Lake Michigan

The ferry at Mackinac Island with its jet tail and wall clouds coming at us.

Let's state the obvious. Lake Michigan is big. After 500 miles of rivers, canals, locks, and tiny passages between granite, Rock Chalk is now entering its next major segment of the Loop. When you are traveling at the speed of a golf cart, you can think about stuff. OK, here are two things that I think about.

First, our furthest east spot was New York City. The Hudson travels slightly northwest from New York, and then you turn west into the Erie Canal. From there we traveled west and north for 500 miles. At noon today we turned South for the Gulf of Mexico. After departing Mackinaw City, Michigan and passing under the impressive bridge we headed west out into Lake Michigan. At Green marker #3 near White Shoal, you can turn south. That is the direction we will going from now until Christmas. Whew. Long way to Marathon. South we go.

Next, for those of you who do not know me, I have this uncanny ability to tell you where commercial jets are headed. My friends Joe Thompson and Roger Smith will attest as to how accurate I am when I see them crossing the sky leaving their contrails. So here is the latest, that naturally I think is really cool.

Over the North Channel/Georgian Bay of Lake Huron on a clear afternoon you are underneath the Big X. What is that you ask? Well, here goes. The first part of the X is made by jets flying from Europe. When you fly from any of the major gateway cities in Europe to Chicago or Dallas, you make this gentle arch across the North Atlantic, pass just south of Greenland and then across Canada. I have seen the Georgian Bay and the North Channel many times on our trips home from Europe. That is the first one.

But the really cool other part of the X are the flights coming from Asia to New York, Newark, or Wash. Dulles. Those flights are all scheduled to arrive in the mid afternoon just like the flights from Europe. But the flights from Asia fly close to Alaska and curve down across western Canada heading southeast to the East Coast. These flights cross over Georgian Bay at the same time as those from Europe heading southwest, and complete the Big X.

I know, Roger doesn't believe me, but its true. Really. You travel for 5 months at the speed of a golf cart and you think of stuff.......... Marc