Tomorrow night after the Sugar Bowl (Michigan vs. Virginia Tech, I am a huge Michigan fan) I will be taking off and heading back to Montana for school. There are a few different routes I can take, and I still haven't quite decided. The weather isn't being very cooperative, as the lake effect snow machine from the Great Lakes has been turned on. Driving from Grand Rapids, Michigan I can easily head south and cut around the bottom of Lake Michigan and head up through Chicago and take I-90 all the way across Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, and so on. But I find that route very tedious and boring. Considering the drive takes a little over 24 hours no matter which route I take, I really prefer a more adventurous route.
For those of you who are not familiar with Michigan's Upper Peninsula, it is a long drive up to the UP from where I am located, as you can see on the map below.
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I have been up there a few times, but never really when I was old enough to appreciate it. Last year I went with a friend and saw the Mackinac Bridge again, but other than that I haven't spent a lot of time exploring the vast amount of forests and lakes in the Upper Peninsula.
Anyways, it seems to me that heading up to the UP and cutting over would be the most enjoyable route, if only so for the first 10 hours or so until I get to Minnesota, and hopping on I-94 and taking that the rest of the way to Billings, Montana. I plan on pacing myself a bit and hope to get some interesting pictures on the way. It is January, so snow may be my main subject.
It should be an exciting drive, and if I pull off what I did on my drive back here a few weeks ago, I won't have to stop at all, I drove 25 hours straight on the I-90/I-80 route and only took about a half an hour break. Also, I did it all without any caffeine! I've included a video of a windy crossing of the Mackinac Bridge that connects the Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Enjoy :)
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