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Saturday, September 7, 2013

The Mackinac Bridge


We got our first glimpse of the bridge on our way into St. Ignace at a wayside along the highway.  The Mackinac Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere and the third longest in the world at this time.


Our next view was from the upper level of the campground.  Cornelius Vanderbilt suggested in 1888 building a bridge across the straits, but it wasn't until 1954 that the money came together for a bridge to finally be built.  If you want all the details I recommend you check out the Bridge Authority's website.


Then we got the view underneath on our Mighty Mac boat ride to Mackinac Island.  The total length of the bridge is 5 miles, and the height of the main towers is 552 feet above the water.  A whopping 42,000 miles of wire was used for the main cables.


Don't forget the view from the shore on the lower level of the campground.  The best views were all non-electric campsites...maybe I'll stop here some time by myself and set up my tent for a night.


We just missed the annual bridge walk which occurs on Labor Day weekend.  I'm not sorry we missed that since last year there were 33,000 walkers.  I bet traffic in the area was a nightmare!  But it would be cool to walk the bridge.  Maybe another bridge, another time.



I was a little nervous when the Brights reported $20 to take their fifth wheel across the bridge, but when we crossed it was only $8 one way for the truck and trailer, total of 4 axles.  Parasailing is an activity that is offered in the area.  Cost is $70 each.  I told Wayne if I'm paying that much I'd prefer to do it in San Francisco or someplace with mind blowing views.  Notice the lack of parasailers in the above picture.  We didn't see a single one the three days we were here!  We did see a lot of tractors though....fill you in on that tomorrow!
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4 comments:

  1. Linda W.September 7, 2013 at 9:55 AM

    I love bridges. There is a cable suspension bridge under construction in downtown Portland right now. It's very interesting to watch construction progress. Thanks for sharing photos of this one.

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  2. Billy Blue EyesSeptember 7, 2013 at 1:04 PM

    Neat bridge reminds me of a could we have here

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  3. VioletSkySeptember 7, 2013 at 3:25 PM

    I've probably never told you the story of my first trip across the Mac.
    I was terrified (and to a certain extent, still am) of driving over bridges and my friend was a not very confident driver taking the wheel on this portion of our Winnipeg to Toronto trip. It was a Sunday and the radio was playing some church music. I swear to god they played Nearer my God to Thee - both of us too terrified to manage to change the station.
    Needless to say we made it across.

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  4. The Bright'sSeptember 7, 2013 at 4:26 PM

    Yes we were surprised too! It was only $8 for us too!
    You got some better pictures of the bridge. I haven't posted yet, but we did go out on the kayaks on the Lake Michigan side and made it to the bridge. We are in Sandusky, Ohio now.

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