Great Lakes Cities

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by JManc

Looking at Google map of Mackinaw, were there cars at one time? They have normal streets and highways designed for cars rather than pedestrian paths.

nope.

mackinac island has never had cars.

and there are absolutely no highways designed for cars on the island.

i have no idea what you're looking at on goolge maps, but it certainly ain't mackinac island.

trust me, i've been going there for summer vacation for over 40 years, i know the island like the back of my hand. it's truly my second home.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by dc_denizen

seems a bit like cape may, nj

It's much like the resort towns on the Atlantic coast. Similar feel as Cape May, Spring Lake, Mystic, Newport, Provincetown. Just no swimming (I mean, you could, but it's rocky and cold). And no cars.

[JManc]

Yes. It was Mackinaw Island. There is a state highway circling the island, MI-158 and some of the other main thoroughfares seem pretty wide. Hence why I asked...

[Tom In Chicago]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

no great lakes thread would be complete without some pics of my second favorite place in the world, my home away from home, Mackinac Island!

Man I've got to make it up there this summer. . . great pics. . .

. . .

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by JManc

Yes. It was Mackinaw Island. There is a state highway circling the island, MI-158 and some of the other main thoroughfares seem pretty wide. Hence why I asked...

LOL!!!!!!!!

here's the "state highway" that circles the island. it's about 10 feet wide and designed for bicycles. it's a bike path.

State "Highway" M-185: https://www.google.com/maps/@45.8508493,...KmIfEg94BGLjcJ7MjVajg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[JManc]

Why the sarcasm? It was a legitimate question. A yes or no would have sufficed...

[Steely Dan]

^ you initially said that you saw "highways designed for cars", which is laughable.

what you saw was a bike path that is labeled "M-185" kind of as a joke because it is technically administered by the Michigan DOT.

but it is not, nor has it ever been, designed for cars.

nothing on mackinac has ever been designed for cars because cars have never been a part of the island.

[JManc]

All you had to say was...no, the roads and highways were not designed for cars nor were there cars ever on the island. That's it.

[Steely Dan]

^ but my way was more fun

(for me)

[JManc]

No pizza for you then.

[suburbanite]

Another one of my favourite geographic features of the Great Lakes is the handful of islands like these two on Manitoulin Island.



I spent the early part of a summer about 6 years ago bumming around the island and fishing all day. We camped on several of these deserted patches of land, but also drove by this one, on the largest island.



As far as I can tell, this is the only residence in the world located on an island, on a lake, on an island, on a lake. I outlined what could possibly be a pond of some sort on the north end of the island which would add another layer to the Lakeception.

[creamcityleo79]

You guys, this thread just caused me to take the week of Labor Day off for a Michigan/UP grand circle tour road trip (St Paul-Chicago-Detroit-Saugatuck/Muskegon-Traverse City-Mackinac Island-UP-St Paul)! Please don't make another thread like this of another region or I'm going to use up all my PTO time for the year!

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by JManc

No pizza for you then.

Mackinac Island is actually home to a pizzaeria. It's now called Island Slice Pizzeria: https://www.google.com/maps/@45.8500828,...LMmtd47bAinXn-ME9Gndw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

but i remember it more fondly under it's former ownership/name "3 Brothers Sarducci", but that might just be childhood nostalgia talking.

they do pizza by the slice, traditional whole round pies, and square pan detroit style pizza.

their regular pizza is adequate enough, nothing terribly special, but their detroit style is a notch better.

Originally Posted by creamcityleo79

You guys, this thread just caused me to take the week of Labor Day off for a Michigan/UP grand circle tour road trip (St Paul-Chicago-Detroit-Saugatuck/Muskegon-Traverse City-Mackinac Island-UP-St Paul)! Please don't make another thread like this of another region or I'm going to use up all my PTO time for the year!

sounds fantastic!

enjoy it, your itinerary sounds great with plenty of urban and plenty of wild.

when you're up by traverse city, DO NOT MISS sleeping bear dunes.

Originally Posted by suburbanite

As far as I can tell, this is the only residence in the world located on an island, on a lake, on an island, on a lake. I outlined what could possibly be a pond of some sort on the north end of the island which would add another layer to the Lakeception.

yeah, that whole pond on an island in a lake on an island in a lake thing of manitoulin island (the world's largest freshwater lake island) is kinda trippy.

i want to kayak on that pond.

and plant a large boulder in the shallows of it to create the largest island in a pond on an island in a lake on an island in a lake in the world.

that's how i'll make my mark upon this world.

[suburbanite]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

and plant a large boulder in the shallows of it to create the largest island in a pond on an island in a lake on an island in a lake in the world.

that's how i'll make my mark upon this world.

I'll go leave a glass of water on said boulder, upon which someone can float a small twig.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by suburbanite

I'll go leave a glass of water on said boulder, upon which someone can float a small twig.

and then a small ant could be placed upon said twig.

the ant would of course be completely unaware of the profound significance of its position within our universe, but at least we would be able to appreciate it.

[creamcityleo79]

sounds fantastic!

enjoy it, your itinerary sounds great with plenty of urban and plenty of wild.

when you're up by traverse city, DO NOT MISS sleeping bear dunes.

Oooh...thanks for the tip! It's our first time visiting the UP/Northern Michigan. Also, we just added Cleveland/Toronto/Niagara Falls so we can hit all the Great Lakes!

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by creamcityleo79

Oooh...thanks for the tip! It's our first time visiting the UP/Northern Michigan. Also, we just added Cleveland/Toronto/Niagara Falls so we can hit all the Great Lakes!

AWESOME!

also, while you're up in the UP, make a pit stop at Tahquamenon Falls. it's like an orange-tinted mini-niagra that no one has ever heard of.

by water volume, it's the 3rd largest vertical waterfall in the US east of the mississippi (after niagra and cohoes falls in upstate NY).

the river drains a large area of cedar swamps that release tannins into the water that give the falls their trademark orange coloration.


source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahquamenon_Falls

[creamcityleo79]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

AWESOME!

also, while you're up in the UP, make a pit stop at Tahquamenon Falls. it's like an orange-tinted mini-niagra that no one has ever heard of.

by water volume, it's the 3rd largest vertical waterfall in the US east of the mississippi (after niagra and cohoes falls in upstate NY).

the river drains a large area of cedar swamps that release tannins into the water that give the falls their trademark orange coloration.


source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahquamenon_Falls

YES! That's exactly the kind of off-the-beaten-path stuff we love!!!

[suburbanite]

Shoot me a message if you want some restaurant recommendations in Toronto.

You'll already have a fair bit of wilderness travel through the Upper Peninsula , and it's a fair bit out of the way, but I can't recommend the Bruce Peninsula enough. Some great hiking and amazingly clear water which is all the better for checking out one of the densest collections of shipwrecks in the world.


from:https://www.internationaltraveller.com/bruce-peninsula-ontario


from:http://rf-photography.ca/stock-photography/stock-bruce-peninsula/


from: http://www.travellingchicken.ca/bruce-peninsula-cottage


from:https://www.scubadiving.com/drive-and-dive-exploring-wrecks-tobermory

[Steely Dan]

^ damn, bruce peninsula looks fantastic!

this thread has become such a ridiculously awesome celebration of all things great lakes. i love it.







in that vein, here's more UP great lakes scenery that's worth checking out:

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore


source:


source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9PxyGwJavY


source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9PxyGwJavY


source: https://www.visittheusa.com/destination/pictured-rocks-national-lakeshore


source: http://www.munising.org/