Vintage video of a trip over the Mackinac Bridge in 1958

I love this old 8mm film of someone crossing the Mackinac Bridge in 1958. Not much has changed since then. About halfway across the bridge you even get to see Michigan's unofficial state flower - the orange traffic barrel. It's an authentic steel drum painted orange - not one of those plastic ones you see nowadays. The only thing missing is the audio from AM 530 or 1610 that tells you a brief history of the bridge and gives the current bridge conditions. I always listen to that each time I cross the bridge and I don't think it has changed since I can remember.

Be sure to check out my Mackinac Bridge page for more information on the remaining 50th Anniversary celebrations and the annual Labor Day Bridge Walk.

If the video player doesn't appear, watch it here.

Interesting article about Pictured Rocks

If you have never visited the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore near Munising in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, this article in the Mining Journal might convince you to head north. I have hiked the Pictured Rocks area (nothing too rugged) but have not had the pleasure of viewing the impressive rock formations and waterfalls from a boat. According to the article, viewing the Pictured Rocks from a boat is the best way to go as far as what you get to see. I would love to take a Pictured Rocks Cruise sometime as well as take a shipwreck tour from a glass bottom boat via Shipwreck Tours which is also based out of Munising.

Pictured Rocks Cruise Ticket Prices: Adults - $31 Children 6-12 - $13 Children 5 & Under - Free

Shipwreck Tours Ticket Prices: Adults - $27 Children 6-12 - $11 Children 5 & Under - Free

Pictured Rocks National Lakseshore official website

New MDOT site rolls their most used features into one page

MDOT finally decided to make its most used online features available from a single page. Located at www.michigan.gov/drive the new page prominently features the Detroit Traffic Map, Michigan Road Construction Search, and MDOT Construction Map. Previously you had to hunt and dig for this information (which I always found strange) all throughout the www.michigan.gov/mdot subdirectory. It is nice to have everything in the same place.

Free guide to Michigan's State Parks

Michigan has 97 state parks and recreation areas. That makes for a lot of opportunities for recreation that many other states just don't have. It also makes for a lot of information to go through when you try to decide to camp or stop at one of our state parks. Well, I created a lens at Squidoo on the Michigan State Parks that I hope parcels out enough information to help narrow down your search without overwhelming the user. For each of the state parks and recreation areas I provide campground details (if a campground is available) and the recreation activities that await visitors such as hiking, canoeing, horseback riding, and many others.

Each state park listing is provided with a link to a page with even more information about that park. Basically, my guide is a condensed highlight guide that you can scan much quicker than the full detail pages.

The Michigan State Parks are grouped geographically as follows - Upper Peninsula State Parks Northern Michigan State Parks Western Michigan State Parks Eastern Michigan State Parks

Visit the Michigan State Parks lens today.

Still some spaces available at State Park Campgrounds

Surprisingly enough there are still campsites available at State Park Campgrounds. Usually the 4th of July holiday sees 100% capacity at nearly every park. It is one of the biggest (along with Labor Day Weekend) camping dates on the summer calendar. You will be most successful in finding a site if you choose one of the lesser known (but still wonderful) Michigan State Parks. The Detroit Free Press has a list of the current occupancy report and you can visit Michigan.gov/dnr for a list that is supposed to be updated each morning.

Plan your Michigan Vacation Getaway

I created yet another Squidoo lens. This one is to help folks plan their next Michigan Vacation Getaway. This page covers the question of "What Up North means to you", our great Upper Peninsula, where to find a great Michigan resort, 3,000 miles of beaches along the great lakes, Quick Michigan Getaways, and a whole lot more. Don't let summer pass you by without enjoying at least a small part of all that Michigan has to offer.

Visit Michigan Vacation Getaway.