gifts Galore in St. Ignace for promotional items

Event Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/236597203378368/

Turtle Ridge Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/turtleridgedrummond/

New for 2017 is vendor info:

FYI: Are you or your business interested in having a Vendor's Booth at the 2nd Annual JEEP the Mac to Drummond Island event? If so, here's the step-by-step application process:
STEP ONE: Decide if you want to set-up in St.Ignace OR on the Island.
STEP TWO: If you prefer to be in St. Ignace you MUST contact their group. You can find their contact info on their website at:
www.stignace.com
STEP THREE: If you prefer the Island here's our contact info:
Drummond Island Tourism Association (DITA) Office
800-737-8666
Or 906-493-5245
Or email at
[email protected]
We have been mailing out application packages daily for the last few weeks but still have spaces available!

I hope to see you guys there!

 

[Stitch586]

Sub'ed

Got it marked on the calendar.

 

[toximus]

Just bumping this to get some exposure. One and a half months out!

If anyone has questions I'll do my best to answer them just post them up here.

If anyone wants to join my group on some trails any of the days you're welcome too. We can help spot for each other (and get lost together :thumbsup: ).

 

[colestearns]

ill be up that way this year forsure.

 

[toximus]

Just a heads up, if you're planning on going on trails at Drummond you will need an ORV license ($26.25) and ORV trail permit (an additional $10 for a total of $36.25). There was some confusion last year as to which one you need and the simple answer is you need both to be legal in a Jeep. Some trails start out requiring one of those stickers and towards the end of the trail requires a different sticker, or may require both. I didn't see a single DNR agent last year, but for the minimal cost it does go towards keeping trails open in MI. Just buy both stickers and place them centered on your rear (or to the side of the rear if you can't center) and if a road doesn't say private property or keep out, it's fair game.

You can buy online here (same cost if you live in MI or not) and they'll mail them to you: http://www.mdnr-elicense.com/Welcome/Default.aspx

(Turtle Ridge is private property and does not require these.)

 

[Stitch586]

I will be heading up to the event Friday (4-21-17) morning and meeting up with @toximus for Drummond Island.

If anyone from SE Michigan or surrounding area wants to ride up together or meet up let me know, I will be camping on Drummond Island.

 

[toximus]

-OIIIIIIIO-01 I'm looking forward to it!

Because I've been asked, you do need to pay the $30 entry fee even if you only want to do the bridge crossing, or even if you want to only go to Turtle ridge. If you want to pay the ferry fair on your own you could do that but where's the fun in that? Let's cross the bridge! Registration deadline is Friday, April 14, 2017. If you're planning on coming up last minute you can stop at a DNR office to pick up your stickers (see my above post). Even some gas stations may have them.

Now I have to get back to trying to get some last minute upgrades done!

 

[toximus]

April 14th is the last day to register.

CB radio is the best way to communicate as a group or with buddies. There's very limited WIFI and cellphone reception on the island with a chance of connecting to Canada cell towers. I can bring my SWR meter if anyone needs to turn their setup, just let me know before hand.

 

[toximus]

Just a quick reminder that there's 4 days left to sign up!

 

[1longcj]

Will there be a 2018 event?

 

[Stitch586]

Yes

 

[toximus]

Will there be a 2018 event?

Yup! April 20-22.

My Jeep is under the knife so I won't make it this year. Where are you located?

 

[1longcj]

Near St.Louis.

I've been thinking about planning a trip to the sand dunes and then up to Drummond Island. April might not work for me. Any other events I should look into, or better time of the year to go. I see there's a Jeep Jamboree in June.

 

[toximus]

Who's coming to Jeep The Mac, April 26-28 2019?

My group is talking about skipping the bridge crossing and going directly to the island for wheeling.