I got up, after not-sufficient sleep, around 6.20 am and my plan of leaving around 5 am had gone for a toss. My journey started around 7 am and after a comfortable length of driving, I reached Munising around 9.30 am. After refuelling the car and taking a bit more time to memorize the driving directions, I started towards Mackinaw. This stretch of journey was also good, with not much traffic. Weather was good too. I stopped at several places to take pictures and somehow missed the Mystery Spot. The first sight of Mackinaw Bridge was fascinating. I eventually found the Mystery Spot – it was amazing to see such a strong gravitation pull but couldn’t figure out any decent explanation for what I saw – to me, it’s just optical illusions. I still cannot believe that I have seen Mackinaw Bridge and have crossed it (twice). I ate some food and went to Mackinac Island by the Shepler’s. Almost everything on the island, as people had informed me earlier, was insanely expensive. I rented a bike and went round the island. There were too many good things happening and the island still retains European (British) stain in almost everything. One feature that impressed me a lot was the absence of automobiles (gas-based). After about two hours of biking, I was tired; had taken plenty of pictures, mostly of aesthetic looking buildings and natural stuff. I returned back the mainland by the 5.30 pm trip.

The moment I got off the boat, two Border Patrol Officers approached me – apparently, someone on the island had complained that I was looking suspicious. After a brief session of questioning / interrogation, I started my journey to Sault Sainte Marie. Interrogation clearly had some effect on my mind – I missed the route twice and finally reached my destination around 8.30 pm. This is the first time I drove on a free-way in Michigan. After searching for a while and asking the local policeman, I found the Sherman’s Park, situated in some remote corner of Soo. I was already suffering from severe head-ache, mostly due to not-eating timely food and partly due to the incident earlier in the day. After some dilemma, I bought some food and water and decided to camp at Sherman’s Park. I saw a huge freight passing by while I was putting up the tent.

Day 2

Getting up at 5.45 am without the help of an alarm ? I don’t remember doing this in a long long time. I took some very nice pictures of the Sunrise and after placing the required amount (Sherman’s Park Fee) in an envelope, I started out. After eating some Onion Rings in the Burger King, I crossed an in-town bridge (I was very very nervous while doing this and had to ask a couple to make sure that I was still in the USA!) reached the very border of USA. I roamed around behind the River of History Museum taking several pictures of the monuments and reached a place right beneath the International Bridge – while I was taking a well-framed picture from within the car, an old, respectable lady passed along side with plenty of tension and doubt on her face. I roamed around for some more time, before pulling over at a park to see the famous Soo Locks.

Just as I got off the car, couple of spots away, a Border Patrol Officer parked his vehicle and started walking towards me – this time, I started the conversation and as I was expecting, it was a repeat of yesterday’s incidence. Another interrogation session and this one was heart-breaking. I gave the officer (Jones Jr.) all the information I could and he passed the same to some other person elsewhere. While my identity was being searched, I explained to him the complexity associated with my family name. As I heard, female voice over phone said, GOWTHAM SHANKARA, results negative and just as the officers were getting ready to take me to the station for further search, the same voice said, GOWTHAM SHANKARA, FOXTROT ONE. Unfortunately, she was searching for my name in the wrong database (illegal residents’)! Officers, after this interrogation, advised to carry the passport at all times. I later took some pictures of a freight (Stewart J Cort) coming into the Soo Locks. I visited Valley Camp Museum but didn’t go for the Soo Locks Boat Tour as it would go through the American side and come back via the Canadian side.

I then went to Taco Bell to get some food, refueled the car and started my journey towards Tahquamenon Falls. After about an hour, I reached the White Fish Point – I saw the same freight again, passing quietly in the calm waters of the Lake Superior. Around 1.45 pm or so, I reached the Lower Tahquamenon Falls – it wasn’t very impressive. About four miles ahead was the Upper Tahquamenon Falls – this was much better. I drove through Newberry and after nearly two hour journey, I reached Grand Marais – located very close to this place are Grand Sable Falls and Dunes. Both were nice but I couldn’t get all the way down to the waters for several reasons – nearly 200 feet of it was very very steep, I was wearing inappropriate clothing and more importantly, was running out of steam and time. As I was relaxing near my car, few people thought I was a professional photographer!! Thanks to my professional looking camera, this was a pleasant thing to hear after all that happened in the morning.

I then drove for a while and reached Log Slides – if Grand Sable Dunes were breath-taking, this one was shocking, all the way, down to bottom – 500 feet of steep descent. It takes only few seconds to get to the waters but more than one hour to climb-up! I didn’t go down owing to shortage of time. As if this wasn’t sufficient, journey for the next two hours is probably the best one I have done, on a dirt road. Driving along the Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore was an experience I wouldn’t forget all my life – Sunlight and Darkness play hide-and-seek all through a 46 mile stretch. I stopped at a couple of places before reaching Munising around 8 pm. I took a break, refueled the car and started heading back home. I just stopped at one place, to take a picture of Sunset and reached Houghton by 10.45 pm.

Three Great Lakes and the land in between them had fed my eyes more than I had asked for! I decided to stop my vacation – not because I was tired of driving, but because I was afraid of constipation – my eyes couldn’t take any more beauty and it would take some time to digest what they had so far.

Day 3

I got up around 9.30 am and called the National Car about returning the car. As there was no difference in the charge between returning the car in the morning or evening, I decided to go around some more. I first went to then drove to Eagle Harbor, stopping at several places to take pictures. Northern Lake Shore Drive up to Copper Harbor was great – I went all the way to the starting point of US-41 and even went to Mandan’s Loop, only to return after traveling just 3 miles. I was told that it’s 15 mile journey and this car was certainly not capable of going through such a rugged road. I came back via the Cover Drive and reached Bete Grise. Journey back via the Southern Lakeshore Drive — Lac La Belle, The Gay, Lake Linden – to Houghton was very very impressive. I washed the car and returned it around 5.15 pm.

Thus ended my first ever planned vacation in US, helping me relax quite a bit and gain plenty of experience – driving (over 900 miles), photography (nearly 500 snaps).