It was my lot in life to be employed as a world traveler. In 3o years of seeing the world I saw nothing more beautiful than Northern Michigan. After Spring rekindles life in the land through the end of Autumn the beauty of the north country is such that it captivates the soul. The drive up to and over this bridge is breathtaking. When you need a reprieve from life’s hardships this is an excellent place to go. The shores of Lake Superior will speak to you through your eyes and tell you “Yes, there us a God.” Only He could create what you will see.
Have you been to Copper Harbor? I have lived in Michigan my entire life and that literally felt like the end of the world. I didn't want to leave it! Thank God I'm only y hours from it.
I will never forget my experience crossing this spectacular engineering endeavor. Driving north on I75 through a very rural area with a beauty that I did not realize northern Michigan had was breathtaking in and of itself, but when you turn that corner and off in the distance you see those tower spires of the bridge, it was mind blowing. I love coming back and watching this video to remind myself of that amazing trip! Very fitting song. Very nicely done!
Thank you for this. I spent 40 years of my life in MI and most of my youth just an hour south of the bridge. I'm living in another state now, and that drive brought back memories. I could smell the "Up North" air on I-75.
I'm a YOOPER, born and raised in the Houghton/Hancock area... now living in another state as well... I still have family up there and visit every cpl yrs.. I know that smell... Nothing like it. Beautiful
I worked with a guy that worked on this bridge. He was a jumper in ww2. Big Joe don't want to use his last name. We worked on some big dam jobs tunnels under big rivers. If you ever brought up the mackinaw bridge he would light up and tell great stories. He's still alive in his late 90 and living in Minnesota. Thanks for the great memories and keeping us alive on these job sites. Old guy knew his shit. Thanks joe.
I made the same trip in a 18 wheeler. 20 mph and about $20 to cross. The thing that was most memorable was the 100 or so people on the North end, were on the grass having lunch and watching traffic. I had at least 30 kids wanting me to blow my air horn.... Naturally I did. Nice video, brings back memories. Thanks.
The bridge is perfectly safe, just do like Jim Morrison said in Roadhouse Blues, "Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel" Thanks for watching!
I have lived in Michigan all my life. Crossing the Big Mac never gets old. Especially when doing the experience in less than stellar conditions! The best part of Michigan is the very northern parts. The sights, the smell in the air, the experience and feeling that one gets when coming here! That, and the hospitality that people get when they deal with the locals that live there. The Swedish & Finnish populate a big portion of that area. There is a reason people from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and others from different parts of the Country come here for a summer vacation! And these are not just first timers. Common up............you will not be disappointed!
Not one thing is wrong with the south Dez, if you are a southerner, I was just a Yankee fish out of water down there. Some folks take to being transplanted...but not me... from now on I will bloom where the good Lord planted me!
It is one of the most amazing drives in the world. The sound and the feel of the iron grating on the bridge as you drive over it..the majestic beauty of it all. Then of course there is the UP in all of its glory, the PASTIE signs....YUMMMM!!...it is a totally different world up there. I would love to live there. When I was a kid back in then 60's I remember visiting Whitefish Point for the first time and I fell in love with it. We went to the dump at Paradise (it is fenced in now) and watched this guy hand feeding bears. The UP is a remarkable unspoiled place...pretty cool to see moose crossing signs too!!! Thank you for the video
Thank you for watching and I also love the land north of "The Bridge". Pasties are a favorite when I'm in the area (which unfortunately isn't often enough).
I agree. I took my late wife up to the point a year before she died and she thought she was on top of the world. She was from the south and deathly afraid of bridges but she white knuckled it. Cadillac has a pastie store now but when I tried one back in 2005 I wasn't impressed. However my son bought one back to me from Mesick this year from the Mushroom festival and it was as good as ever.
To the producer of this video thank you and well done. If you've never crossed the bridge before i suggest watching this. Now I've crossed the bridge dozens of times but the first time my wife crossed she FREAKED. This aint your run of the mill bridge. You are some 200 feet over the water. High profile vehicles are speed restricted during high winds(sometimes guided by bridge personnel). First time crossing drivers pay attention to traffic this is the last place you want to have an accident and I've seen some bad ones.
Thanks, very nice job. and the weather fit well with that song. I was over that bridge once when I was a little kid, I look forward to driving over it myself in a year or so.
the seventh sojourner Apparently once they finish painting the bridge (which takes 7 years to do so) they immediately start painting again. So I doubt there’s ever a time (other than when workers go home) that you won’t see people doing some sort of work on it.
I don’t imagine they do much painting during the winter time? However I’m certain that maintenance is a year around task. Interesting video thanks for sharing.
@@bioshockgamer you're correct and they never stop repairing it. Water/steel/concrete=rust and structural breakdown so it's in constant need. I do believe they paint the inside of the towers any time of year. I've known some people who work/worked on it. Mike Rowe had a Dirty Jobs about the Bridge I believe about 10 years ago. One of the guys he spoke with that was inside a tower painting was a fellow hockey parent of mine at one point.
Stayed on Mackinaw Island about 4 years ago and the beauty of Michigan is amazing. We didn't cross the bridge but we always saw it from a distance when we were biking around the island. Great video! Hope you do more stuff in Ohio!
+Daniel Mabe Thanks Daniel, I live in Ohio and I do have other footage, I just haven't had the time or opportunity to do anything with it. It's in my plans, lol - thanks for watching!!
When I was in high school, I was a cheerleader for a town 50 miles southwest of the bridge. My cheerleading squad and parent/driver escort hit a winter storm crossing the bridge that took 2.5 hours to cross with police escorts. We missed the JV game that we’re supposed to cheer and had to cheer Varsity. Never will forget the whole journey across it. On the way home, the storm had passed and the bridge was cleared so we got home at a reasonable hour.
