The 68th annual Labor Day Mackinac Bridge Walk took place last Monday. They reported that roughly 34,000 people walked this year. Turnout has ranged from 21,000 to 35,000 since 2018. Laurie Bashaw and her hubby were on the bridge for sunrise and walked with other family members. They walked from St. Ignace to Mackinaw City, then they took the ferry over to Mackinac Island, looked in a few shops, then sat in the park below the Fort and watched the cannons firing. They then boarded the ferry back to St. Ignace where their truck was parked. Laurie said they didn’t walk both ways, saying if you do that you’re a “double crosser”! She added... that she was glad to be done, as the Bridge really sways at the top, which she really doesn't like. Last time she walked it she got a little motion sick, but she knew what to expect this time, so she just kept moving and was fine.

The bottom two photos were snagged from the Mackinac Bridge Webcams by Cindy Conway. She found it interesting that there was a the lack of boat traffic around the bridge. No freighters, but the Coast Guard ship Katmai Bay was present plus at least 2 SAR (Search and Rescue) Vessels. Cindy also learned the following from the USCG military website: “The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter KATMAI BAY (WTGB-101) is a 140 foot Bay Class Icebreaking Tug homeported in Sault Sainte Marie, MI. Unit missions include icebreaking, Homeland Security patrols, Light House projects, Law Enforcement, and Public Affairs. The CGC KATMAI BAY serves throughout the entire Great lakes system.” Pretty cool that when it’s not needed for icebreaking or other tasks the ship does security duty for events like the Bridge Walk! And it is named for Katmai Bay in Alaska. You can see the Katmai Bay in the Bridge photo from Saint Ignace. If you look closely the smaller SAR vessels are out there too!

UP North Live shares a video of folks during the walk on the Mackinac Bridge. The bridge closed to vehicles at 6:30 a.m. and opened up again promptly at 12:00 Noon. Walkers can start from either the St. Ignace or Mackinaw City side, walking toward the center and then turning around at the midpoint to return to the city they started from. People choosing to walk the entire length need to cross the midpoint by 10 a.m. and have their own transportation lined up when the bridge reopens at noon. There is no registration, there's no fee to participate and you don't need to let them know in advance that you're coming.

Great pictures! That's always been on my bucket
list but there's always been a reason why we can't
do it. Maybe next year.

Love Laurie’s photos, so happy she captured
the BIG Flag :)

WOW! Awesome, and that there are barely boats to
watch them...very interesting! (Aren't webcams
fun, Cindy!) Speaking of Cindy, one time while
eating at the Houghton Waterfront, I told Cindy,
(Hi Lou!) I'd not seen many boats on the webcams
this year, she simply said "It's gas prices!"
Duh..when you don't purchase gas, you don't think
of it.

My buddy, Ginny, and I picked agates on
Labor Day for probably 25 years, until I couldn't
do it anymore, and we picked in every kinda
weather, heading out before 7 a.m. We were on the
beach when the sun came up! Glorious Memories!

Hi
Gosh, Laurie & Edward, I didn't see you. ;>) I met a
friend from Brevort Lake on the north side and we
also walked from St. Ignace to Mackinaw City. I had
friends take me to the north side by car for the
start, and I took my Yooper friend John home by car
when the Bridge reopened. It was worth it to do the
whole bridge in a straight line, and seeing the sun
rise out over the islands. But having to get up
freaking early (we allowed extra time so my friends
wouldn't stranded) to get to the north side before
they closed the bridge was a hassle. So was the stop
& go traffic northbound when the bridge reopened.

While I'm complaining, I never felt the bridge sway
back when we were able to spread out into two lanes
and we walkers were on one side and nice heavy cars
were on the other.

Hi again
My prior comments were grouchy, but I also want to say
the walk was a great experience. You can take the time
to look at both the scenery and the details of the
bridge. And we had perfect weather.

Does the bridge remain open to car traffic?
I see trucks in the middle lanes.

Hi
D.A., not to ordinary travelers. The Bridge Authority
has the walkers use the outer lanes and the two middle
lanes are for emergency vehicles. For instance, if
someone can't walk any further they can get a ride off
the bridge. We walkers, through inattention or
rebellion, tend to spread out and they have cops
periodically to shoo us back. The cops on horseback
were very effective.

Thanks Kathyrn,

I did see this earlier, as the system sends an email.

That's a long time for a critical pathway to shutdown.

Hi
D.A., I agree. I liked it better the old way, where one
side of the bridge remained open to traffic.