Day Seven - Floodwood, Minnesota to Houghton Lake, Michigan (574 miles)
Another early rise, and we were on our way. We continued on U.S.2 through Duluth on headed into Wisconsin. At Duluth we caught our first glimpse of Lake Superior. At 7:30 a.m. with the sun in our eyes we were not able to look around too much; we concentrated on the road, and made certain we did not miss the exit for U.S. 2. Once into Wisconsin we stopped at Brule for gas, and breakfast. A greasy spoon truck stop turned out to be quite good. We blew across Wisconsin towards Michigan. Wisconsin offered some really nice roads, although a bit straight. The town of Ashland seemed rather historic, we didn't stop, but it seemed historic. Once in Michigan on the Upper Peninsula we passed through Ironwood. This town seemed to be a busy tourist spot, and I'm sure is a bit busier in the ski season. At Wakefield we broke off of U.S. 2 and continued due east on St. Rt. 28. This road took us into Marquette. After Marquette we began a fifty mile run along lake Superior, catching a glimpse of the deep blue waters occasionally. Through the town of Christmas (now this is a tourist town), and Wetmore we traveled going through the Hiawatha National Forest. This road was in good condition, but straight as an arrow. St. Rt. 77 took us back down to U.S. 2 where we began our descent towards the Mackinac Bridge. Running along Lake Michigan was enjoyable, but we began to pick up much more traffic. My nerves were shaking as we approached the bridge. The last time I was over the bridge was in 1985, and they had nothing but grated deck. I radioed to Steve, "here we go", but to my surprise one lane on either side was paved!!!! What a relief!!! We got stuck behind a slow moving semi going across, but who cared? We stopped on the other side to take a picture, and quickly moved on. Now we were on I-75, it felt as if we were almost home. After a quick 141 miles we stopped at Houghton Lake for the night. A good seafood buffet, and another cheap room made us happy.