Excellent video! Ever since I was a kid I wondered what this area would look like. Great work and song choice. Thanks for tackling those places that are a bit untouched. Thanks!
Northern Michigan is so beautiful in the fall. I miss crossing the Straits area in the fall or even winter. R.E.M.'s What's The Frequency Kenneth goes well for this time of year going over the bridge.
I crossed this bridge on numerous occasions while in the Air Force, stationed at a small radar site in the UP. Videos by no means provides the experience of actually driving the bridge. I've driven it in the winter, and in the rain, as well when windy, all capable of adding to the experience. This was particularly more so doing those occasions if driving on that portion of the bridge that is grated.
First of all, thanks for watching my video! As for making it available to mobile users, that has to do with copyright and I have no control over it. The speed limit on the Mackinack Bridge is 45 MPH and staying in the proper direction of travel does not seem to be an issue (although the bridge does tend to have windy conditions frequently).
I just love the trip... beautiful!! The U.P. is such a treasure, the wilderness, the small town friendly people and how beautiful the 2nd-3rd week in September the colors explode, so vibrant and picturesque, and serine.
I love the Northern States especially near the Great Lakes area. I learned about this video from a most. dangerous bridges video and did some research on the bridge in Wikipedia. I just can't tell you how much I love Northern States and the Great Lakes.
I’m so surprised that the video creator actually played “the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, one of my favorites, I actually went over this bridge to get to the Soo Locks and back
Just to remind people. If you are scared to drive over the bridge, the bridge authority has people who will drive you across in your own vehicle. For the first time if you are scared I suggest you drive slow (40 mph) and just look straight ahead. Soon you will find it is safe and be a pro and enjoy driving over it like I do. 👍🏻👍🏻
I'm not sure why, maybe because it's not near any large population centers, but this absolutely gorgeous, elegant, majestic bridge doesn't get nearly the recognition it deserves.
Five miles! That's longer than both spans of the Delaware Memorial Bridge combined (they're around two miles each)! BTW, I REALLY love the song in this video, The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald, first time I've ever heard it. Sounds so hauntingly beautiful.
Delaware Memorial Bridge is 2.5 miles long so both spans would be 5 miles…. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is 17 miles long one span… So this bridge is actually a very short bridge….
I learned this song in school growing up in the 90s. But only just now learned from this video that it happened so recently in 1975! I always thought shipwrecks like that were an old timey phenomenon. Just goes to show the power of the Great Lakes.
I crossed the Mighty Mac many times. I'm from the Yoop and my girlfriend (now my wife) attended CMU. I used to travel to Mount Pleasant every two weeks to see her. She would come home every two weeks so we would see each other every weekend.
The similarities to this and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco are remarkable; especially so with the low-hanging clouds obscuring the upper part of the tower on the Mackinac Bridge . . . very similar to the Summers in San Francisco with its high fog belt that can obscure the upper part of the towers at the Golden Gate Bridge.
I live in Michigan, what a beautiful state!! The Bridge is stunning, it's beauty is breathtaking!!!!! The Pictured Rock's are something to behold, breathtaking!!!! You must go to my state!!!!!! 🥀🥀🥀🥀... 2022...
Your videos are awesome. I enjoy seeing sights and places I'd otherwise never get to see. As I don't have a worthy vehicle. Music is from my era as well. I pretend I'm driving that road myself. Keep up the good work.
I drove it on Sunday and had a panic attack. Coming back yesterday, we had one of the bridge workers drive us back over which they will do for no charge.
As others have mentioned, you don't need to worry if you're afraid of driving across the bridge. They have a staff of drivers, for all types of vehicles, that will drive your vehicle across for you. From cars to semis, to buses. There's no charge, it's part of the service they have.
The last time my family drove our car Plymouth Duster 1970 across the country via Mackinaw bridge in July 1972. It was an iconic bridge on the Michigan Lake region. Thanks for your superb music songs! 👍🤠👍
First the overcast day and the song are a nice touch, secondly as a proud Buckeye the UP is an amazing place and one of if not my favorite favorite place spot of all time. Thanks to the author of the video. Great job 👍
About 10 years ago, while driving from DTW airport to St. Joseph Island, Ontario, Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald came on the radio just as I was crossing the Mackinac Bridge. Now I would just tell Siri to play it lol.
I tuned in just to get a reminder of what it was like crossing this bridge. Last year, on a whim, my brother and I decided to take a 3-day road trip around Lake Michigan from Chicago to Chicago (where we live). Was originally just gonna be just a spontaneous trip to the UP, since no one I know ever talks about it, hardly anyone I know even knows their geography well enough to realize it even exists. Then I realized the UP and the rest of Michigan was connected with this bridge. My grandpa lives in Flint, MI so that would be a perfect stopping point, might as well make it a point A to point A trip! Stayed in Marquette one night, and stayed in Flint the next. Can't tell you how stoked I was to cross this bridge I knew nothing about at the time. Such a beautiful drive too, no traffic, lake views the whole trip, wonderful experience. My profile pic (as of 8/2021) is me with my car in Marquette, MI outside the iron ore dock just off of Lake Superior. Watching/hearing that in action was actually pretty cool as well.
Isn't it amazing what you find once you step outside the city? We camped in the UP on the southwest side of the Keweenaw peninsula August 2021 and we met a family from Houghton, which was about 40 miles or so away. The dad had never been iver the Bridge much less out of the UP beside when he was younger and had briefly lived in Missouri. That was crazy to me because I live about 15 miles southeast of rhe Bridge and have been from one end of the UP to the other and back. I've covered more UP than Mitten and I was born in Detroit!!!
