Michigan

For the last part of our trip, we planned to spend a few nights in Michigan to unwind a bit more before the final two day drive home. We said good-bye to Canada and the dangers of pissed-off moose and drove across the bridge in Sault Ste Marie that spans the St. Mary's River, which connects Lake Superior to the small lakes feeding Lake Huron. We drove over the bridge, looking down on the famous Soo Locks (an engineering marvel which avoids the rapids in the river, and one of the busiest canals in the world) as we went. US Customs in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, was a piece of cake. And then, for the first time in almost two weeks, we were back on US soil. It felt really good to be back "home".

Back in the USA again

We needed some supplies: gas, ice, and groceries, so we stopped at Meijer. Meijer is a huge Midwestern chain of gas stations and convenience stores that in some places also have a grocery store and home center. Gas prices vary across the US (as well as across Canada), so we weren't sure we were seeing prices that would reflect the rest of our trip, but one thing for sure was that at this Meijer, it was a LOT cheaper than in Canada. Gas prices in Canada had varied from about $5.15 American per gallon in the built up areas out in oil producing Alberta to $6.40 in the more remote and touristy areas of the same province. On average, they were around $5.80/gal American. All the time in Canada we had to do a couple of conversions to get an idea of price in units we were used to. Multiply the Canadian price by 3.78 to go from liters to gallons, then multiply that by the exchange rate of $0.78 America to $1 Canadian. If you're in a hurry, just multiply the Canadian price per liter by 3 and you're close to the American price per gallon. It was funny that as we closed in on the American border, gas prices got cheaper and cheaper, which is usually not what you see as you approach a bridge or border unless...unless the gas is even cheaper on the other side! Meijer had gas for $4.45/gal. Welcome back!

The Meijer grocery store gave us another welcome sight: A huge, well-stocked store with good prices. In all our time in Canada, we'd seen only one large, well stocked grocery store comparable to any of the ones we have in our home town. I would compare Meijer favorably with our local Wegman's or Giant stores with one important difference: You can buy beer and wine with no rigamarole, and hard stuff as well at Meijer in Michigan. Pennsylvania is the most cumbersome state to buy alcohol of any place I've ever lived, and though they've lightened up in recent years, they still have a way to go. The groceries were very nice, and after dealing with the ridiculous prices across Canada, we felt like we could live like kings again.

On those Canadian prices: Everything was high in Canada, even accounting for the favorable exchange: not just gas, and not just in remote or touristy places. A couple of things were really high. For some reason I can't discern, chicken was really expensive. I know eggs and chicken have gone up in the US, but they're nowhere near as expensive as in Canada. Another thing that isn't cheap is paper products, this in a country with vastly more trees than the US. I can only guess that it has something to do with the somewhat over the top environmental and recycling policies. (Everywhere you go, there are a confusingly large number of recycling bins for every category of recycling.) Vicky and I joked about being parsimonious with our "$50 roll of paper towel" (small exaggeration), which is doled off the tiny roll in very thin sheets. I had a conversation with a woman in western Ontario who ran a convenience store and vacation lodge. She'd moved there from North Carolina some years ago. The peace and quiet were the big draw, but her big complaint was the high taxes, which I'm sure were part of the price of everything even before the added sales tax.

We drove through the tip of the Upper Peninsula to a campground in St. Ignace on the northern end of the Straits of Mackinac. The campground was the Tiki RV Park and it was only about a mile from the harbor. We hadn't originally planned to stop to see Mackinac Island, a popular spot for tourists and summer homes. But we'd heard good things about it, and our day's travel from Agawa Bay was not a long drive, less than 150 miles, so we had the afternoon to go.  

Mackinac Island is a 4.35 square mile island in Lake Huron about a mile or so from St. Ignace. The island is full of summer homes, hotels, bed and breakfasts, and is also a popular tourist and Great Lakes cruise destination. There's an old fort, which was originally built during colonial times by the British, who were concerned about raids by the Indians and the French. The fort became an American one  after the Revolutionary War (though one it took the British a while to vacate) and was in use until the late 1800s. It's nowadays well-maintained as a tourist attraction. Mackinac is also the location of the summer home of the governor of Michigan. Cars or powered vehicles of any kind are not allowed on Mackinac, not even electric-assisted bikes. You get everywhere on foot, bike, or horse drawn carriage. Several ferry companies take people to the island from St. Ignace and Mackinaw City (on the Lower Peninsula side of the straight). Shepler's Ferry has a boat every half-hour all day long.  We got on the 1 PM ferry. On the way out, the ferry takes you on a detour to pass under the Mackinac Bridge, one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. It's also the official boundary between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. It's quite impressive close up!

