Mackinaw City to Green Bay Wisconsin

Actually to Little Suamico, Wisconsin, which is about 20 kms north of Green Bay.

Most of you would know of Green Bay for their NFL team the Packers and of course the famous cheeseheads worn by fans. I’m not a huge NFL fan but I tend to watch the playoffs and the Super Bowl each year.

Wisconsin is known for its cheese and is sometimes referred to as dairyland. We saw several large dairy farms once we entered the state and I expect we will see more as we depart and drive toward Minnesota.

We left the Mackinac KOA about 830am this morning expecting to arrive in Little Suamico around 130pm. We informed our Harvest host of our ETA but forgot to account for the time change. We discovered this oversight once I plugged the destination address into the GPS. In the end it didn’t matter as we made multiple stops along the way and didn’t arrive until 120pm central time.

As an aside, when I was a kid my parents would outfit me with a red and black checkered Mackinaw Jacket. Perhaps you had one too? Well these jackets originated on Mackinac Island. British and Métis women used heavy wool blankets to make coats for the soldiers during the War of 1812.

Driving across the Mackinac Bridge makes one appreciate the 20th century engineering. It must have been challenging to build the bridge given the harsh conditions of the Mackinac Channel which connects Lake Huron with Lake Michigan. The Mackinac is the fifth longest bridge in the world and is the longest bridge of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. Between anchorages the Mackinac is longer than San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.

The drive along the shores of the Mackinac Channel and the norther shores of Lake Michigan on US 2 was pleasant. There was a mix of sun and cloud and the occasional rain shower but otherwise uneventful.

Along the way we noticed several eating establishments called Pasties. Most all of them were closed so we didn’t stop to investigate but Connie did a google search and learned these establishments sell Michigan Pasties (sounds like nasty) which are handheld pies filled with a mixture of uncooked beef, potato, rutabaga, and onion, folded into a crust, sealed with a crimped edge, and baked. These were the original fast food for miners and loggers in the upper peninsula.

We did stop a couple of times to top off the fuel tank because the price of gas was very attractive. Our last gas purchase price was equivalent to $1.05 per litre CDN.

The deciduous trees are beginning to change colour and we could only imagine how pretty they will be in a month from now. Along the way we also noticed a pine tree species I’d never seen before. After doing a little research it appears to be the Eastern White Pine. These trees grow tall and straight and I kept thinking they would make great sailing ship masts. Apparently I was correct. North American ship builders preferred the white pine because they were lightweight and straight.

Tonight are hosts are Don and Teres. They own a 26 acre farm with miniature cows and horses, alpacas, sheep, chickens and guinea fowl. At first I thought the guinea fowl were turkeys. They made quite a racket when we approached them but eventually they warmed up to us. Apparently they lay eggs like chickens and devour bugs (almost as effectively as bats).

Don and Teres moved from Flagstaff Arizona just over a year ago. Teres grew up in the Green Bay Area and had moved away over 30 years ago. Don grew up in Texas. He told me they moved to Wisconsin to care for Teres aging parents. His parents are aging too but he said he had no desire to return to Texas. Both of them work remotely and the farm is a hobby rather than a money maker.