When I posted 2 years ago, that I hope to walk the Mackinac Bridge someday...that 'someday' will be Labor Day 2025, I turn 55, the Mackinac Bridge is 5 miles long, one of two sisters who were going to Michigan Tech in Houghton/Hancock survived 'Thanksgiving drive in 1985'(are you seeing the 'theme', a lot of FIVES...what can go wrong?)
Not my first across but my 4th time on a fishing trip to Canada I drove a 28 foot class a Holiday Rambler motorhome pulling a 18 foot Glastron bass boat with a 14 foot aluminum boat cradled over the bass boat. I drove it over the bridge while the other 4 guys were playing cards in the back. I was only 20 years old and I drove from Indiana nonstop to the bridge. Changed drivers shortly after the bridge. That was 44 years ago. What a trip. Our trip was a feature artical in Trailer Life Magazine a year later. Since the editor was the motor home owner. You never forget things like this.
I live on an island off east coast. No bridge, ferries only. Your video makes me want desperately to drive to the UP, cross the bridge, with white knuckles, taste the smell that was spoken of, have the mysterious pasty, your video is much more than the sum of its parts...
Thank you for posting this amazing video. That bridge looks terrifying, but you drove it very well. I mostly appreciated the beautiful song and history of the Edmund Fitzgerald though. It has always been a subject of interest to me.
I have been across "Big Mac" many times and it is always a wonderful experience, especially to look down through the grating and see the water some 200 feet below. I now live in Southern Alabama. Thanks for the trip back in time.
@@deansaylor9164 Dean. You better like snow and lots of it as well as isolation if you want to retire in the UP. Some places in the Upper peninsula get over 200 inches of snow per year. Yes that’s nearly 20 feet of snow. It’s also very cold at times.
@@deansaylor9164 go for it then man! It’s a beautiful place. Different culture though. I personally wouldn’t mind living there in the summer but would want to live down state for the winter. Too isolating for me.
I'm planning a trip back up there...I was born and raised in Gladwin and my dad was from newberry...I live in Tennessee now...my girlfriend is from Lake orion and she has never been to places like tahquamenon falls sleeping bear sand dunes traverse city cherry festival whitefish point the soo locks etc...so I'm taking her lol...I don't think she has ever seen the bridge either...she will get a kick out of seeing Paul Bunyan lol
rickochet0182 I love Tennessee (have family there) but Northern Michigan has a unique beauty unlike any other place I can think of. I hope you and your gf have a great trip and that she enjoys seeing "Yooperland" in person!
What a wonderful way to start the day..I haven't been there since 97. I'm 72 and live in Texas. Miss home. I've precious memories of dad taking us kids to UP to Brimley state park.
Great song to accompany this video. Anyone who lives in the Upper Midwest knows you don't mess with the Great Lakes, you respect those bodies of water.
They're slowly removing a rebuilding them. They just started a bunch of construction right around the Bridge in Mackinaw City on over passes and I believe they are putting a roundabout in at north/southbound exit 338.
Absolutely gorgeous everywhere you go in the UP. In September 2021 we went to Copper Harbor for my birthday. I didn't want to leave. I've been all over the UP iver the years and finally got there. We didn't want to leave. Planning a week camping trip this summer up there. So excited! Go if you haven't been!!!
Did you intentionally pick November 10th as the date to upload this video? One of the first things I noticed when I heard the music was that the upload date was the anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. As others have noted, everything fits together so nicely: the date that you uploaded this video, the music, the season, and the location. TheHighwayMan, I don't think I've ever seen any other drivelapse videos in which everything goes together so well.
Jason Hsu Hi Jason, you are absolutely correct on the upload date for this video and yes, I planned it that way. Thank you for noticing, and for taking the time to comment on it. Some of these videos fit together a little better than others, but I do try make it all work together. Thanks again for your comments!
+The HighwayMan Everything about this video reminds me of Western New York in November, waiting for a lake-effect snowstorm to kick in! The music brings all the pieces together.
Nice vid! I have always wanted to cross this bridge and see what it is like! Nice vid, great song and I really thought it fit the vid!!!! Safe travels!!!
Picked up a load of paper in Carlton Wisconsin one winter and ran across the U P heading for N.Y. it was a winter wonderland. Crossed the Big Mac at dawn.
Thanks for sharing this great video! I live four hrs south of the bridge and always look forward to crossing it, no matter how many times you cross it each crossing has a different feel to it. Loved going on vacation "Up North" with my parents as a kid and feeling that excitement watching for the bridge to appear thru the trees and how your heart pumped faster as you got closer to it. Good times! :-)
I listened to the exact same song when I drove on this bridge almost a month back for a family trip. This song goes very good while you’re crossing that bridge.
I have many photos of the 'Mighty Mac' on a Pinterest page, but have never seen an actual drive across. Great video. Even tho I have relatives in the UP, I've never been there myself. I'm not sure I could drive across that bridge, as beautiful as it is.
To think this bridge isnt as big as the golden gate yet it seems like it would be. Took this bridge from winnipeg to toronto on a road trip. Michigan is a very scenic state. Especially the northern peninsula. I perfered travelling on this side to toronto as opposed to the ontario side. The ontario side is scenic yes but i found there werent much towns with hotels. Mostly motels on the ontario side but Michigan side has more hotels.
Interesting facts, there's a great documentary done by History Channel I believe, on the construction of the bridge. There was a well-known German engineer who was hired back in the 1950's And he designed and built that bridge to last 600 years. It really is an amazing piece of construction. People might not realize also from the time you're actually on the bridge until you get to the other side is actually about 5 miles
Thank you so much, for sharing all this very interesting and very educational information. Facts, I was never aware of, not until you provided them. Absolutely amazing, brilliant, phenomenal.
