The Mackinac Bridge (pronounced Mackinaw) spans the Straits of Mackinac where Lakes Huron and Michigan meet. The bridge connects lower Michigan to its Upper Peninsula. Constructed from 1954 to 1957, it held the record as the longest suspension bridge in the world for more than half a century with a distance of five miles from anchor block to anchor block. Its two main towers soar 552 feet above the waterline and the underclearance at mid-span for ships is 155 feet. The maximum water depth at mid-span is 295 feet. The total length of wire making up the two and a half-foot diameter main cables is 42,000 miles. Before the 'Mighty Mac' was constructed, travelers between Michigan's two peninsulas had to cross the straits by an hour-long ferry ride. On the busiest weekends - the Fourth of July and the opening of hunting season - travelers would wait in line for as long as 24 hours to catch the ferry. Several small parks are located between the houses along North Huron Avenue which is an easy walk from historic downtown Mackinaw City. The parks offer nice views of the bridge. Further along near the base of the bridge sits the old Mackinac Point lighthouse. The Mackinac Bridge is situated along Interstate 75 which runs from the southern tip of Florida to Sault Saint Marie in Ontario, Canada. The north end of the bridge contains the toll booths ($3.00 for cars). A rest area on the northbound side and a park on the southbound side also offer good views of the bridge. The 100 millionth crossing of the Mighty Mac took place on June 25, 1998.

A little windblown and wet, we arrived safely back in Mackinaw City.  There, we met up with my Uncle and his wife and checked into our hotel.  It turns out there is a lovely stretch of shops and restaurants along the water that we wandered through while thinking about what to eat.  We asked for some recommendations, and the name "Darrow's" kept coming up.  So, we walked over to this restaurant (known for the some 40 different homemade pies they have) and had a great meal.  Now, the main reason for heading up to the Mackinaw area was for the annual Labor Day bridge walk.  2007 marks the 50th year of the completion of the bridge, and each year since completion, there has been a bridge walk on Labor Day.  This walk starts at 7:00 AM and buses start taking people to the bridge at 5:30 AM, so we knew we had to get up early.  We stopped in a few shops on the way back to the hotel and I picked up a t shirt commemorating the bridge walk before we went to bed.

After crossing the bridge, we took a drive through Mackinaw City, where we would be staying for the evening.  We parked at one of the ferry companies and booked a ride to Mackinac Island.