September 29, 2009

Lake Michigan was quiet in Manistique this morning. The wind had changed direction and the waves were down to about two feet. On the other side of the UP, Lake Superior was still producing waves of twelve to fifteen feet.

Our destination today was Mackinaw City, MI. To get there we had to cross the Mackinac Bridge and we were not looking forward to that. A few miles before we reached the bridge, we stopped at an overlook and took a photo of Lake Michigan (first photo). This overlook is about one hundred feet above the lake and offers a good vantage point for viewing the lake.

As we approached the Mackinac Bridge (second photo), the posted speed for trucks was down to 20 mph, and for cars it was 40 mph. This was necessary due to the high winds and the height of the bridge over the lake (over 200 feet). Trucks also had to travel using their emergency flashers.

Our attraction today was the Mackinaw Lighthouse (third photo). The lighthouse was put into service in 1892. When the bridge was completed in 1957, the lighthouse was decommissioned because the bridge had its own navigation lights and fog horns.

We tried to get a good photo of the bridge after dark (fourth photo) but the wind is still blowing about 20 mph. The camera moved a little during the timed photo.

Our sign of the day was spotted in Gulliver, MI.

Tomorrow we will be heading to Traverse City, MI. This means we will soon be visiting The Cherry Republic…more things to taste and smell!
T&C