There is that magic moment, miles from the town, you begin too see the towers. Your still a good 15 miles away, but it gets you suo excited! Then you round the bend, and it is all in front of you. Your blown away by its size. There are bigger. But this is the only one in the middle of country. Its just hugh! More than that, it's beautiful! Makes the Golden Gate look like a turd!
+Marnice Wade If you do head to Michigan and and want to cross Big Mac, you can have an out. If you email or call ahead someone will drive your car across for no extra cost.
I was only 5 the first time I went across, did it again at 8 and at 13. The first time scared, but every time awed and impressed. Bridges have personalities and the Mighty Mac makes a statement more than most bridges.
I was here 2012 and 2015. I just got home to Sweden in beginning of November 2012. Have drive just like this crossing the bridge many Times. Visit friends living in Kincheloe. Been to Mackinaw City, Petoskey, St Ignace, Cherboygan, Sault Ste Marie, Great Lakes, Beautiful Michigan
I like this song by Gordon Lightfoot. My mother listened to Gordon Lightfoot on a 8 track player. Thanks for the memories & the beautiful song by Gordon Lightfoot !!
@cjs121675 Thank you for watching! Hopefully you will get to take your own trip across the "Mighty Mac" someday. Until then, at least you can see what it looks like!
It was my lot in life to be employed as a world traveler. In 3o years of seeing the world I saw nothing more beautiful than Northern Michigan. After Spring rekindles life in the land through the end of Autumn the beauty of the north country is such that it captivates the soul. The drive up to and over this bridge is breathtaking. When you need a reprieve from life’s hardships this is an excellent place to go. The shores of Lake Superior will speak to you through your eyes and tell you “Yes, there us a God.” Only He could create what you will see.
Have you been to Copper Harbor? I have lived in Michigan my entire life and that literally felt like the end of the world. I didn't want to leave it! Thank God I'm only y hours from it.
@@hockeymom49721 Yes, indeed. I have wandered all over the U.P. and never had my fill of the beauty.
I will never forget my experience crossing this spectacular engineering endeavor. Driving north on I75 through a very rural area with a beauty that I did not realize northern Michigan had was breathtaking in and of itself, but when you turn that corner and off in the distance you see those tower spires of the bridge, it was mind blowing. I love coming back and watching this video to remind myself of that amazing trip! Very fitting song. Very nicely done!
Mindblowing considering that bridge is as old as I am, 1958.
Thank you for this. I spent 40 years of my life in MI and most of my youth just an hour south of the bridge. I'm living in another state now, and that drive brought back memories. I could smell the "Up North" air on I-75.
I'm a YOOPER, born and raised in the Houghton/Hancock area... now living in another state as well... I still have family up there and visit every cpl yrs.. I know that smell... Nothing like it. Beautiful
Take a look at my video of the Mackinac bridge!
th-cam.com/video/J0Lvt_FtvYM/w-d-xo.html
Fresh air. Adds years to your life
Jason Beymer, An hour south of the bridge???? Sunrise side?
@@radioactive9861 Atlanta, MI
I worked with a guy that worked on this bridge. He was a jumper in ww2. Big Joe don't want to use his last name. We worked on some big dam jobs tunnels under big rivers. If you ever brought up the mackinaw bridge he would light up and tell great stories. He's still alive in his late 90 and living in Minnesota. Thanks for the great memories and keeping us alive on these job sites. Old guy knew his shit. Thanks joe.
I wish I could have heard some of those stories!!!
I made the same trip in a 18 wheeler.
20 mph and about $20 to cross. The thing that was most memorable was the 100 or so people on the North end, were on the grass having lunch and watching traffic.
I had at least 30 kids wanting me to blow my air horn.... Naturally I did. Nice video, brings back memories. Thanks.
This is beauty,I've crossed this many times.Never tired of the sight!!!!!
It's a different world up there. I LOVE driving this stretch of Michigan.
I love the land North of the Bridge! Thanks for watching.
I love driving up there too. From GR to Mackinaw city good adventure
The bridge is perfectly safe, just do like Jim Morrison said in Roadhouse Blues, "Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel"
Thanks for watching!
except for the Yugo that got blown off it
did you speed the video up?
Or was that the speed limit?
Thank-You Hwy. man👍🏽😎
Take a look at my video of the Mackinac bridge!
th-cam.com/video/J0Lvt_FtvYM/w-d-xo.html
It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw. (could have walked it in that time!)
I have lived in Michigan all my life. Crossing the Big Mac never gets old. Especially when doing the experience in less than stellar conditions! The best part of Michigan is the very northern parts. The sights, the smell in the air, the experience and feeling that one gets when coming here! That, and the hospitality that people get when they deal with the locals that live there. The Swedish & Finnish populate a big portion of that area.
There is a reason people from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and others from different parts of the Country come here for a summer vacation! And these are not just first timers.
Common up............you will not be disappointed!
Agreed on all counts! I love the land up north of the bridge and always look forward to visiting the area. Thanks for watching!
Looking forward to moving back....tried the south....no good! Need that Pure Michigan UP air, friendly people and Lake Superior. It's in my blood!!!
Grumpy Granny what's wrong with the south
Not one thing is wrong with the south Dez, if you are a southerner, I was just a Yankee fish out of water down there. Some folks take to being transplanted...but not me... from now on I will bloom where the good Lord planted me!
