BW Outbound: Day Two (9/3/2026)

Today we covered another 400 miles, nearly all of it in the state of Michigan, ending the day in the Upper Peninsula at Newbery, which bills itself as the “Moose Capital of Michigan.” No moose so far except the statue outside our hotel and various other statues etc. in town.

Hey Rocky!

Highlights of the drive north:

• sighting a bald eagle while stopped in traffic (we were stopped in traffic, not the eagle; settle down in back there)
• passing (but not stopping) at Bronner's CHRISTmas (sigh) sales complex, from which we used to receive a steady stream of nice ornaments from my parents
• crossing the 45th parallel marked by a highway sign reading "Halfway Between the Equator and the North Pole"

We paused in Mackinaw City to visit Fort Michilimackinac and the Old Mackinaw Point Lighthouse, both in the figurative shadow of the Mackinac Bridge*, and literally for the entrance to the Fort grounds which is built into the bridge supports. Very edifying and well worth a visit, plus you get to see two of the Great Lakes (Michigan and Huron) at the same time. Three to go!

While on the palisade walkway we were unintentionally dive-bombed by an osprey, which took me a moment to identify as I had never seen one from above.

Danger: there be reenactors within

After crossing the high narrow bridge (not as bad as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge but still) our route took us along the Lake Michigan shoreline before turning north to Newbery. I had not seen a Great Lake since maybe 2017 and was reminded of their magnificent vastness.

Dinner at Timber Charlie’s in Newbery was worth the wait; initially we were mistaken for part of a party of six that was waiting to be seated so we were ignored professionally** until the mistake was realized.

On to Duluth tomorrow!

*The end of all these are pronounced the same ("aw"). Blame the French.

**The servers went out of their way to avoid making eye contact. I haven't been ignored like that since high school HEY-OOOOOH