Wandering Bucket List: Around the Great Lake Michigan

July 6 and 7, 2012

A note to people who only consider the Midwest to be "flyover country":

You have no idea what you are missing.

There are five (5) Great Lakes: (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior)

Three (3) of the five (5) were visited on this trip.

Straits of Mackinac

The Straits of Mackinac is the strip of water that connects Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and also separates the Lower Peninsula of Michigan from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

The 5-mile long Mackinac Bridge (at 552 feet high, it's like a 55 story building!) connects upper and lower Michigan and it opened to traffic on November 1, 1957.

Construction began in 1954 and during the 42 months that followed hundreds of men worked on the various phases of the bridge construction. Five men lost their lives during the bridge construction: one fell from a tower, one diver surfaced too quickly and did not recover, and 3 iron workers fell from a catwalk collapse.

Before the Mackinac Bridge was constructed, travelers between Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas had to cross the Straits via an hour-long ferry ride. On busy weekends, like the start of hunting season, or the Fourth of July holiday, carloads of anxious travelers would wait in line as long as 24 hours to catch a ferry.

http://www.great-lakes.net/teach/history/macbridge/mac_1.html

Driving over the Mackinac Bridge can be unnerving. Some people are afraid to drive across the bridge, typically because of a fear of heights. Their timidness has earned them the nickname "timmies" by the fare collectors and Bridge Authority. The Mackinac Bridge Authority has a Drivers Assistance Program that provides free drivers for those uncomfortable attempting the drive.

In September 22, 1989, a woman died when her Yugo plunged over the 35-inch railing. Gale force northwest winds, coming through the open steel grates on the bridge's span, blew her vehicle off the bridge. http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=156

...glad we didn't know that when we took our Mini Cooper over the bridge; it weighs only slightly more than a Yugo.

Mackinac Island is only accessible by ferry boat or airplane; no automobiles are allowed. Since we don't own a plane, we took the Star Line Hydro-jet Ferry. http://www.mackinacferry.com/

It's about a 20-minute ferry ride from the Lower Michigan burg of Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island.

The Grand Hotel

http://www.grandhotel.com/

2012 marked its 125th Anniversary

Round Island Lighthouse when approaching Mackinac Island.
Looked like a doll house from the ferry, later learned it's a three story structure! http://roundislandlightmichigan.com/history

Main Street (aka Huron Street) Mackinac Island on Sunday morning after an evening rain washed away the horse barn smell that permeated the air on Saturday. No motorized vehicles are allowed on the Island so any transportation is by walking, horse and carriage, or bicycle.

We stayed at the Murray Hotel, pictured here.

It's on "Main Street" but the street signs all say "Huron Street"!

Island residents having a conversation about all the noisy tourists.

Sault Ste Marie International Bridge

On a whim, decided to head into Canada for a quick breakfast. Big mistake! Only after getting on the bridge northbound did we see a loooong line of cars heading south into the USA. Found a shopping mall, grabbed some muffins, and got right back in line the re-enter the U.S.

US Border Guard: "How long was your stay in Canada?"

Answer: "About 1/2 hour, then 2 hours on the bridge."

The International Bridge at Sault Ste. Marie is the only vehicular crossing between Ontario and Michigan within a 300-mile distance.

http://www.saultbridge.com/

The Soo Locks are below the bridge, so we saw more than enough while sitting on the bridge for a couple of hours!

Humor me and call it an artistic photo.

Point Iroquois Lighthouse

Driving from Sault Ste. Marie to Whitefish Point and stumbled upon the lighthouse. http://www.exploringthenorth.com/ptiroquois/iroquois.html

Let's go up there.

Don't get too dizzy.

Ahhh, the view is the reward.

Dwarf red car parking is allowed.

The lighthouse grounds.

No John Tesh or Alan Alda sightings to report.

Whitefish Point

http://www.shipwreckmuseum.com/whitefishpoint

Kudos to French physicist Augustin-Jean Fesnel for the lens.

Shipwreck Museum on the grounds.
(Yep, that's a big wooden ship rudder.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS5v536aNQ4&feature=channel&list=UL

Edmund Fitzgerald sunk 11/10/1975; bell was rescued from the bottom of Lake Superior off Whitefish Point.

Sobering radio chatter courtesy of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Society:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyaEDWf_dG8&feature=related

Stayed overnight right on the grounds of the Light Station and Shipwreck Museum.

The room was in a restored 1923 Coast Guard Lifeboat Station barracks where there are a total of five rooms, each with queen size beds and private baths, along with a common kitchen and living area.