Grumpy Granny you dont have to say that people in the U.P of michigan are better than the people of the L.P of Michigan and the rest of America
It is one of the most amazing drives in the world. The sound and the feel of the iron grating on the bridge as you drive over it..the majestic beauty of it all. Then of course there is the UP in all of its glory, the PASTIE signs....YUMMMM!!...it is a totally different world up there. I would love to live there. When I was a kid back in then 60's I remember visiting Whitefish Point for the first time and I fell in love with it. We went to the dump at Paradise (it is fenced in now) and watched this guy hand feeding bears. The UP is a remarkable unspoiled place...pretty cool to see moose crossing signs too!!! Thank you for the video
Thank you for watching and I also love the land north of "The Bridge". Pasties are a favorite when I'm in the area (which unfortunately isn't often enough).
I agree. I took my late wife up to the point a year before she died and she thought she was on top of the world. She was from the south and deathly afraid of bridges but she white knuckled it. Cadillac has a pastie store now but when I tried one back in 2005 I wasn't impressed. However my son bought one back to me from Mesick this year from the Mushroom festival and it was as good as ever.
Drunkweazel just like flying in an airplane ✈️
Drunkweazel and the south has among the most scary and long bridges.
Steve Carras name one
To the producer of this video thank you and well done. If you've never crossed the bridge before i suggest watching this. Now I've crossed the bridge dozens of times but the first time my wife crossed she FREAKED. This aint your run of the mill bridge. You are some 200 feet over the water. High profile vehicles are speed restricted during high winds(sometimes guided by bridge personnel). First time crossing drivers pay attention to traffic this is the last place you want to have an accident and I've seen some bad ones.
Thanks, very nice job. and the weather fit well with that song. I was over that bridge once when I was a little kid, I look forward to driving over it myself in a year or so.
Jeff DeWitt Thanks for watching and for commenting! I hope your trip is a good one.
It's rare to go over the bridge when they aren't doing some sort of painting or construction.
the seventh sojourner Apparently once they finish painting the bridge (which takes 7 years to do so) they immediately start painting again. So I doubt there’s ever a time (other than when workers go home) that you won’t see people doing some sort of work on it.
I got lucky both times I've been over and back.
Take a look at my video of the Mackinac bridge!
th-cam.com/video/J0Lvt_FtvYM/w-d-xo.html
I don’t imagine they do much painting during the winter time? However I’m certain that maintenance is a year around task. Interesting video thanks for sharing.
@@bioshockgamer you're correct and they never stop repairing it. Water/steel/concrete=rust and structural breakdown so it's in constant need. I do believe they paint the inside of the towers any time of year. I've known some people who work/worked on it. Mike Rowe had a Dirty Jobs about the Bridge I believe about 10 years ago. One of the guys he spoke with that was inside a tower painting was a fellow hockey parent of mine at one point.
Stayed on Mackinaw Island about 4 years ago and the beauty of Michigan is amazing. We didn't cross the bridge but we always saw it from a distance when we were biking around the island. Great video! Hope you do more stuff in Ohio!
+Daniel Mabe Thanks Daniel, I live in Ohio and I do have other footage, I just haven't had the time or opportunity to do anything with it. It's in my plans, lol - thanks for watching!!
When I was in high school, I was a cheerleader for a town 50 miles southwest of the bridge. My cheerleading squad and parent/driver escort hit a winter storm crossing the bridge that took 2.5 hours to cross with police escorts. We missed the JV game that we’re supposed to cheer and had to cheer Varsity. Never will forget the whole journey across it. On the way home, the storm had passed and the bridge was cleared so we got home at a reasonable hour.
Excellent video! Ever since I was a kid I wondered what this area would look like. Great work and song choice. Thanks for tackling those places that are a bit untouched. Thanks!
great mood in this video... relaxing music, rainy, low-hanging clouds, few traffic. Nice work.
Could not have put it better
Northern Michigan is so beautiful in the fall. I miss crossing the Straits area in the fall or even winter. R.E.M.'s What's The Frequency Kenneth goes well for this time of year going over the bridge.
I crossed this bridge on numerous occasions while in the Air Force, stationed at a small radar site in the UP. Videos by no means provides the experience of actually driving the bridge. I've driven it in the winter, and in the rain, as well when windy, all capable of adding to the experience. This was particularly more so doing those occasions if driving on that portion of the bridge that is grated.
First of all, thanks for watching my video! As for making it available to mobile users, that has to do with copyright and I have no control over it. The speed limit on the Mackinack Bridge is 45 MPH and staying in the proper direction of travel does not seem to be an issue (although the bridge does tend to have windy conditions frequently).
I just love the trip... beautiful!! The U.P. is such a treasure, the wilderness, the small town friendly people and how beautiful the 2nd-3rd week in September the colors explode, so vibrant and picturesque, and serine.
Are there any POCs there??
I love the Northern States especially near the Great Lakes area. I learned about this video from a most. dangerous bridges video and did some research on the bridge in Wikipedia. I just can't tell you how much I love Northern States and the Great Lakes.
wow where are you from ?
Thanks for bringing a tear to this old man's eyes 👍
Very cool the way those towers pierce the low-lying clouds. Truly an amazing structure in a lovely venue.
I’m so surprised that the video creator actually played “the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”, one of my favorites, I actually went over this bridge to get to the Soo Locks and back
Miss that drive. Going back and forth from the Thumb to Wisconsin. The point when the bridge starts to become visible got me every time.
Awesome video. Excellent choice of music the song still gives me goosebumps. Very powerful.
Just to remind people. If you are scared to drive over the bridge, the bridge authority has people who will drive you across in your own vehicle. For the first time if you are scared I suggest you drive slow (40 mph) and just look straight ahead. Soon you will find it is safe and be a pro and enjoy driving over it like I do. 👍🏻👍🏻
I'm not sure why, maybe because it's not near any large population centers, but this absolutely gorgeous, elegant, majestic bridge doesn't get nearly the recognition it deserves.
