Michigan and home!

The 2 leads all the way from Washington State through to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

 

  

We remember one of those!

More lighthouses. There are more lighthouses in Michigan than any other state, even though it borders no oceans! That must say something about the navigational hazards on the Great Lakes.

We weren’t sure what in the world this was. A little googling and we discovered that it is a brand of saunas. Who would have thought? Seems a little claustrophobic…

 

 

Some RV friends we met in Alaska recommended this stop. And we’re very grateful to them. It was a memorable and moving place.

  

The original bell on the Fitzgerald was taken off the wreck and replaced with a new one inscribed with the names of the men lost in the wreck. This original bell was then installed at the museum as part of the exhibit about shipwrecks on the Lake.

 

   

Even with all the science available, there’s still no definitive answer about what caused the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Lots of theories, but even the formal official inquiries came to different conclusions.

 

Life in a lighthouse. Not all glamorous and a lot of hard work.

 

  

 

      

 

 

Another pretty cool boon docking spot we found along the road. This was a large parking area that was welcoming to RVs for overnight stays. No hookups, of course. But a great view!

    

A little disturbing…

  

As we turned south, the fog rolled in.

Crossing the bridge from the UP into Mackinaw City was interesting. The fog was so thick, we couldn’t see the water at all.

  

 

A Coast Guard icebreaker.

These ferries were amazing. They came roaring into the harbor at full throttle.Then turned sharply to starboard and throttled back just before reaching the docks.

Despite the fog, it was fun to walk around the town.

  

       

 

We didn’t take the ferry out to the island…the fog was too thick to see anything. Maybe next time!

     

We pulled off the road for a stretch break and found this neat little harbor. Complete with a  pretty large resident salmon.

Everywhere we went, we found places named after the distance either from or to someplace else. Sometimes the names made sense. Other times, we never did figure out what the distance referred to. This lighthouse was on a point 40 miles from somewhere, but where?

   

Probably the most unusual placement of a boat lift we’ve ever encountered. Not even sure which house it belonged to.

  

Good ole Paul Bunyan and Babe, the blue ox.

 

Out of the UP, off the 2 and headed on the final stretch towards home.

  

 

Only in West Virginia…

 

Two continental divides in one drive!

This was an interesting series of rolling hills, each peak slightly lower than the previous one.

 

Back to our home turf. And back to the reason we come back every time! The kids and grands!

They make it worth coming home to, every time!! Love these guys!!!

Wow. Five months. One month to drive across the country out to Prince Rupert where we started the ferry hopping up the inside passage. Then three months visiting the islands of the inside passage and then wandering clockwise around the rest of Alaska. Then another month to drive back across “the 2” to Maryland. We’ve talked about going to Alaska for most of our married life. To get to do it in such an amazing fashion was beyond anything we ever anticipated. It’s a wild, beautiful, amazing, friendly place. Tons of pictures, even more memories. Oh, and we’ve started our list for our next visit…

 

But if not…