The Last Big Bridge

     We drove almost 300 miles north today into hardwood forests that are abundant with color. As a quilter I love to see patterns of color working together. The hills and valleys of Michigan created a beautiful quilt. I began to name the colors as if they were in my box of Crayolas – Quaking Aspen Gold, Sumac Red, Autumn Birch Yellow, October Oak Bronze, Sugar Maple Magenta, and Cinnamon Stick Ash – Add to my list!

     Our last big bridge of this trip was over the Straits between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan – The Mackinac Bridge. It is five miles long – when it opened to traffic in 1957 it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Now it is the third longest. The bridge joins Upper and Lower Michigan. It was under repair as was almost every other bridge we have driven over. I think that the fall of the 35W Bridge has stimulated a huge effort to maintain these aging bridges. I’m not sure that all the repair work improved my confidence in driving over them – especially attached to 12,000 pounds of trailer.
     As we drove over the bridge I added two blues to my list of colors – Lake Michigan Azure and September Sky Blue. We saw Mackinac Island in the distance with its distinctive white Grand Hotel. We would like to take the Ferry to Mackinac Island when we drive around Lake Superior (and a bit of Lake Michigan). We took advantage of the last few hours of sun by sitting outside in an almost empty campground. I am savoring the last few days of this trip.