Great choice of song suits the video well!!
Thank you!
Five miles! That's longer than both spans of the Delaware Memorial Bridge combined (they're around two miles each)!
BTW, I REALLY love the song in this video, The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald, first time I've ever heard it. Sounds so hauntingly beautiful.
Thank you, I thought the song would fit perfectly since she sank just 17 miles from Whitefish Point in the U.P.
Longer than the golden gate in California too!
Delaware Memorial Bridge is 2.5 miles long so both spans would be 5 miles…. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is 17 miles long one span… So this bridge is actually a very short bridge….
I learned this song in school growing up in the 90s. But only just now learned from this video that it happened so recently in 1975! I always thought shipwrecks like that were an old timey phenomenon. Just goes to show the power of the Great Lakes.
I crossed the Mighty Mac many times. I'm from the Yoop and my girlfriend (now my wife) attended CMU. I used to travel to Mount Pleasant every two weeks to see her. She would come home every two weeks so we would see each other every weekend.
My best crossing was on my Harley on the grate. What a rush!!!
The similarities to this and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco are remarkable; especially so with the low-hanging clouds obscuring the upper part of the tower on the Mackinac Bridge . . . very similar to the Summers in San Francisco with its high fog belt that can obscure the upper part of the towers at the Golden Gate Bridge.
It's not foggy very often unless it's first thing in the morning and it's been raining or a storm is heading in.
Golden Gate is like a toy bridge compared to Mackinac. What, about 25% as long?
@@Mister8224 Lol!
I live in Michigan, what a beautiful state!! The Bridge is stunning, it's beauty is breathtaking!!!!! The Pictured Rock's are something to behold, breathtaking!!!! You must go to my state!!!!!! 🥀🥀🥀🥀... 2022...
Check out Sleeping Bear National Lake shore & Tacquanaman Falls also
@@danielpomeroy Just beautiful there!!!!! 🌲🌲🌲🌲.....
I live really close to the bridge and love the drive especially during non tourist season in fall and winter no traffic just gorgeous veiws
Same here, love going to the Yoop later in the summer when the flatlander kids go back to school so there aren't as many.😉
I really wanna go across this one day. Love strange bridges. Nice taste in music btw! 🐙
every time I've crossed the mighty mac I always feel warm inside.
I also am deathly scared of heights so yeah
Take a look at my video of the Mackinac bridge!
th-cam.com/video/J0Lvt_FtvYM/w-d-xo.html
Your videos are awesome. I enjoy seeing sights and places I'd otherwise never get to see. As I don't have a worthy vehicle. Music is from my era as well. I pretend I'm driving that road myself. Keep up the good work.
Did the Mighty Mack bridge walk twice .. the 49th and 50th anniversary of the walk ... You have to try it a least once ...
Take a look at my video of the Mackinac bridge!
th-cam.com/video/J0Lvt_FtvYM/w-d-xo.html
The Edmund Fitzgerald rests at the bottom of Lake Superior with all of its crew still on board.
It's ironic that this video was posted 37 years to the day after that horrific disaster.
@@thespeez and this year is the 45th Anniversary of the sinking of the Mighty Fitz.
Yea, buuuut, this is Lake Michigan and huron
Just about eleven miles North of White Fish Point.
Take a look at my video of the Mackinac bridge!
th-cam.com/video/J0Lvt_FtvYM/w-d-xo.html
I drove it on Sunday and had a panic attack. Coming back yesterday, we had one of the bridge workers drive us back over which they will do for no charge.
They stopped during convid but recently began again. I believe they have a $10 charge now....I could be mistaken.
As others have mentioned, you don't need to worry if you're afraid of driving across the bridge. They have a staff of drivers, for all types of vehicles, that will drive your vehicle across for you. From cars to semis, to buses. There's no charge, it's part of the service they have.
this is so nice to know lol, i have almost blacked out going across the jeremiah morrow bridge in ohio and its tall, but super short.
The last time my family drove our car Plymouth Duster 1970 across the country via Mackinaw bridge in July 1972. It was an iconic bridge on the Michigan Lake region.
Thanks for your superb music songs! 👍🤠👍
Excellent video and excellent song choice. Haven't been up there in many years, definitely want to go back.
We crossed the Mackinac bridge in our motorhome. Spent a few days in the upper peninsula and took the cruise through the Soo locks. Great memories.
Nice song choice.
dale yess ikr
Not crossing it playing that tune
I can't think of a better one ...
First the overcast day and the song are a nice touch, secondly as a proud Buckeye the UP is an amazing place and one of if not my favorite favorite place spot of all time. Thanks to the author of the video. Great job 👍
About 10 years ago, while driving from DTW airport to St. Joseph Island, Ontario, Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald came on the radio just as I was crossing the Mackinac Bridge. Now I would just tell Siri to play it lol.
I tuned in just to get a reminder of what it was like crossing this bridge. Last year, on a whim, my brother and I decided to take a 3-day road trip around Lake Michigan from Chicago to Chicago (where we live). Was originally just gonna be just a spontaneous trip to the UP, since no one I know ever talks about it, hardly anyone I know even knows their geography well enough to realize it even exists. Then I realized the UP and the rest of Michigan was connected with this bridge. My grandpa lives in Flint, MI so that would be a perfect stopping point, might as well make it a point A to point A trip! Stayed in Marquette one night, and stayed in Flint the next. Can't tell you how stoked I was to cross this bridge I knew nothing about at the time. Such a beautiful drive too, no traffic, lake views the whole trip, wonderful experience. My profile pic (as of 8/2021) is me with my car in Marquette, MI outside the iron ore dock just off of Lake Superior. Watching/hearing that in action was actually pretty cool as well.
