Robin Posted July 6, 2017 Report Share Posted July 6, 2017 I have never been to the track or much north of St. Cloud. I will be coming from western Wisconsin and am wondering if I am better off taking I-94, 694, north around the Twin Cities and then 94/Highway 10 north or better to go up to St Croix Falls and cross on 95 to 169 to 18 to Brainerd. The first route looks a bit faster unless it is all messed up with construction around the cities. I am planning on camping at Brainerd. Their website indicates it is welcome. Anyone have any particular advice on that? I am planning on bringing a supply of water, anything else you can suggest? I know the unofficial "bird" of Minnesota; I will have plenty of bug repellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicozzie Posted July 6, 2017 Report Share Posted July 6, 2017 (edited) I'd go 694 to 94 and keep going until you hit Clearwater. At the Clearwater exit, take a right at the top of the ramp and head toward Clear Lake which is about 6-7 miles away. Once in the bustling metropolis that is Clear Lake, one might want to make a stop at Macdonald's Meats to pick up craploads of their wondrous turkey jerky. Take a left onto US Hwy 10 after your visit to head northward again, go past St. Cloud and Treasure City (unless you want to get useless trinkets and shellaced alligator heads) and continue northward on MN 371 at the 10/371 split to BIR, which is about six miles north of the Brainerd/Baxter area. Camping? Hey, I know of a kick-ass camping spot! Drive toward turn one after getting there. There's a narrow unpaved section with cement barriers on each side. Immediately after you pass that, there is a HUGE opening on the right which is where I camp at every Trans-Am race held there. Very nice and quiet and a good spot for campfires. Just make sure that BIR security are okay with you camping on that side of the bridge for that weekend. Usually they are. It's a great spot with tons of wildlife around. I've been going to Donnybrooke/BIR since 1970, so I know the place well. Have fun! Jerry Edited July 6, 2017 by comicozzie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jzoz Posted July 7, 2017 Report Share Posted July 7, 2017 We'll also be camping at Brainerd. I've never been to the track, but my team has done a race there and said it was fairly rustic compared to Roam America in regard to the camping facilities. Should be fun, we camped at Road America last October and had a blast. I think we were the only team there that tent camped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandit Posted July 7, 2017 Report Share Posted July 7, 2017 The car won't be anywhere near ready, but debating volunteering. Want to be a part of the fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LX Sport Posted July 7, 2017 Report Share Posted July 7, 2017 I know you said you'll have bug spray...but make sure you get some serious stuff. Last year, they were the thickest Ive ever seen, anywhere, ever. You literally could not swing your arm without hitting 3-4 of them. They chased us away while attempting to work on the car. We all put our firesuits on to try and cover up, but that didnt even help. Seriously, they were sooo unbelievably bad last year, and it went from 0 to billions in a matter of minutes....so good luck! Otherwise camping there is fine. They have multiple events a year that are full of people camping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicozzie Posted July 8, 2017 Report Share Posted July 8, 2017 On 7/7/2017 at 1:26 AM, LX Sport said: I know you said you'll have bug spray...but make sure you get some serious stuff. Last year, they were the thickest Ive ever seen, anywhere, ever. You literally could not swing your arm without hitting 3-4 of them. They chased us away while attempting to work on the car. We all put our firesuits on to try and cover up, but that didnt even help. Seriously, they were sooo unbelievably bad last year, and it went from 0 to billions in a matter of minutes....so good luck! Otherwise camping there is fine. They have multiple events a year that are full of people camping. They weren't TOO bad at the Trans-Am race when I camped out a week ago, but my son and I got a few bites. Consider two things: wind and humidity. Regardless, bring Deep Woods Off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Posted July 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2017 I will come prepared for bugs; I do live on a farm with a herd of horses so I'm pretty used to the bug wars. If things are really bad I will go to Fleet Farm (there is one in Baxter, I checked) and get a container of Insectrin Concentrate and mix it at least double strength and spray everything. That generally does the trick. If things are truly terrible, there is always CV-80D, also available at Fleet Farm. That is the stuff dairy farmers use in their barns and if you have ever been around dairy cows you know how bad bugs can get there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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