This morning is cloudy and misty. The view is the worst we’ve had so far, that being the maintenance yard of the campground. It was also noisy with later than usual large group campfires and it was a Saturday night. Oh well, it was only a place to put up for the night. The black squirrels in the campground are also a childhood reminder.
Our route this morning is south and then west across Michigan. It amazes me that I grew up in a province directly adjacent to Michigan and I have never been in this state before, not even an airport transfer through Detroit.
Our route today takes us.around Grand Rapids, Lansing and Flint. It’s raining and likely will be most of the day. There is a lot of traffic for a Sunday morning. Is the weather driving everyone home? Maybe it’s normal 🤔.
Rest areas: we have had an opportunity to use a lot of rest areas on this trip. Everywhere we have been they have been pleasant if not downright beautiful… until Michigan. The one we just stopped at on I96 outside of Grand Rapids was, let’s just say, unsanitary, and leave it at that.
We are coming up to Battle Creek, MI. We should all know what its claim to fame is. Popularly known as “Cereal City”, this is where cornflakes were invented by W.K. Kellogg in the late 1800s.
As we have traveled from hwy 31 to I96 to hwy 69 the roads have gotten progressively worse to the point where I can honestly say the Michigan has the worst roads of any state on this whole trip. I may need a helmet when I open the cupboards / overhead bins in the van.
Michigan: Michigan is the only state that touches four of the five Great Lakes. As such, it’s home to the longest freshwater coastline of any U.S. state, *and* the second-longest coastline, period (coming in behind Alaska). Anywhere you stand in the state, you’re no more than 85 miles from a Great Lake.
The Mackinac Bridge is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. Connecting the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan, it spans 5 miles over the Straits of Mackinac, which is where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron meet. The Mighty Mac took 3 years to complete and was opened to traffic in 1957.
For those of us who grew up with Vernor’s ginger ale: Vernors ginger ale was created in Detroit and became the first soda pop made in the United States. In 1862, pharmacist James Vernor was trying to create a new beverage when he was called away to serve our country in the Civil War. When he returned, 4 years later, the drink he had stored in an oak case had acquired a delicious gingery flavor.
Michigan is the only place in the world with a floating post office. The J.W. Westcott II is the only boat in the world that delivers mail to ships while they are still underway. They have been operating for 125 years.
Coming up to Flint, MI which is noted for other things than the lead in its water. Flint is most known for being the birthplace of General Motors, and the Flint Sit-Down Strike of 1936 and 1937, that played a vital role in the formation of the United Auto Workers.
Ok, now I have seen everything. There is an accident on hwy 69 in Flint, MI and traffick is backed up. Vehicles on the highway are turning backwards and exiting via the onramp blocking access to the rescue vehicles / tow trucks trying to get on the highway. I have never seen this done before. Two accidents as it turned out.
We arrived in Port Huron about 2:30 pm and headed straight for the Blue Water outpatient clinic. If you have been following the saga of our covid testing, Walgreens couldn’t promise a turn around less than 3-5 business days! We found a walk-in clinic in Port Huron that would give us the exact test we needed and an immediate response. We had to pay for them but it was worth it. So negative tests in hand we can fill out the rest of the required online paperwork and cross the border tomorrow just in time to celebrate my husband’s birthday with at least one member of the family.
PORT HURON
Located along the St. Clair River, it is connected to Point Edward, Ontario in Canada via the Blue Water Bridge. The city lies at the southern end of Lake Huron and is the easternmost point on land in Michigan. Port Huron is home to two paper mills, Mueller Brass, and many businesses related to tourism and the automotive industry.
The things one learns when travelling…
Grand Trunk Railway Depot. The depot, which is now part of the Port Huron Museum, is where 12-year-old Thomas Edison departed daily on the Port Huron–Detroit run. In 1859, the railroad’s first year of operation, Edison convinced the railroad company to let him sell newspapers and confections on the daily trips. He became so successful that he soon placed two newsboys on other Grand Trunks running to Detroit. He made enough money to support himself and to buy chemicals and other experimental materials.
Grand Trunk Western Railroad Tunnel. The tunnel was opened in 1891 and links Port Huron with Canada. This international submarine railway tunnel was the first international tunnel in the world.
Port Huron is also known as the Gateway to Canada which is probably why we didn’t have much trouble with the covid-19 tests.
It is entirely appropriate that after a month of no rain, we spend the last night on this portion of our trip in a waterlogged campsite. It must have rained all day here. We are eating and cooking dinner inside, the only time we have had to do this. Aren’t we lucky that we haven’t had to do this sooner?
The campground is quite ironic considering where it is situated at the tip of Lake Huron and where we have been. It has a western theme with lane names like Custer, Sitting Bull, Montana, Sage Brush, Cherokee, Badlands and Dry Gulch.
We have now done the requisite online paperwork and tomorrow we start the last part of this journey, which will be with family.
I am also writing a page in my blog with notes and observations about traveling during COVID-19 post vaccination. I will be working on it over the next few days.
I made a treat to celebrate this amazing trip and adventure with my wonderful husband.
Tomorrow’s blog will be my last for now.
Louise and Brian McLeod Travel Blog 
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