Friday 23 September 2016

Day 28: Wawa ON - Ludington MI

Travels With a Donkey in the Cevennes Western Half-Devil Monster Face in Leftpondia - Part 6

Late start today following more resetting of Things that Nanny Microsith b0rked in the night, though at least their wretched update worked this time.  It hasn't given me my lost e-mail profiles back though, the terrible ["Uncle Monty" - Ed.].  The first two hundred or so kilometres of today's trip were much the same as 99% of yesterday's but at least there were a few more views of Lake Quadwales.
"On balance" reflected Thomas, "this probably beats sharing the back of a road atlas with twelve bikini-clad models chiz curses wot am i saing?"
"I'm really getting into Samuel Beckett" confessed Thomas.  "What's more, this bin is even BEAR-proof!"
Eventually little clusters of mailboxes start appearing at the end of driveways leading to lakeside cottages and before we know it, we're being led a merry dance by Emily through the streets of Sault Ste Marie, looking for the on-ramp to the International Bridge.  Which looks more like the car park of the offices at the Canadian end rather than anything leading to a major border crossing.
Speed limit sign reads "30 mph" so we must be on the USAnian side
The queueueue to get into Canuckistan stretched well into international airspace while I was second in a queue of, er, two, waiting to enter USAnia.  Therefore:
  • Canuckistan's border control people are more chatty and/or conscientious than USAnia's, or
  • The Canuckistanis have better places to go, or
  • Something
On the other side of the International Bridge lies Sault Ste Marie.  No, really.  It's best known for being the home of Soo Locks, which allow really quite large1 vessels to pass from Lake Superior to Lake Huron, there being a 21' drop from the former to the latter along the formerly rapid-infested St Marys River.  The locks operate 24/7 and the locals have provided a nice viewing platform for gongoozlers:
"Harrumph!" grumbled Thomas.  "The Nieuwe Waterweg's loads better!"
Soo Locks Park also has black tree rats.  In it.  Well, at least one tree rat, one side of which is black:
Actually I did see his other side, and that was black too.

Onto I-75 for the fifty-odd miles south across Michigan's Upper Peninsula, being the bit of Michigan that doesn't stick up like a sore wossname between Lakes Michigan and Huron.  If a sane person had drawn the map it would probably be part of Wisconsin, but sane cartographers appear to be thin on the ground (see also "the Northwest Angle" and "Point Roberts").  At the other end of the Upper Peninsula lie the Straits of Mackinac, which connect Lakes Michigan and Huron (and are wide enough that some people including, I'm sure, many cartographers) reckon that the said lakes should really be considered as one big one and if you want to work out how many Waleses that is, hey, it's your time you're wasting.  Or your employer's.

"Scenic Overlook" said the sign, so we went to overlook the scenery.
"All I can see are trees!" moaned Thomas.  "I thought you said there was a bridge over there!"
Well, my shiny-headed chum, there is a bridge over there, and it looks like this:
"I'm sorry I doubted you" said Thomas2, apologetically.
After which there was Michigan's Lower Peninsula, which has as little on view to the passing motor-ist as the Upper one.  Thus to Ludington, which is famous for
(Googles frantically)
...er...
there's a ferry from here across Lake Michigan to some tongue-twister of a place in Wisconsin.  And it's only about four and a half hours from O'Hare.  And there's a whirlpool bath just over there ←, in which I shall shortly be immersing my aching bod. The clod is much better now though, in case you3 were wondering.

I do not know when this year's Automatic Diary will see its conclusion as even if there is free wifi at the air-o-port I'm not convinced the battery on this machine will last long enough to do everything Babbagey that needs to be done before it appears, like a freshly-hatched porridge fly, on your morning porridge4.  Stay tuned.
  1. I believe the largest lake freighters are actually bigger than any ocean-going vessels ("salties" in the local lingo) to be found on the Lakes as the locks on the St Lawrence Seaway are smaller than those on the lake system.
  2. Do you see what I did there, eh?  EH??
  3. Which no-one except Miss von Brandenburg seems to have been doing (sob).
  4. Offer only open to porridge-eating BRITONS; closes 31st December 1968.

2 comments:

  1. if you cycle across the Mackinac Bridge at just the right speed on the one day a year when this is allowed, then the metal meh desk appears to disappear beneath you. and I notice a distinct lack of pictures of the Wawa goose.

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    Replies
    1. Alas, I know little of this "Wawa goose" of which you speak. Also it was dark when I passed through Wawa itself, the Mystic Isle being located some way out of what passes for its bustling metropolis. Also also Emily seems to think there are two Wawas in Ontario, either or both of which may be in possession of gooses.

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