Day 1 started early, leaving Waterloo with my coffee and donuts approximately 5:45am. This time of year, the sun is up early, so with Bob and Tom cranked up on the radio, I headed east to Dubuque (with a quick stop for coffee), then to Madison, Wi, making great time.
After another coffer stop (nothin beats cruisin' along with a good cup of coffee!) in Madison, and anticipation building as I moved closer to the great North Woods, the rains began..... I knew it was coming, but didn't think I'd hit it so soon, and it would last so long! So there were not many "photo ops" on the Day 1 drive.
Time for the 1st gas stop, and unfortunately, for a die-hard Bears Fan, it was in Green Bay, WI. Since I was so close to Lambeau Field, I thought this was a good time to test out the new feature on my trip - "The Dash Cam". I only post this for my "Packer Friends" (maybe I should say acquaintances, as I cannot admit to being friends with Packer Fans). I must say, it is definitely a landmark of the town, and couldn't pass up the chance to capture at least a little bit of the field. (I apologize in advance for the rain filled windshield, and the wipers pounding away.. but hey, at least some video!)
The 2nd test of the "dash cam" came in Escanaba, MI, where I revisited their shoreline park along Little Bay de Noc (North end of Green Bay)... Its a neat area, and for you maritime buffs, there's a small museum, along with an old lighthouse to explore.
From Escanaba, with rain pounding, I hit the main road along the northern shores of Lake Michigan, on my way to Manistique, MI and ultimately, the Mackinac Bridge. There were two lighthouses near Manistique, but with the rain, and the fact they both were on gravel/dirt (now mud) roads, I opted not to stop this time, and replaced their stops with one to grab some refreshments.
The drive along the North Coast of Lake Michigan in the Upper Peninsula was nice.. not alot of traffic, several small bays overlooking Lake Michigan, and massive expanses of woodland... my kind of country! But with the rain, it lost some of the luster to explore. By now I was approaching 10 hours on the road, so I was anxious to get to my primo sight of the trip, the Mackinac Bridge! I took "Dash Cam" footage crossing southbound, but with the rain and wipers, I will save the video footage until I post Day 2 information, and the video crossing Northbound to St. Ignace. I must say, it was a bit nerve wracking crossing alone, with this HUGE drop to the water, "see thru" bridge decking in the center lanes, and rain pounding the entire time, but boy, what a view! Even with the rain!
The Mackinac Bridge dumped me right into downtown Mackinaw City. Being after 6pm, and raining, not many people were out and about. There were tons of motorcycles parked in the town, and even cruising around in the rain... (I suspect the Upper Peninsula, and the Mackinaw City area are big motorcycle touring areas). The main downtown strip was filled with many small specialty shops, and as you approached the shoreline, you found the Ferry launches, alot of hotels, and many more food and shopping establishments. Looks like a great place to spend the day wandering the stores, enjoying a few "beverages" and food, and checking out the lakeshore views.
Here's the video of my "drive thru" in the rain on friday nite.
Time to call it a day, so I headed to my hotel - Baymont Inn & Suites. A REALLY nice hotel, esp. the price. It wasn't on the shoreline, so that probably helped keep the cost down. The interior and rooms had been recently refurbished, so it was a perfect spot to crash for the nite.
A long, but interesting day.... Stay tuned for Day 2.
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