It was 530a by the time we got saddled up, dressed and said goodbye to Irena. I usually hate the I-75 trek. On Friday’s its an autobahn of those trying to get ‘up north’ for the weekend. This Saturday morning traffic was fairly light. We had almost 90 minutes before the sun came up.

We stopped in West Branch, MI for fuel and put in our winter liners. It was pretty cool and being open to the 70mph wind you’re generating just helps to enhance that.
The rhythm of the ride takes time to build. It’s an easy drive. Once you get about 75 miles north of home, the interstate goes down to 2 lanes each direction and towns become scarcer. Pretty scenery. Lots of forest, lakes, wetlands, vistas…
I should note that at precisely 9am, we passed over the 45th parallel (halfway to the north pole.) I am not sure what significance that holds but my timex (the easy to read kind) seemed to be right on the mark as we rolled over the line provided for tourists (and people like me) by the good people of MI. Perhaps an epiphany or revelation will hit me while rolling through the plains states later.
We got to the Mackinac Bridge right before 10a, refueled and took a break. Fairly routine. Not many people, at the lighthouse park. Its a usual stop point for us. Right by the base of the bridge, close to fuel and interstate ramps and very scenic. &nbsp

Once on the bridge, beautiful vistas. From a motorcycle point of view, always with a bit of anxiety. Winds are usually pretty robust. Last week a semi truck (empty) blew on its side. They closed the bridge for a few hours. Today, it was nice. More mundane is the road surface itself. The outside lanes are paved. The inside lanes are grates (to help dissipate the wind I assume). These are grates with openings (to the water below) of a couple of inches. They are constantly working on the bridge and often have the outside lanes closed down so they can access the structure. Its not the view at the water below on the motorcycle, its the steering with the front wheel. Wet steel does not grab as well as pavement. Sheer inertia helps. Never had an incident but I hate the center lanes. Today, all lanes open.
We got to the upper peninsula and headed west. 2 lanes skirting right on the shore of northern lake michigan. Plenty of spots to pull over with wide open, broad sand beaches. We stopped for fuel, then a beer and lunch at Wheaton’s bar in Manistique. When asked how business was the lady behind the bar said ‘good – lots of tourists’. Other than 2 locals we were the only ones there….
We continued west on US 2 around the lake into Escanaba. We did a brief road side stop to readjust our loads, take the liners back out of our coats and check the maps. The Upper Peninsula state fair was underway in town.
Back on the road we put the Great Lakes behind and continued racking up the miles. We passed through dozens of small towns. 2 land road with passings lanes for the last 200+ miles. We kept speed up and in some of the wilderness or more rural areas we added a few mph. Another item of note, the western U.P. was at one time a big iron and copper mining area. Lots of small mountains (think hills). Very scenic. Passing through Iron Mountain, MI there was a sigh with an arrow, ‘Bat Viewing Area’. Apparently at night the bats come out of the old mine shafts in numbers. Its a timing thing, we didn’t stay.
Being the elder of the group, I made my first tribal decision. We were going to camp in one of the numerous national or state forest areas. However looking at my weatherbug app, there was a sizable t-storm cell moving through all night. I made the decision for the safety of all (read comfort of me) that a hotel room was in order. I mean this isnt army ranger training, right? At any rate, we were in Crystal Falls, MI, 475 miles under our belt and no hotel rooms. We had to go another 50-60 miles down the road before we settled.
So here we are at the Dancing Eagle Motel and Casino. Never heard of it? Me neither. $70 night rooms. They are clean and the showers work. So here is the scoop on this place. After unloading the bikes, I headed straight to the de-hydration station. By this time it was only 6p (we had crossed into the central time zone). We had our $5 of free play cards, a couple of drinks in us and we all wandered off into the slots area. In speeding up the story, I had managed to eek out a $90 ‘jackpot’ and decided it was time to cash out. Only the machine wouldn’t cash out. I dutifully turned on the attendant light and waited. I had a scotch and a cigar and I waited. I tried waving at the security cameras. I finally looked up the number on google and called them and got someone from guest services. They promised prompt action. I finished my scotch. Alex and Jonathan came by and went to track someone down. Finally a couple of individuals came over. One told me he was eating his dinner of buttered noodles and they would now be cold. I apologized for being such a nuisance. Apparently I had to play another credit before they would allow me to cash out. When I questioned the wisdom of the rule, it was just explained that was the way it is. Tribal sovereignty. Maybe also, this is why I never heard of this place.
All was not lost. My winnings and $20 prime rib buffet night came together. The food was what you would expect from a $20 prime rib buffet. It was however the end to a great day, but very long and tiring day. 540 miles. 12 hours on the motorcycles. It is 9p local. I am a whooped puppy. Lots of experiences today. Life is good