North to the Straits of Mackinac

"Mighty Mac" Bridge - The bridge that couldn't be built!
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9/15/2008

We drove from Green Bay to St. Ignace, MI. on the North Shore Highway which hugs the North shore of Lake Michigan. It was a beautiful ride and we drove from cloudy skies to sunshine. Among many other rivers we crossed the No See’um River (don’t you love it) and passed many homes with unusual entry signs, i.e. Sun of a Beach and Lucky Buzzard’s. St. Ignace is located at the site of the Mackinac Bridge or “ Mighty Mac” as it is coined locally. It is an amazing sight – one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. Five miles long and locals say it sways. I can hardly wait to cross in the motorhome! There are Bob’s Big Boy restaurants in Michigan and I love them so we had dinner at the local one tonight.

Lake Superior from Iriquois Point
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9/16/2008

Today we had planned on going to Mackinac Island but it was fairly cool and cloudy so we decided to wait until tomorrow. We headed north and visited Tahquamenon (sounds like phenomonon) Falls State Park which is located near the Southern shore of Lake Superior. It was absolutely beautiful and well worth the drive. There are two sets of falls – the lower falls and the upper falls. The lower consists of series of five different falls. We walked out to the brink of the falls along a beautiful boardwalk. The upper falls is much higher and also very beautiful. Stopped in Paradise, Michigan for lunch and then drove east along Lake Superior to Sault Ste. Marie. There we visited the Soo Locks and visited the museum. When we arrived back in St. Ignace we visited Bridge View Park where you can get a good view of the Mighty Mac Bridge – quite an engineering feat.

Leaving St. Ignace Harbor for Mackinac Island
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9/17/2008

We hopped on a boat this morning and headed to Mackinac Island. Even though it is spelled “Mackinac” it is pronounced “Mackinaw” – strange! It is a 14 minute boat ride out into Lake Huron but a whole world of difference. What an enjoyable place to visit. The town is so turn of the century and the Grand Hotel is magnificent. The only way to get into the Hotel (except as a guest) is to pay for a tour. If you want to stay for lunch it is $45 each. We decided that was to rich for our blood but we did walk the grounds. There are no automobiles on the island – everyone either walk’s, bicycle’s or takes a horse. We opted to take the 2 hour horse carriage tour along with lots of walking. The carriage tour was nice, but I wish we had rented bikes instead live and learn. Ft. Mackinac sits atop a hill overlooking the harbor and St. Mary’s Cemetery is a big attraction. The original cemetery was moved from the harbor area many years ago. There are lots of restrictions on who can be buried there (of course one of them is you have to be dead!). The Mayor of Mackinac Island is a woman named Doud (pronounced just like Dowd). She has been Mayor for many years and owns Doud’s Market – the only market on the island. Mike went in and told them they spelled the name wrong. There are fudge shops everywhere so of course we had to buy some. This is a must visit place for anyone coming this way.