St. Ignace, Michigan - Upper Peninsula

On Monday, August 30, we left the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota, Hwy 61 south to Duluth, across into Wisconsin on I-535, then US Hwy 2 east across the northern part of Wisconsin. This is supposed to be the Dairy Capital of America, but that must be in the southern portion. We didn’t see even one cheese shop, and only saw two cows. The landscape was mostly timberland - a mix of hardwood, pine, and cedar.

It was only 100 or so miles across Wisconsin, and we crossed into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The terrain is still mostly woodlands. About halfway across the UP we stopped at the Bewabic State Park near Crystal Falls for the night.



On Tuesday, August 31, we continued 228 miles on US Hwy 2 east to St. Ignace and got a campsite at Straits State Park. This campground is right on the Straits of Mackinac which separate the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan from north to south and Lake Michigan and Lake Huron from west to east.

Yesterday (Wednesday) we did a little sightseeing in the area. One of the big draws in this area is Mackinac Island which is 3 miles off shore in Lake Huron. The only way to get there is by private boat, ferry, small plane, or snowmobile in winter. The island only has a year-round population of 523, but as many as 15,000 visitors per day flock to the island during the tourist season. There are no motor vehicles allowed (except the snowmobiles in winter) and once there, the only way to get around is by foot, bicycle, or horse drawn carriage. The attraction is all the hotels, restaurants, bars, and retail shops that line the streets. We opted not to make the trip over to the island - too much time, effort, and cost involved just to walk up and down the streets awhile looking and shopping.





One of the sights in St. Ignace is the Mackinac Bridge. “Big Mac“ or “Mighty Mac“, as it is called, is the 3rd longest suspension bridge in the world and the longest between anchorages in the Western Hemisphere. It was put into service in 1957 and crosses the Straits of Mackinac. The bridge is 5 miles long It carries 4 lanes of I-75 across the straits from the Upper to the Lower Peninsula of Michigan - we crossed it today.







As we were riding around yesterday in St. Ignace we happened to see this beautiful relic! What a car!!!



Today we left St. Ignace and the Upper Peninsula and made it 182 miles south on I-75. We got a campsite at Bay City State Park in Bay City, MI on Saginaw Bay.