On the Road Again!

I decided to take advantage of a 5 day weekend and get away for a few days for a "wilderness weekend". Well, I suppose I wasn't THAT far into the wilderness as some of my treks take me, let's just say they were daily nature forays. Perhaps that's more like what I really did this last weekend.

Wanting to beat the oodles of Michiganders that would be driving up I 75 on Labor Day weekend, I  blew out of town about 8am. Would have preferred to leave earlier, but...had last minute tasks to complete (like paying bills!) and the only timeline I had to stick to today was to meet my guide in St. Ignace at 5:30pm for a sunset paddle in the Straits under the Mackinac Bridge! How exciting!


It was quite hot and muggy, even this early in the morning, but clouds were accumulating on the horizon and I knew that it spelled trouble. Shortly after crossing over the 45th parallel , my cell phone rang. It was Jessie from Woods & Water Eco-Tours. The weather in the Straits was deteriorating rather quickly and the forecast was pretty dim. So, she felt it was best to cancel tonights paddle to err on the side of safety. I agreed that I really preferred NOT to be in a kayak with lightning strikes nearby paddling in a 1-2 foot chop and strong winds. Been there, done that, wasn't a real good time.

An hour south of the Mackinac Bridge, the winds really started to pick up and gust, and the crosswinds would occasionally start to push me into the other lane! Good grief! And, of course, high wind warnings were issued for the bridge crossing. Speed limited to 20mph, hazards on, right lane only, escorts necessary for high profile vehicles, trailers, etc. Sigh. Since I really had no timeline, I decided to stop a bit in Mackinac City to peruse some shops and take a quick potty break...I really did NOT need to be stressed driving across the bridge today in the inclement weather on a full bladder!

I took the following video with my phone near the lakefront near Shepler's Crossing. Just gives you an idea of the winds that were blowing through.

 It was now time to get back into the car, put on my

 big girl pants, say a quick prayer, and grip the steering wheel tightly for the next 5 miles! It actually wasn't as bad as I had thought. I did feel sorry for those pulling trailers, boats and the like. Many of them either were led across single file in a convoy in small groups led by the bridge authority or some had escorts to actually get in and drive their vehicle across. When I was nearly to St. Ignace, I saw one poor sole riding a motorcycle in the opposite direction. He was leaning at about a 50 degree angle INTO the wind just to keep his bike balanced and upright! That to me just did not look like a good time, let alone safe! I'm surprised they let him through.

Whew! Finally, made it across!

I decided to take a few minutes and go to the nice viewing area on the west side of the bridge. This spot usually makes for an awesome spot for photos on a clear day, today, not so much.  

It was so windy, even these Ring-Billed Gulls decided to hunker down and take refuge from the winds!