With our suitcases packed and in the truck...and the rig ready to go, we left Glenview Cottages and Campground and headed a short distance up the highway to Christies RV. Once all the paperwork was done, we disconnected....and were on our way. We are going on "vacation" for a week LOL! Since we are only about 4 hours north of Dennis and Charlene, we are dipping down into Michigan for a visit with them.
We made our way south through Sault Ste Marie to the International Bridge...
The Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge spans the St. Marys River between the United States and Canada connecting the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The bridge is operated by the International Bridge Administration under the direction of the Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Authority, a bi-national governing body consisting of four directors appointed by the Governor of Michigan and four appointed by the Canadian government-owned Federal Bridge Corporation.
Great views from the bridge...the
Algoma Steel Plant is the second largest in Canada and sells it's products worldwide...
Entrance to the Canadian locks...
Sault Ste Marie, Michigan...
Saint Marys River drains Lake Superior flowing 74.5 miles into Lake Huron with a drop of 23 feet...
Freighter entering the canal to the locks on the US side...
Not sure what this is...
At the border crossing into the US we had a couple of bell peppers and avocados taken...they didn't have anything on them to say where they were from. Oh well...I figured they wanted to make Greek salad and needed peppers LOL!
Our first stop across the border was in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan...a diesel fill-up ($3.10/gallon) and a quick Walmart stop for beer and wine. Then we continued south on I-75, taking an exit into St. Ignace to find a place for lunch.
A very cool little town...
We found the Driftwood Sports Bar and sat outside on their porch (notice the water glasses, Harry?)
A few more pictures as we leave and head back to the I-75...
Looks like a busy place...
Next was the Mackinac Bridge...a toll bridge...
The Mackinac Bridge (MAK-in-aw) is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the 26,372-foot-long (4.995 mi; 8.038 km) bridge is the world's 20th-longest main span and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western Hemisphere. The bridge connects the city of St. Ignace on the north end with the village of Mackinaw City on the south.
Road maintenance is constantly being done, only 2 of the 4 lanes were open making for bumper to bumper traffic on the way over...
Mackinaw City as we near the end of the bridge....
Fort Michilimackinac...we'll be stopping there on our way home...
Just past Mackinac City, we took the exit to highway 31. This route took us through lots of quaint small lakeside towns..
Pirate's Cove Adventure Golf, Petroskey, Michigan...
Wow...that's quite the place!
The highway follows Lake Michigan's shoreline....love the clarity and colour of the water...
Charlevois, Michigan...flowers line the street....
It's certainly a boaters paradise with so many lakes, big and small...
Village of Elk Rapids...
Charlene wanted to buy this moose but days later it was gone...
East Bay Harbor....
Approaching Traverse City...
The beaches are busy...
In Traverse City, highway 31 turns into highway 22 and continues up the peninsula.
Add some palm trees and a tiki bar and you'd swear you were in Mexico or Hawaii!
The highway goes through more small villages...
We followed Serena's (GPS) directions, zig-zagging us over to the west side of the peninsula...to Dennis and Charlene's address. A beautiful country road...
It was around 4:30 when we pulled into their driveway and were greeted with big hugs. After showing us around their home, we climbed the spiral stairway up to the 3rd floor...the "observation tower"...the views of Lake Michigan are incredible from up there! We enjoyed a cool drink and started catching up...
This Peahen showed up in their yard...
Hello up there!
Ahhh....so good to be here! We're looking forward to the next few days spending time with some wonderful friends!
Man you guys have great photos! So nice where you are right now with all the beaches and lakes. The "observation tower" looks like the place to be with the nice weather, beautiful. Awesome bridge too. Have a great "vacay" lol.
ReplyDeleteI took so many pictures on the way down...poor Steve had to edit them. Still have a lot to do to get caught up!
DeleteThe area down along the lake is beautiful and the views from Dennis and Charlene's place...amazing! They are waterfront but up on a cliff.
Beautiful area, so much fun exploring new areas isn't it?
ReplyDeleteIt is!
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