Day 7 – Saturday, June 1st (253mi)
Marquette, Michigan for the night.
We got here around 3:30pm, had lunch and climbed a mountain, for a magnificent lookout. (Sugarloaf Mountain)
Mountain climbing is for the young. Over 300 steps along with the climb. Every time I told Al – I gotta stop and rest.
Al said – you don’t have to finish.
My willing spirit reaches beyond my physical limits….Blessings of strength
We had our 1st experience in Air BnB, it was good, woke up rested.
We were in an excellent neighborhood near a golf course and a church just behind the backyard.
Day 8 – Sunday, June 2nd (250mi)
So after a good nights sleep we walked over to the church, enjoyed Praise and worship in God’s word with what seemed to be a sweet congregation; friendly and welcoming. We had a great conversation with an older gentleman who told us of his travels with wife on tandem-bicycling for over 40 years they go on long bicycling trips together, tandem riding. WOW good for them.
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People are so very interesting. And the most interesting people are interested in one another, this has always been my observation as we go on our ways.
A lot of caring people.
A couple days before, when we were in a McDonalds after early morning rain travels, we stopped for breakfast – soak and wet, we left a trail from the front door, to the bathroom, to the counter, the drink station and to our table right by the door….. because we had already made a big enough mess. It was pouring rain.
A lady who worked there came to our table laughing and ask us if we would make a complete lap all around so they could just go a head and mop. We laughed with her and then she began to tell of her rain motorcycling experiences. So fun when fellow riders laugh and share.
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So after an 8:30am church service we found us a good breakfast.
With our map out and our motorcycle gear in the other side of our booth we were plotting our days journey when our server, a young lady who said – where you headed when we told her she said – well you’ll want to take…. and she confirmed exactly what the kind gentleman at church told us. They set us on a great riding stretch of road with some actual curves. We were tired of straight.
Most of the time we sacrifice time for a better ride…. because….it’s really all about the journey.
Then we finally saw the Great bridge we had anticipated.
It was all really cool until….
Oh my gosh!!! What’s this???
The Mackinaw Bridge is constructed with a full left lane made of rough metal grates. The right lane is for trucks, not to go over 20mph. Al and I would have switched to that lane but it was under construction.
It was an experience Al and I will always remember. We were on our intercom’s having a shock fest of exclamation to one one another.
It literally felt like those heavy metal grates could take control of our bikes. And to boot, you could see the water right through the grates.
I did some self talking- relax.. hold steady Kim.
Later, Al googled other riders comments who had gone over the Mackinaw Bridge and the comments were hilarious.
Here is a little fun fact:
Since all suspension bridges are susceptible to movement, the Mackinac is designed to contort as much as 35 feet laterally in high winds, although the bend does not become a swaying motion, and the bridge gradually returns to its original form once conditions subside.
WIND, yes it was very windy too.
5 miles long too.
https://traveltips.usatoday.com/mackinaw-bridge-109407.html
We made it.
So we are 2 nights in another Air BnB in a very small town called Onaway, Michigan.
2 nights so that we can have a day to venture at Mackinac Island.
And that’s for another blog
Happy Trails to you
happytrails2U 