MICHIGAN

1 July 2012: We leave Ontario, Canada, and are heading for Mackinac Island, Michigan.

Bridge leading from Ontario to Michigan

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We go on a Hydro-Jet from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island.
Although spelled differently, they are both pronounced  - aw.

We wanted to see the island because the town banned the introduction of automobiles at the request of carriage owners who took visitors on sightseeing trips.

As well as bikes, horses and carriages are still used for heavy work.

This is the trash pickup carriage.

Sometimes their worlds meet, as a broken bike gets hoisted onto a carriage.

Mackinak Island is known for splendid hotels; it is where Christopher Reeve's "Somewhere in Time" was filmed...

and is also known for its many fudge shops. Check out those chocolate high heels!

Thom is pictured with the island's fort.

As we leave the island, we consider which is worst: car emissions or horse emissions.

We camped the night at Lake Michigan State Park on Lake Michigan

2 July 2012: We drove to Munising and rode our bikes into Sand Beach on the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, which is part of the coast of Lake Superior. We then jumped into the car to see Miner's Castle, another part of the shoreline.

Sheila and Thom at Sand Beach, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

View of Miner's Castle on the PRNL

Thom and Sheila at Pictured Rock National Lakeshore, Michigan (Lake Superior)

View from Miner's Castle (Grand Island in the background)

The beach on the west side of Miner's Castle.

Then we were on the road again.

We camped the night in Wakefield, Michigan, on a small lake called Lake Sunday. About 10 pm there was thunder and lightning, and then in the night we woke up to very high winds and torrential rain. We were okay in our Kelty tent, but when we got up the next morning a lot of other people had fled in the night!