Heading up to Mille Lacs tomorrow from Iowa on I-35. Will probably hit the cities at rush hour. Any good way to avoid some of the lousy traffic? Thinking of maybe taking 13 to Shakopee and picking up 101 N. Is that a possibility, or would I just be “whizzin’ up a rope”? Not looking forward to rush hour on Friday afternoon. Us Iowegians don’t have those down here in the cornfields.
Gramps
Airplane 
Really no way around it when you have to drive through the metro at rush hour:
35W: stand still
10N: grid lock
94/694: parking lot
It should not get bad untill your in the north metro.
Sorry,
Ron
Pick me up and I’ll drive ya through…hee hee…just kidding…
Coming from IA, I personally would shoot straight through on 35
D
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Coming from IA, I personally would shoot straight through on 35
35 is not really as bad as they say, it will slow down around highway 36 untill highway 10 but after that it shoud be good. I also pick it as your best bet.
Ron
Dick, I’m heading up tomorrow too. I’m a long way west of you and will probably go up through Redwood Fall and St. Cloud. If I zip over to 35 I was thinking about taking 494 to 169. What do you locals think about that idea?
Wish someone could give you guys some good news, but there just ain’t a good way anymore! Best thing to do is just have plenty of treats and tune the radio to a good station and “get in line”. 
On a positive note, there are plenty of pretty girls on the freeways at rush-hour….you will be going slow, so that should help you pass the time. 
Sorry again, but if there was a better way everyone would be on it! Good Luck once you get where you are going. 
I also Iowegian If you hate it has bad as I do take 19 Northfeild exit west to 15 go north and you can cut back to 169 it adds a few miles but not near as 
Good luck
Thanks for the advise Slipsinker. I was afraid of that. Pretty girls, huh. Well, a little ogoling may help pass the time. Do you guys still have that garage logic guy on the radio named Sucherey or something like that?
Wade, are you sure you have to go through the cities? Man, I’d sure try to find a way around it coming from your direction if at all possible. It’s a real zoo!!
Gramps
Gramps, I agree with the posts about 35. Take the E (East) branch when you hit Burnsville just south of the Cities. That way you don’t have to go through MPLS. Although there is some construction at the “Y” where 694 splits off, it moves OK. Slow but steady. Once you get past that it sails pretty good then.
If you plan to stay on the west side of the lake, take the Hinckley exit, and take a left. Follow it to the stop sign in town. (Not the stop light.) and take a right, and then a left on County 3 west. It will take you to 65 North, and follow that to 27W. That will take you to Isle, and around the south end of the lake.
If you plan to stay on the east side, take 35 past the Hinckley exit to HWY 18 west (Finlayson). 18 will dead end into the east side of Mille Lacs.
I hope that helps a bit.
Drive safe! We will wait for ya!
that is what I was thinking, wade should be able to continue north out of st. cloud and then cut over. I will grab my map book and look for you.
shane
yep, garage logic AM 1500 3-5:30 I think.
personally, I wouldn’t try to get on 169 until north of town. it’s usually a zoo.
I’m not sure of any construction either.
Tuck,
What channel you guys on VHS?
I’ll be pulling in Sat evening and heard something about a Brat call.
if you can get to 71 north, then take 23 to st. cloud and through to 169 north. you come out in Milaca.
gramps, stay on 35 up to finlayson, then take 18 west to the pond. that is how I would go from both of your locations.
shane
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What channel you guys on VHS?
82 is the IDA channel
Thanks, Tuck. I’ll take your advice. Look forward to seeing you again on Saturday. We’re staying at Twin Pines south of Garrison. Sounds like the wind is going to be a lttle nasty. Wonder if the East side would be a little better or with a South wind maybe it wouldn’t make much difference. Never fished the East side before, so looking at unfamiliar areas after dark isn’t that appealing either. Boy, we Iowans are sure a “whinney” bunch aren’t we? 
thanks slider
Yea, I’ll probably just go through St. Cloud like last year. If I go the other way I will have to donate more cash to Cabelas on the way. 
Of course, this way there’s Gander so what’s a guy to do.
Dick, keep the radio on channel 82. I stayed at Twin Pines last year. Nice folks there. I think we used the Pikes Point Ramp but I don’t know what kind of water there is now. I guess it’s low. You may want to go south of there and put in at one of the pay ramps. The bays on the west side were good to us last year!
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Boy, we Iowans are sure a “whinney” bunch aren’t we?
No, it’s those Nebraska whine-teats that bother us! 
(Sorry Ben and Wade! Couldn’t resist! )
Cove Bay, Vineland Bay are holding fish right now as well. You can find spots down there out of the wind. Otherwise, when the wind comes from the south there is no place to hide east or west. About all it is good for is a tail wind coming from Iowa!
May you have a Nor’Wester for the return trip!
Both 100 and 169 both stink for traffic, Personally I’ve tried them all, and believe it or not I think going up 35w is quickest of the 3, IMHO, taking my heavy wide boat it’s the way I go, just be prepared to go from 35e to 94wb that’s going to be the only trick part, you want to be in the second lane from the left on 35e by lake street, and stay there, stay left when the road “Ys” and follow the people onto the shoulder, once you’re through that part it shouldn’t be too bad from there. In my opinion 494 is the very worst way to go, traffic is just plain stupid there, I refuse to go that way anymore, last time I tried it was 2 narrow lanes, something I really don’t like with a big trailer, that may have changed a bit since I don’t know but the same stupid people still go that way, avoid it like the plague.
Don’t get me wrong everyway you choose is going to stink atleast a little bit, I think this is the least of all evils.
Coming from Iowa, why not take the split in Burnsville rather than 94?
I still think E is the best!
But it really depends on what time…
I believe Nick has a typo there. No way if you’re on 35E that you try to go 94 wb. Unless you’re trying to get to 169. Stay on 35E.
The only “shotcut” I’ve found probably won’t save much time if you’re going to Mille Lacs. Sometimes I take I 94 out of downtown Mpls, west, up to 694 and then head east on 694 back over to 35W. Sounds crazy, but for that stretch you’re not in any traffic and it moves.
I’ll be heading to Princeton tomorrow for some good ol’ high school football and I’m sure I’ll be in for some traffic.
Yeah my advice is for 169, honestly I didnt read this thread re careful 
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I’ll be heading to Princeton tomorrow for some good ol’ high school football and I’m sure I’ll be in for some traffic.
I hear that the Princeton traffic jams are the worse.
Almost as bad as those lighting fast tractors in Iowa 
Ron
I have been going through that recently going up to the cabin from the office. YUCK! You gotta get out of town early!
Airplane…….
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