Out to dinner last night
The raining, blowing and blustering gave us a short reprieve yesterday and we got to view the Mighty Mac Bridge. The traffic was moving very slowly....finding out later that they were using escorts, semi's had to go 20 mph and a travel trailer flipped over on it. Not a good day on the bridge.
Then the blustering rains came and left again. Chris got this beautiful view of the rainbow....a sign of God's promise to us.
Then came the winds....and we almost couldn't see the bridge. The changing face of life on the Mackinaw Straits. There are many shipwrecks out here. When Chris was in the Coast Guard icebreaker, the Mackinaw, they had to go out here for a search and rescue mission. A ship full of iron ore collided with an ocean going ship. It cut a 60 foot gash in the side of the ore boat, the Cedarville. It went down in 10 minutes and the Mighty Mac was dispatched to look for survivors. The wreck is still on the bottom. Any souls who were below deck never made it out. But there were survivors. Treacherous waters....
This is a monument on the coast to the ironworkers who played the biggest part in the building of the Mac Bridge. Ironworkers are a big deal up here: there's a museum to them, an annual parade, etc. Three of them lost their lives on building the bridge.
OK, Jeanne....here's a light house for you. It's the one on the point here just below the Bridge. I think that it was in operation until the 60's....I think.
Dick, Yvonne, Chris & me drove over to the Sheppler dock to see the retired "MIGHTY MAC" WACB 83, THE USCCG (THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD CUTTER) MACKINAW. That's thee whole official name for the mighty ship. It is now a maritime museum. We have been on it twice, but unfortunately it closed for the season last week end. But she sat there at the dock in all her glory. 
Then we drove to Cheboygan, 15 miles away, to hopefully see the new Mackinaw. I like to call it the "baby Mac". It is about 100 shorter than the Mighty Mac's 310 feet. It is also designed to be a buoy tender. As a matter of fact there was a buoy on it's rear deck. It's props can swivel 360 degrees....and it can cut ice sideways! But it's not the Mighty Mac... Incidentally, the Mighty Mac was "born" the year that Chris was born....1944....and in Toledo, where Chris was born. Interesting facts....but only to us.
On Saturday, while Chris and I were at the Mackinaw Campground, we took a mile walk through the woods and the rain. On the way back to the RV, Chris' sharp eyes spied some shaggy mane mushrooms....which gave us a wonderful breakfast, fried up with eggs on Sunday morning.
On that walk, Tommy had a wonderful time working the brush along the dry creek, trying to flush out a bunny. She had a fabulous time....but found no bunnies. She didn't care; she had fun trying. She came home wet and tired...and happy.
On this walk through the downed leaves and woods, there were these little pink flowers poking through the leaves. Look close. They are there.
On the trail.Today, Yvonne and I will stop in any of the shops that are still open along main street in Mackinaw City. They have huge sales going on. Not especially looking for anything....just looking.
Until we "connect" again.
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