The Mighty Mac

The Mackinac Bridge links lower Michigan to its Upper Peninsula and was built in the 1950s. It's the third longest suspension bridge in the world and extends about five miles over the Straits of Mackinac, where Lakes Michigan and Huron meet.

The highest point of roadway is about 200 feet above the water level and as we drove across last Wednesday, we found men-at-work doing maintenance and painting (with two of four lanes closed).

The ferry we took the next day from St. Ignace on the Upper Peninsula to Mackinac Island (no bridge access there), took us on a little detour under the bridge before heading to the island.

Before leaving this morning, I took a few more photos of the bridge from a park in St. Ignace before crossing the bridge again to head home. This image is from St. Ignace.

Edited: In 1998, two bridges opened that moved the Mighty Mac into third place: the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan is number one, and the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark comes in at number two.

Mighty Mac Photos on Flickr

Yesterday's Hanging Out