Isn't it amazing what you find once you step outside the city? We camped in the UP on the southwest side of the Keweenaw peninsula August 2021 and we met a family from Houghton, which was about 40 miles or so away. The dad had never been iver the Bridge much less out of the UP beside when he was younger and had briefly lived in Missouri. That was crazy to me because I live about 15 miles southeast of rhe Bridge and have been from one end of the UP to the other and back. I've covered more UP than Mitten and I was born in Detroit!!!
MICHIGAN MAN here!! Been across 'the bridge' multiple times!!!! Loved it every time...Hope to walk it someday!
On a side note: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is one AWESOME FUCKING SONG!
When I posted 2 years ago, that I hope to walk the Mackinac Bridge someday...that 'someday' will be Labor Day 2025, I turn 55, the Mackinac Bridge is 5 miles long, one of two sisters who were going to Michigan Tech in Houghton/Hancock survived 'Thanksgiving drive in 1985'(are you seeing the 'theme', a lot of FIVES...what can go wrong?)
I'm pretty sure this was the bridge that Yugo got blown off of.
Galaxy Wonders5 correct
When your Studebaker goes over the rail, it's an 852 foot drop to the icy cold water surface below.
Excellent video and perfect song. Thanx for posting this.
Thanks for taking me back to the summer of 1990. I wrote it of my bucket list.Loved my Canada vacation!
Not my first across but my 4th time on a fishing trip to Canada I drove a 28 foot class a Holiday Rambler motorhome pulling a 18 foot Glastron bass boat with a 14 foot aluminum boat cradled over the bass boat.
I drove it over the bridge while the other 4 guys were playing cards in the back.
I was only 20 years old and I drove from Indiana nonstop to the bridge. Changed drivers shortly after the bridge.
That was 44 years ago. What a trip. Our trip was a feature artical in Trailer Life Magazine a year later. Since the editor was the motor home owner. You never forget things like this.
I live on an island off east coast. No bridge, ferries only. Your video makes me want desperately to drive to the UP, cross the bridge, with white knuckles, taste the smell that was spoken of, have the mysterious pasty, your video is much more than the sum of its parts...
Thank you for posting this amazing video. That bridge looks terrifying, but you drove it very well. I mostly appreciated the beautiful song and history of the Edmund Fitzgerald though. It has always been a subject of interest to me.
That Bridge is perfectly fine. Drive the speed limit and your own pace if necessary and you're golden.
Took the ferry to the island.
Picturesque.
Had some fudge, taffy etc. back in the mid-80's.
I have been across "Big Mac" many times and it is always a wonderful experience, especially to look down through the grating and see the water some 200 feet below. I now live in Southern Alabama. Thanks for the trip back in time.
South Alabama?Trying to decide where I want to retire UP Mi or Baldwin County Al.I find it to be a very hard decision.
@@deansaylor9164 Dean. You better like snow and lots of it as well as isolation if you want to retire in the UP. Some places in the Upper peninsula get over 200 inches of snow per year. Yes that’s nearly 20 feet of snow. It’s also very cold at times.
@@kellanhills1972 Thanks for the heads up.Don’t mind snow or the cold my Giant Schnauzer likes it also must be in part our German blood
@@deansaylor9164 go for it then man! It’s a beautiful place. Different culture though. I personally wouldn’t mind living there in the summer but would want to live down state for the winter. Too isolating for me.
Vacationed in Michigan 5 years ago. U p is next on the bucket list. This video was well done.
I'm planning a trip back up there...I was born and raised in Gladwin and my dad was from newberry...I live in Tennessee now...my girlfriend is from Lake orion and she has never been to places like tahquamenon falls sleeping bear sand dunes traverse city cherry festival whitefish point the soo locks etc...so I'm taking her lol...I don't think she has ever seen the bridge either...she will get a kick out of seeing Paul Bunyan lol
rickochet0182 I love Tennessee (have family there) but Northern Michigan has a unique beauty unlike any other place I can think of. I hope you and your gf have a great trip and that she enjoys seeing "Yooperland" in person!
What a wonderful way to start the day..I haven't been there since 97. I'm 72 and live in Texas. Miss home. I've precious memories of dad taking us kids to UP to Brimley state park.
Great song to accompany this video. Anyone who lives in the Upper Midwest knows you don't mess with the Great Lakes, you respect those bodies of water.
Especially Lake Superior. It’s very cold, dark and dangerous looking!
The Mighty Mack is on my bucket list. Very gradual rise on the span. Thanks for post!
Always interesting to see those old-style Michigan overpasses, with the slight arch.
Thanks for an excellent bridge-crossing video! Loved it!
They're slowly removing a rebuilding them. They just started a bunch of construction right around the Bridge in Mackinaw City on over passes and I believe they are putting a roundabout in at north/southbound exit 338.
Spent the last week of July 2021 visiting Mackinaw City, Mackinaw Island and the UP (Pictured Rocks and Tahquamenon Falls! Wonderful sights to see!
Absolutely gorgeous everywhere you go in the UP. In September 2021 we went to Copper Harbor for my birthday. I didn't want to leave. I've been all over the UP iver the years and finally got there. We didn't want to leave. Planning a week camping trip this summer up there. So excited! Go if you haven't been!!!
Did you intentionally pick November 10th as the date to upload this video? One of the first things I noticed when I heard the music was that the upload date was the anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
As others have noted, everything fits together so nicely: the date that you uploaded this video, the music, the season, and the location. TheHighwayMan, I don't think I've ever seen any other drivelapse videos in which everything goes together so well.
Jason Hsu Hi Jason, you are absolutely correct on the upload date for this video and yes, I planned it that way. Thank you for noticing, and for taking the time to comment on it. Some of these videos fit together a little better than others, but I do try make it all work together. Thanks again for your comments!
