Lake Michigan Trip Day 6

Lake Michigan Trip Day 6 Friday August 7, 2015

I head almost due south to Livonia
Crossing from Upper Peninsula to greater Michigan

Places Visited Along The Way, Photos, and Notes

I woke up in Sault Ste. Marie at the Best Western
and got on the road just a little before 9:00

I would like to meet some friends in Indianapolis in a few
days, perhaps Monday, so I need to increase the distance today
so that I will have enough time and still get the bike back on time

The road is good, traffic light, weather overcast and cool

A little more than 50 miles down the road is the town of St Ignace
This is the site of the north anchorage of the Mackinac Bridge

There is a nice park with a view of the bridge
and a statue in honor of the workers who built it
At the time, it took many years to build and was a wonder of engineering

I spoke with a nice, young couple and we
took one another's picture

As I passed over the bridge, it was an instance where
I miss having a passenger/photographer

Atop the bridge, I was at the conjunction of
Lake Superior and Lake Huron

On the south side of the bridge is Mackinaw City
This is a little town with a distinct tourism flare

Zips Mackinaw City Harley-Davidson has a small shop here

The sky seemed to be clearing, perhaps as it warmed
or maybe because I was heading south, or both

South to Gaylord for the next stop:
Zips 45th Parallel Harley-Davidson is the dealership with
the daughter storefront above

Strangely, they were plumb out of t-shirts in my size
I spoke with the woman and she had been off for a couple
days and no one unpacked the ten boxes of new shirts
while she was gone. But, she could not sell them yet
until she had marked and inventoried them

As I have been in Michigan, I noticed that many trucks
seem to have many, many axles

I guess this allows them to carry heavier loads, but
it kind of makes them look like centipedes
When they are empty, half of the wheels are raised up

The sky was ever-changing. Clear one moment, very complex the next

Yesterday was a day without a Harley dealer,
today would more than make up for it
I stopped at many, did not get photos of all of them

Gildner`s Harley-Davidson in West Branch

Great Lakes Harley-Davidson in Bay City

Shiawassee Harley-Davidson in Birch Run

Vehicle City Harley Davidson in Flint

Motor City Harley-Davidson in Farmington Hills
ABC Harley-Davidson in Waterford Township

Well, one thing led to another.
Every time I thought to stop for the day
I considered "Well it's only 30 or 50 miles to the next..."
At the end of the day, I covered over 390 miles
Boy, am I pooped!

Finally, Best Western in Livonia

When I checked in, the man looked at me as a fellow
in a Harley jacket and jeans.
When he looked up my frequent-sleeper number
He said "Wow, you are a platinum member!"
I'm not sure what that means, but he put me into a
suite which is bigger than my living room and dining room combined

And a nice cob salad next door