Friday, September 12, 2014

Farewell UP and Hello LP

Friday, September 12

While it didn't get quite as cold as the weatherman predicted, it was just 39 when we got up this morning and that was plenty cold enough.  We truly felt sorry for the people in Bismark, North Dakota though, as they woke to snow.  YUCK!!! It is way to early to be hearing about that.  In fact that is what the weatherman said too as this is the earliest they've seen snow in all the years that records have been maintained.  I wonder what that means for the coming winter.

Anyway, we bundled up and broke camp this morning in Newberry (in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) and set off for Mackinac City just across the beautiful Mackinac Bridge and into the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.  Our campground in fact sits on Lake Huron with views of "the Mighty Mac".

On our way we made a couple of stops for overviews of Lake Michigan.  What a difference a day makes.  When we passed this way last Sunday, the skies were blue and the temperatures were in the mid 70s.  The beauty was magnificent.  Today it was 40 degrees with heavy clouds.  Still it was a neat sight here in Epoufette...
and here just before we got on the bridge.
Sadly my camera wouldn't focus correctly so I wasn't able to get a good shot of the bridge as we passed over it but it sure is neat to see both Lake Huron and Lake Michigan stretching as far as the eye can see on either side of it.  Of course the camera wouldn't "see" that anyway as it has such a narrow "point of view".

Judy took this picture of us as we crossed the bridge since they were following us (we're the big blue motorhome with the blue car in tow)


We got settled into our campground, enjoyed lunch and relaxed for a bit

Plus checked out yet another view of the bridge from the campground.  This is from the Lake Huron shores. You may wonder why so many photos of the same thing. Well, we are near what many call the 8th wonder of the world - the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere (950 feet longer than the Golden Gate Bridge) with two main towers 552 feet above the water and 210 feet in the water deep into bedrock. It is simply magnificent even on a heavy cloud day like today.

We drove into town and just walked around a bit checking out some of the shops till it was time for dinner which we enjoyed at Darrow's Family Restaurant.  They had fabulous fresh caught white fish dinners.  By the time we were leaving the line waiting for a table was out the door with easily three dozen people in line!

On our way back to the campground we pulled into a parking lot at the base of the bridge for another view of it 
and to see the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse - one of 22 in the Straits (the narrow area between the Upper and Lower Peninsula where Lake Huron and Lake Michigan join) and one of over 100 lighthouses in Michigan.  

The 49 degree temperature kept us from spending any more time outside so short of a stop so the Mosholders could pick up a pasty (a form of meat pie that was popular with Michigan miners in years gone by) to try later we headed back to our motorhomes to warm up and rest before a big day tomorrow.

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