The Jones Family Junction: September 6 We walk the Mighty Mac!

Monday, Labor Day: Weeks and weeks ago when David and I were making plans for these few days, David announced that we were walking the bridge on Labor Day! Yay! We've never walked the bridge before and I couldn't wait!

Interestingly, we had spent Sunday night at a Quality Inn in St. Ignace--one of the only rooms available on the eve of Labor Day (and I had made the reservations about six weeks in advance). The Inn was about 4 miles east of the bridge, right on the Lake. As we checked in Sunday night, we asked the hotel attendant how exactly the bridge walk was going to work as far as parking was concerned, etc. The fellow at the desk told us that there would be a hotel shuttle (NOT from Quality Inn, but one of the other hotels) making rounds through all of the hotel parking lots between 7AM and 10AM; and for a mere $10 each, we could shuttle down to where the bridge walk began. Hmm. It didn't work out that way exactly.

David and I were ready at 7AM, walked out to the parking lot and waited. There was NO shuttle anywhere and nothing else in sight. We walked into the office to inquire and got a completely different set of information from the "couple" in charge. They didn't know a single thing about any hotel shuttle. When we asked them about parking nearer to the bridge, they told us they highly doubted we would find anything available.

So ... what to do? The fellow kindly offered to drive us in his pick-up truck for a total of $10--a good deal, right? When we were nearing the bridge walk entrance, we were directed to be dropped off at a particular corner and then had to follow arrows going the opposite direction of the bridge in order to get to where people were supposed to start. I think we walked at least a mile trying to get to the entrance. And the real kick in the head was that there was PLENTY of parking right there in that parking lot at NO COST.

As we were hopping out of the man's truck, we asked how to return to the hotel--we were required to check out before leaving for the walk, but we were "allowed" to keep our car parked at the hotel while we were doing the bridge walk. The gentleman handed us a number of another hotel and told us to call it and request a ride back. So that's what we did (for $10 each!).

Anyway ... enough complaining ... because we DID walk the bridge. It was wonderful. Cool temperatures. Nice breeze. Beautiful sunrise. It was very cool to SEE the bridge as I had never before seen it.

There was quite a crowd of walkers of every age, size, nationality, language ... I loved watching people--which was easy to do because we were being passed like crazy. Even older folk using walkers were passing us up! It was a little bit embarrassing actually. It might have had something to do with my camera (naughty thing!) and the way that every few minutes (or two) I would stop to snap a picture ... or examine the bridge ... or peak through the grates to the water below!

It was SO MUCH FUN!

The Mighty Mac certainly is a beautiful bridge, isn't it?

I'm going to have to read up on the history of its construction. I would love to learn about it.

1955! I wonder if that is when the Bridge was FINISHED and ready for use ... I have always thought they began the construction in the year of my birth (1953), but I might be completely mistaken about that.

SO ... did we walk across the entire 5 miles from span to span? No. Actually, if a person wanted to do that THIS year, they had to be sure to have a ride back to the side of the bridge they originated from! There were no shuttles going back and forth across the bridge this year whatsoever. They advised that walkers either start exactly at 7AM and walk the entire bridge both back and then forth (so ... 10 miles) OR walk to the half-way mark and turn around and return the way you came. We had thought that would be what we would try to do ...

... except we did not. After all, the entire point (to me) of this bridge walk was to be ON THE BRIDGE without a vehicle! Who cares how far we actually walked, right? We walked to the first high span (there are only two of them ... the halfway point is right between those two spans), which was uphill all the way, and then happily turned around and walked back down. The above picture is taken just as we crossed to the down-side of the bridge walk. We saw some VERY serious walkers here. There were entire families walking! Pregnant moms pushing strollers, little kids walking, some riding on their fathers' shoulders, groups of teens walking together, some very old people walking (a lot faster than us!). But we were not in any hurry at all! Look at this boat ... it looked like a little toy from the height where the photo was taken.

I never did hear how many walkers participated, but it was quite crowded up there! Once we got back to the bottom, we had to find a ride back to the hotel to pick up our car. David called the number the Quality Inn guy gave to us and we were actually able to rendevous with him and get a lift back to my car.