Today was mostly driving.  We left after breakfast and drove west to Flint and then up I-75 through the Lower Peninsula, across the five-mile long Mackinac Bridge over the Straits of Mackinac and into the little lakeside town of St. Ignace.

We did stop once along the trip.  When driving along limited access highways, most off-ramps list the services available at the location, fuel, lodging, food, etc..  In Michigan we started seeing signs for “Bob’s Big Boy” restaurants.  Growing up as Southern California kids, these places were near and dear to our hearts.  The first double-decker hamburger was the “Big Boy,” and who could resist a “Silver Goblet Shake?”

We couldn’t resist stopping in the town of Gaylord to check out the authenticity of the Big Boy restaurant there.  The logo and cartoony “Big Boy” were emblazoned on the building and inside walls.  The menu contained “Big Boy” burgers along with other diner-type fare.  And they had shakes, but they weren’t called “Silver Goblet.”  We tried a shake, but it didn’t compare with our memories of long-ago Glendale delights.  Oh well.

After checking into a motel, right on the shore of Lake Huron, we ate dinner at a local St. Ignace joint and did some research on ferries to Mackinac Island (the final c is silent — think French — and it’s pronounced Mackinaw by the locals) before turning in for the night. I agree.

Half Pineapple, Half Green Olive Pizza in St. Ignace.