OT: traveling across the country

[Ben Malach]

Over the next week I will be traveling from Inverness NS back home the Calgary Alberta.


If I happen to cross your path or am coming through your town feel free to shoot me a DM.


30th: New Brunswick to Salem Massachusetts


31:Salem Massachusetts


1st Salem to Cleveland or northern Pennsylvania


2nd ? To Chicago


3-4: Chicago


5: Wisconsin and Sand Valley


6: Bismarck ND


7: Calgary Alberta


Please feel free to add cool courses here or things a young man must see. I will also be posting some images and recaps here once I get home.

[Brad Tufts]

Salem on 10/31??  You must be/travel with huge Halloween fans to subject yourselves to that!


I'd be curious what you think...it's a rather honky-tonk experience to attract so many people...Salem is a dumpster fire traffic-wise at best in October, and around Halloween it's like armageddon.

I always tend to shake my head at Salem Halloween tourism given its reputation in the other 11 months as a 200-years-past-its-prime hardscrabble Mass. town...although it does have a decent food scene and an ever-growing state college.

I live in the town next door, and I will be avoiding the Halloween mayhem for the 38th year in a row.

As for golf...I think you're sunk due to this week's weather (looks like a very rainy Halloween)...but I'd point you to Beverly Golf & Tennis, very nearby to Salem...it's mostly Wayne Stiles.  Olde Salem Greens is also a 9-hole Stiles with some funky holes...its not bad.

Salem to Cleveland is a massive drive for one day, maybe 10-12 hours?

[Ben Malach]

Brad,


I am a huge history and event buff. So the celebrations in Salem seemed right up my alley.
Especially as a family friend lives in town so we can walk to the festival. Good to hear Olde Salem is as quirky as advertised. I am seeing Hooper on the first so I am excited to wet appetite for Mr. Sites work. Can't wait to hit some good restaurants and other thing that are not freely available in rural Nova Scotia.


As for the drive on the first it's my flex day and I have done a few 14 hour days on the road but might stop short of Cleveland if I find a town or golf course that catches my interest. 

[Dan_Callahan]

My kid once had a travel soccer game in Salem on Halloween. Just an absolute shitshow of traffic, costumes and random weirdness.


The drive to Cleveland isn't too bad. A couple of months ago I drove with my oldest kid from Andover to Toledo on our way to bring him to Macalester College in Minnesota. Not a whole lot to look at, but taking the northern route up near Niagara meant very little traffic. I would do it again.


Every course in eastern Mass is swamped right now. Been raining all week. The weekend looks like it'll dry out some, but sadly we lost a week of prime golf season, right before the time change.

[Brad Tufts]

Sounds good.  Having a place to stay/park is half the battle!


Good that you are flexible too...Hooper is pretty far off the beaten path, maybe 75 minutes off I-90.


Upstate NY will be pretty closed-ish for golf at the point, but you may get lucky.  I think Turning Stone keeps one course open into mid-November...I played there around 11/10 or so a few years ago.

[Jason Topp]

The weather looks cold in the Midwest the next week.  If you want to play golf, I would veer as far South as your logistics allow.


Kansas City looks cold but playable.  Minneapolis looks to be in the 30's Fahrenheit.   

[Pete_Pittock]

Ben,
Safe trip back.  After the 8am tee time at Cape Breton I made it to Moncton at sunset.  In regards to another thread it is Bismarck.
If choosing between Bully Pulpit (Medora)  and Red Mike (Williston), head north young man, head north.