Equisite Lonliness

We are on Mackinac Island. I'm blogging from an internet cafe next to the French Outpost. I ran the whole island this morning (saw an eagle sitting on a rock out in the water), 8 miles in about 70 minutes (the exquisite lonliness of the long-distance runner). Feeling good. It's sunny, cool, but incredibly beautiful. Lake Michigan is an impressive body of water, we tracked up the eastern coast on U.S. Highway 31 yesterday, 6 hours on the road, we covered over 500 miles of pavement. Here the lake looks pristine, deep, calm; a dark blue, almost violet/purple, plum-like color.

Michigan is an interesting territory (massive trees looming). Yesterday we started with the Gerald Ford shrine in Grand Haven (upper middle class, Protestant), but by the time we got to Traverse City we saw signs for Kerry/Edwards, plus my favorite: 'Support our Troops, Vote Bush Out.' Traverse City seems to be a little more diverse, a little more middle-class, 'back-packers and hikers.' A working-class, Union City.

The closer we got to Mackinac, there began to appear a little French flavor, towns like Charlevoix and Mackinac itself. This must have been where the French Trappers had an influence. You begin to realize that America is a large country with little pockets of influence, class, and ethnicity everywhere. From the 'Burghers' in South Holland to the French in the Upper Penisula.

So today, we can chill out, look for a good restuarant, explore the town. Our room is nice and comfortable, (we're staying at the Bayview Bed and Breakfast, run by a group of Jamaicans who make the trip every summer). Good to find a little ethnic 'color' in the mix. Otherwise the island is a little too 'whitebread.' Carla and I make an odd couple, don't quite fit the profile. We have a sort of Bohemian way about us. It definitely seems to set us apart here. Living in the shadow of Chicago gives us a completely different perspective and I think it shows. We wear our 'uniqueness' like a badge of honor.