Day 2: London, Ontario to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

As Minnie Winnie chugged northward through the pot-hole infested interstates of Central Michigan, Ron and I had an interesting discussion on human nature. As usual, our morning had been filled with peculiar interactions with Every Day Joes.  Some folks, like the cordial Customs Agent at Port Huron who chose not to confiscate our three oranges and two bananas (apparently contraband) tilt positive on the continuum of human kindness.  Still others, like the grumpy R.V. Mechanic at Pete's Camper Service who lacklusterly directed Ron to "You'll just have to pound it in there, Pops" when he asked for help with a problematic water heater plug, sink below the neutral point of decency.  So we decided to conduct a one-day study to see if the positive and negative people would balance each other out (my hypothesis).  After all, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction... right?  Forever the optimist, except when water heater plugs are leaking, Ron predicted that most people would lean in the positive direction.

We continued our scenic drive through God's Country, stopping for local favorites such as fudge and pasties, and thankfully the roads became smoother.  The ride over the Mackinaw Bridge was a huge highlight of the day's travels.  This 5-mile long bridge connects the Lower and Upper Peninsulas of Michigan.  Gorgeous...  but scary gorgeous!!  The left lane is made entirely of a see-through grate, so you can look directly down at Lake Michigan- or was it Lake Huron?   As an added bonus, it was a crystal clear day (see photo).  As we made our way through the toll booth that awaited us on the U.P., we were thrilled to stumble across a lovely beach area on Route 2. We noted others swimming in the ocean-like waves of Lake Michigan.  An impromptu dip wasn't in the plan book, but what the heck.  We pulled over on the shoulder of the road and took a plunge!  Some locals (the nice, helpful sort) told us about a nearby attraction called "Big Spring," which we plan on seeing tomorrow.  Next we ate a traditional hungarian meal of Chicken Paprika at the Sand Dunes Motel across the street.  An extremely hospitable immigrant family said they only cook full dinners once a week, and this was our lucky day!  We were slightly worried when we saw the owner's kids cleaning a gun at the table next to ours, though.

The sun was starting to set when we arrived at a State Park called Hog's Back Island.  It's directly on the shore of Lake Michigan, and guests can choose any unoccupied site.  We chose Site #45, an outstanding waterfront spot with several large rocks separating us from the waves.  The boys built a large campfire with scavenged wood from the forest (in plentiful supply).  We relaxed by the fire in the most peaceful, picturesque, and bargain-priced place in the world.  Oh, and Ron's hypothesis was correct.  The positive people won out in the end.