Day 3: August 29, 2011 Almost UP

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Be honest now. Wouldn't you like to live in this. It's between Standish and Carrington and might be a display unit or maybe the owner just got a discount for the big logo, with phone number, on the side.

Past Au Gres the road moves quite close to the shore but the area is totally built up and you can only see the lake, not reach it. The other day, there was a conversation in the American Road Magazine forum about the Oregon coast and how most (maybe all) is state owned and accessible to the public. The exact opposite is the case here. The shoreline is privately owned and filled with houses. There are other differences between Lake Huron and the Pacific Ocean as well.

Operation of the Sturgeon Point Lighthouse began in 1870 and continues today. It was shut down for awhile in 2006 but public outcry resulted in it being turned back on. After twenty years of use, the original lens was a 6 order Fresnel was replaced by a 3 1/2 order Fresnel which remains in place today. The tower is locked but the keeper's house is now a museum and there are several outside displays plus a gift shop.

Al doesn't work here any more. Al Sloan brought this 1955 O'Mahony to Alpena and operated it for awhile but it was closed when Nick and Ivy bought it about five years ago. That's daughter Nikki by the juke box. Today she was handling the front side of the window while Butch manned the kitchen. This is a real "breakfast served anytime" sort of diner and I ordered a mushroom & Swiss omelet even though it was nearing 2:00 PM. Nick redid the upholstery but I don't know about the boomerangs. Love 'em.

Alpena is one of the few places where the lake shore can actually be reached. There is a very nice park area near downtown with some really cool clouds and really cool boats. Apparently something very important and very secret once happened here.

At Rogers City, the Dixie Highway leaves US-23 and turns west on MI-68. This is one of the few places that feels even slightly remote. Traffic hasn't really been congested on Twenty-Three but there has been plenty of it and I was always in, just leaving, or just departing a built up area. Here there is just the road, lots of those cool clouds, and the head of George Washington.

When it started looking like Mackinaw City would be the day's end point, I telephoned the Super 8 there and reserved a room. After checking in, I walked about half a mile north to get a view of the big bridge. Since I'm traveling the Dixie Highway, I grabbed a picture of the Dixie Saloon on the way to the bridge and grabbed a beer on the way back.

Back at the motel, I took a few pictures while relaxing on my balcony. Yep, I've got a balcony, and a beach with real sand and (when the big boats go by) rolling surf. I know I don't normally show interiors of chain motels but I thought you ought to know what $62 gets you at Super 8 on a Monday night.

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