On the ferry passing under the Mackinac Bridge

We spent a couple of hours walking around the town. The main tourist drag is right off the docks, and the streets are loaded with souvenir stores, restaurants, ice cream shops and fudge shops. Mackinac Island is known for its fudge. Just like purveyors of cheesesteaks in Philly, there are several shops that vie for fudge supremacy. I'm not a big fudge person, but the stuff made on Mackinac will convert you! Most of the spots of interest on the island outside the tourist area are above the bluff that circles most of the island. After a bit of a climb on one of the bike paths, we toured a nature area, saw a natural arch overlooking Lake Huron, then headed back down the slope to town. Everywhere we went, the paths were crowded with walkers, bicyclers, and horse drawn carriages. We stopped in at St. Anne's, an old Roman Catholic church. Vicky lit a candle for for my mom (who would do the same thing), and for our safe return home. We walked down the main drag and bought some fudge and a few souvenirs, then caught the 4 PM ferry back to St. Ignace.

The main drag near the dock and below the bluff on Mackinac Island

Near the top of the bluff looking out over Lake Huron

The summer residence of the Governor of Michigan

Natural arch overlooking Lake Huron

Looking inside St. Anne's on Mackinac Island

Lots of fudge shops on the island. We bought some at Murdick's

The next morning we were headed to Ludington, Michigan. It's on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan (the west side of the Lower Peninsula). I'd heard of Ludington from someone I used to work with, and it was not too far off the direct path home, so we'd planned to spend a couple of nights there before the last push home. We traveled through rural Michigan. The terrain is slightly rolling, especially as you head toward the lake. A lot of corn, a welcome sight after hundreds of miles of wheat and yellow alfalfa in the Canadian prairies. And cherry trees. We sidestepped a detour to Traverse City, on Lake Michigan north or where we were heading. It's the Cherry Capital of the world and home of the National Cherry Festival. But we still saw plenty of orchards the way we went. That part of north central Michigan is politically conservative, cordoned off by the ring of larger cities closer to the southern border of the state. A lot of Trump 2024 signs, with one machine shop in particular, not too far outside of Ludington, having gone quite overboard with it, on both sides of the road!

This guy was making a statement...

...on both sides of the road!

Ludington is notable as a Great Lakes vacation spot. There are summer homes, a downtown with plenty of places to eat, and scenic attractions. There's a big beach and lighthouse downtown, and not far north of town, a state park with miles of huge sand dunes and another lighthouse a couple of miles hike from the parking lot. Ludington is a pleasant small city. It's not a flashy tourist spot; rather relaxed, actually. 

Cool kitty guarding the camp store at the Lakeview Campsite near Ludington

Our campground was on the shores of Hamlin Lake, a small lake that feeds into Lake Michigan, not too far north of town. It was a nice, family-oriented place. It looked like a lot of families chose to camp there for much of the summer. After setting up camp, we went downtown to walk around. We had dinner at the Jamesport Brewing Company, a nice brewpub just off the main drag. After dinner, we walked down the main drag to the shoreline, about a mile each way, and got a view of the lighthouse.

Tree lined, flower lined Ludington Avenue near the beach

The lighthouse off of downtown Ludington

That night we experienced something we hadn't really had to deal with since we left Pennsylvania: a warm, humid night. It had been getting warmer as we moved south. But the night air in St. Ignace was still comfortable. Our first night in Ludington was a bit uncomfortable. That would be one of the factors that would play into our decision of the next day.

Sunset over Hamlin Lake, which feeds into Lake Michigan near Ludington

On Tuesday, we planned to do some more sightseeing, but mostly relax. We had a camp breakfast, then headed to Ludington State Park. We thought we'd walk out to the lighthouse and climb the dunes and go for a swim and ... and we ran out of steam. The day was hazy and a bit hot. The beach was nice, but...we were really getting ragged from almost a month on the road. We went back to the campground quite tired from just a stroll up the beach. At that moment, we both were thinking the same thing. It was going to be warmer and stuffier that night. And thunderstorms were forecast from Michigan to western Ohio for the next day. We decided to skip the second night in Ludington, pack up and head out to see if we could get halfway home in a reasonable amount of time. It was already after 1 PM. We were tired, so it was crazy talk to consider driving all the way home (630 miles) in one shot. We planned to get as far as we could by dinner time and find a hotel on the way.

As we drove southward through Michigan, the roads became more congested. Lots of cities to drive past: Muskegon, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Detroit. By time we neared Toledo, it was time to book a hotel. But we got halfway home!