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The historic Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, left, enable
            ships to pass between Lakes Superior and Huron,
            which have a 21-foot height difference. Visitors can
            watch from a viewing platform. The Mackinac Bridge,
            right, links Michigan’s Lower and Upper peninsulas.






















































            the bridge must be high enough for the mighty Great  the winds so strong that the Mackinac Bridge Authority
            Lakesfreighterstopassunder.Whenbuiltin1957the     will provide a driver for people too terrified to drive
            bridge linked Michigan’s two disparate populations,  across.Theweatherwasfairthedaywecrossedandthe
            ending lingering talk of separation. Affectionately  windscalmbyGreatLakesstandards,sowelandedinthe
            called“BigMac,”thisbridgeisthethirdlongestsuspen-  UpperPeninsulawithoutincident.
            sionbridgeintheUnitedStates.                          Forty miles north of the straits is Sault Ste. Marie,
               Big Mac was our first introduction to how fierce  which sits on the south bank of the Saint Mary’s River,
            the Upper Peninsula’s weather can be. When engi-  the link between Lakes Superior and Huron. Sault Ste.
            neers designed the span they incorporated an open  Marie straddles the Canadian border, so you can cross
            gridroadbedandothermeasurestopreventthedeck       the river to the Canadian side if you like. We chose to
            fromswingingwildlyinagale.Thebridgeissohighand    stay in the United States, however.




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