1. US 23
As the Mackinac Bridge descends onto the Lower Peninsula, is passes over Machilimackinac. To the west is the fort. To the east is the old light house.
From behind the steering wheel, I gazed longingly at the park and asked my fair and patient companions if they were up for another stop. It only having been 20 minutes since the last one, they immediately vetoed the proposal, and so we continued on to US 23.
US 23 is to the eastern side of the Lower Peninsula what US 31 is to the western — a scenic drive thru wooded forests and along sandy shores. There were cottages looking out on the water between us and the lake. We would peer down wooded driveways and sometimes see small cottages on the water. And there were of course many big houses on the water.
Big or small, there seemed to be a tradition of each place having a unique name and a sign to proclaim it. Mile after mile, driveway after driveway, there was a seemingly infinite sequence of fascinating one-of-a-kind signs hanging out by the road.
The blue water was tantalizingly close. But sometimes the highway would turn inland.
After one such turn, we came to Cheboygan where our hunger got the better of us at the Yeck Family Drive-In, where we sat in the car eating burgers and fries, happy that we had found a real place instead of a plastic one. But we didn’t dally long, because we still had miles to go.
2. More Roadside Parks
Miles to go or not, there were still roadside parks beckoning from the side of the road. I couldn’t resist; the water looked so inviting.
At Huron Shores Roadside Park, there were picnic tables. And there were stairs leading to the water.
Gentle waves lapped against rocks and reeds, making this shore quite different from the western shores that I know so much better.
Trudy found a rock.
Ben pumped some water to drink.
3. Vacation’s End
We got back on the road, stopping one more time (was it at Oscoda Roadside Park?) as the sun was lowering in the west.
And that was goodbye to Lake Huron.
We only had a few more miles to go before we could sleep, although as it turned out, there was a complication at the hotel and the sleeping part ended up being delayed even as the mile-counter dropped to zero. But sleep we eventually did, and we caught a Southwest flight home the next morning.
