Up North Michigan

Land of Lakes

The dark, narrow pavement defined by nothing more than white stripes at the edges winds through the deep shade of the forest canopy. Occasionally I catch glimpses of water far below. Impossibly blue, it stretches to the horizon and sparkles in the late afternoon sun. Homes are tucked away, nestled in the woods, which only enhances the visual treat of riding this route. With little to detract from the view, "The Tunnel of Trees" has almost everything I look for in a scenic touring road. Like the saying goes, I'd saved the best for last.

I love riding over big bridges, and the Mighty Mac, stretching over the Straits of Mackinac, is one of the great ones. Far removed from the ocean, a transatlantic freighter passes under me on its long voyage there. Water everywhere, it's no wonder the early explorers were convinced they had discovered the elusive Northwest Passage when they ventured up the St. Lawrence River and entered the Great Lakes.

The narrow strait connecting Lake Michigan to Lake Huron was a strategic military location long before fur traders arrived on the scene. Underneath the southern end of the bridge in Mackinaw City is the reconstructed early-eighteenth-century Fort Michilmackinac. Mackinaw City has only 860 year-round residents, but up to 15,000 visitors a day during a busy summer weekend. A large portion of these visitors are taking the ferries (no motorized vehicles allowed) from downtown Mackinaw City to historic Mackinaw Island, site of the British fort and village established after Indians captured Fort Michilmackinac in 1763. ...

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