+The HighwayMan Everything about this video reminds me of Western New York in November, waiting for a lake-effect snowstorm to kick in! The music brings all the pieces together.
Jason Hsu iiiiii
Nice vid! I have always wanted to cross this bridge and see what it is like! Nice vid, great song and I really thought it fit the vid!!!! Safe travels!!!
thnk you for taking us in YOUR journey...cant wait to drive by in real person..
Picked up a load of paper in Carlton Wisconsin one winter and ran across the U P heading for N.Y. it was a winter wonderland.
Crossed the Big Mac at dawn.
Thanks for sharing this great video! I live four hrs south of the bridge and always look forward to crossing it, no matter how many times you cross it each crossing has a different feel to it. Loved going on vacation "Up North" with my parents as a kid and feeling that excitement watching for the bridge to appear thru the trees and how your heart pumped faster as you got closer to it. Good times! :-)
I listened to the exact same song when I drove on this bridge almost a month back for a family trip. This song goes very good while you’re crossing that bridge.
My fave bridge of all time. I begged my dad to drive on the left side so i could hear the tires go grrrrrr!
Nothing like dropping down on 75 and seeing the bridge when you are heading north, especially at night.
Absolutely beautiful😁 Thank you for sharing ❤
I have many photos of the 'Mighty Mac' on a Pinterest page, but have never seen an actual drive across. Great video. Even tho I have relatives in the UP, I've never been there myself. I'm not sure I could drive across that bridge, as beautiful as it is.
To think this bridge isnt as big as the golden gate yet it seems like it would be. Took this bridge from winnipeg to toronto on a road trip. Michigan is a very scenic state. Especially the northern peninsula. I perfered travelling on this side to toronto as opposed to the ontario side. The ontario side is scenic yes but i found there werent much towns with hotels. Mostly motels on the ontario side but Michigan side has more hotels.
Interesting facts, there's a great documentary done by History Channel I believe, on the construction of the bridge.
There was a well-known German engineer who was hired back in the 1950's And he designed and built that bridge to last 600 years. It really is an amazing piece of construction. People might not realize also from the time you're actually on the bridge until you get to the other side is actually about 5 miles
Thank you so much, for sharing all this very interesting and very educational information. Facts, I was never aware of, not until you provided them. Absolutely amazing, brilliant, phenomenal.
It was actually David B Steinman who engineered the Bridge. He was from NYC.
There is that magic moment, miles from the town, you begin too see the towers. Your still a good 15 miles away, but it gets you suo excited!
Then you round the bend, and it is all in front of you.
Your blown away by its size.
There are bigger.
But this is the only one in the middle of country.
Its just hugh!
More than that, it's beautiful!
Makes the Golden Gate look like a turd!
Charles Keeling what do u hate more the upper or lower peninsula of Michigan
Edward Mynning are you referring to the mackinac bridge
Edward Mynning what town
Charles Keeling dallas is better
Charles Keeling am i right
Crossed it 4 times this last weekend...Such a beauty
Take a look at my video of the Mackinac bridge!
th-cam.com/video/J0Lvt_FtvYM/w-d-xo.html
@mdavid1955 Thank you! Ill bet the bridge is really interesting in the ice and snow.
I like this video! Does it help my fear of bridges? NO...but very cool to watch!
+Marnice Wade Thank you for watching!
+Marnice Wade If you do head to Michigan and and want to cross Big Mac, you can have an out. If you email or call ahead someone will drive your car across for no extra cost.
Its Super Deep Underneath!
I was only 5 the first time I went across, did it again at 8 and at 13. The first time scared, but every time awed and impressed. Bridges have personalities and the Mighty Mac makes a statement more than most bridges.
I was here 2012 and 2015. I just got home to Sweden in beginning of November 2012. Have drive just like this crossing the bridge many Times. Visit friends living in Kincheloe. Been to Mackinaw City, Petoskey, St Ignace, Cherboygan, Sault Ste Marie, Great Lakes, Beautiful Michigan
@Theskybluelake Thank you very much. It's very sad that the Fitzgerald crew was lost, and only 15 miles from Whitefish Point. Thanks for watching.
You did a kick-ass job, thanks for posting it! (You're a fine driver too, even if you do clip along at unlawful speeds a bit.;-)
46 in a 45 ain't bad.
Great video! Kind of a tricky looky bridge, no shoulders or divider.
Sorry, almost forgot to say... thanks so much for posting, great video and music!
Thank you Jose! The song is called "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot.
Very beautiful video and very beautiful song !
I like this song by Gordon Lightfoot. My mother listened to Gordon Lightfoot on a 8 track player. Thanks for the memories & the beautiful song by Gordon Lightfoot !!
Thank you very much! I always enjoy going up there and wanted to add a video to my collection. Thanks for watching!
Nice added perspective with that song, I crossed that bridge a few weeks ago and thought about the Fitzgerald
I've wanted to see a video of this bridge, thanks. Also, fantastic song choice.
Reminds me of driving across the Throgs Neck Bridge in New York oh, I am amazed with the absolute Clarity of that song, an excellent rendition!
It looks like there is little to no barrier between the middle lanes. How many head-on collisions occur on this bridge?
I've heard of none myself. Why would you need a barrier if you follow the speed limit and stay in your lane.🤷🏻♀️
Awesome video and beautiful country
Thank you Scott! It was a pleasure to "have you along"!
Thanks Luke, I thought the weather and that song would make a great combination. More to come from the Upper Peninsula!
@cjs121675 Thank you for watching! Hopefully you will get to take your own trip across the "Mighty Mac" someday. Until then, at least you can see what it looks like!