About the Book
According to his wife, U. S. Representative David E. Bonior is a contemplative man who has had some pretty "harebrained" ideas. It was just such an idea that led Bonior and his wife Judy to walk the 325 miles from their home in Mount Clemens--a suburb of Detroit--to the quaint coastal sidewalks of Mackinaw City, the Lower Peninsula's northernmost point. Walking to Mackinac chronicles the Boniors' three-week journey to connect with the people and the history of their home state, to explore Michigan at human pace, and to appreciate it more fully.
The Boniors plotted their own course, stringing together trails, back roads, and abandoned railway beds. They both carried twenty-five to thirty-five pounds on their backs, so they limited each day's effort to a walkable distance that would end at a campsite or motel. Both in their early fifties, neither of the Boniors had ever undertaken a trek of this magnitude or done any camping to speak of. Their daily challenges were humorous, daunting, and even frightening.
While the book focuses on the Boniors' journey, what moves the narrative forward is the story of Michigan. The journey serves to link the Underground Railroad and waterways, the fur trade and the lumber industry, agriculture and the automobile, and of course the people all along the way.
If you have ever taken a trip on a whim, or if you have even just thought about ignoring the "sensible" voice inside your head, Walking to Mackinac is sure to delight you. Both entertaining and informative, the Boniors' story reminds us once again that even the longest journey begins with a single step.
David E. Bonior is the Democratic Whip in the U. S. House of Representatives. He represents Michigan's Tenth Congressional District and lives in Mount Clemens, Michigan, with his wife Judy.
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Prologue 1. Mount Clemens to Rochester Mount Clemens, Clinton River, Clinton Township, Clinton-Kalamazoo Canal, Sterling Heights, Yates Cider Mill, Utica, and Rochester Utica State Recreation Area (Oakland County) 2. Rochester to Oxford Rochester, Paint Creek, Paint Creek Trail, Lake Orion, Long Lake, and Indian Lake (Oakland County) 3. Oxford to Lapeer Indian Lake, Grampian Hills, Grampian Lake, Handsome Lake, Tullamore Lake, Oxford, and Stony Lake (Oakland County); Wolf Lake, Metamora, and Lapeer (Lapeer County) 4. Lapeer to Otter Lake Lapeer, Horton Lake, Bronson Lake, Columbiaville, Holloway Reservoir, Hemmingway Lake, and Otter Lake (Lapeer County) 5. Otter Lake to Vassar Otter Lake (Genesee County); Harvey Lake, Millington, Cass River, and Vassar (Tuscola County) 6. Vassar to Bay City Vassar and Richville (Tuscola County); Blumfield Corners (Saginaw County); Munger, Bay City, and Clements Inn (Bay County) 7. Bay City State Park Bay City State Park and Saginaw Bay (Bay County) 8. Bay City State Park to Pinconning Tobico Marsh, Killarney Beach, Brissette Beach, Linwood Beach, Linwood, and Pinconning (Bay County) 9. Pinconning to the Rifle River Pinconning (Bay County); Saganing River, Sterling, Rifle River, and Cedar Springs Campground (Arenac County) 10. The Rifle River to Lake George Sterling, Au Sable State Forest, and Alger (Arenac County); Lake George (Ogemaw County) 11. West Branch to Houghton Lake West Branch (Ogemaw County); Houghton Lake (Roscommon County) 12. Houghton Lake Gas Lite Manor, Prudenville, and Houghton Lake (Roscommon County) 13. Houghton Lake to Higgins Lake Houghton Lake, Au Sable State Forest, Cut River, Sharps Corners, Higgins Lake, and Hillcrest (Roscommon County); North Higgins Lake State Park (Crawford County) 14. Higgins Lake to Grayling Civilian Conservation Corps Museum (Roscommon County); Au Sable State Forest, Grayling, and Penrod's (Crawford County) 15. The Au Sable River Penrod's, the Au Sable River, Burton's Field, and Grayling (Crawford County) 16. Grayling to Otsego Lake Grayling, Hartwick Pines State Park, Blue Gill Lake, and Horseshoe Lake (Crawford County); Lake Marjory, Big Bradford Lake, Little Bradford Lake, Waters, Otsego Lake, and Otsego Lake State Park (Otsego County) 17. Otsego Lake to Circle S Otsego Lake, Arbutus Beach, Pearll City, Gaylord, Irontone Springs, and Pigeon River County State Forest (Otsego County); Circle S Campground and Sturgeon River (Cheboygan County) 18. Circle S to Burt Lake Circle S Campground, Sturgeon River, Wolverine, Haakwood Rustic Campground, Mackinaw State Forest, Burt Lake State Park, and Burt Lake (Cheboygan County) 19. Burt Lake to Cheboygan Burt Lake State Park, Indian River, Mullett Lake, Topinabee, Veery Point, Birchwood, Cheboygan, and the Cheboygan River (Cheboygan County) 20. Cheboygan to Mackinaw City Cheboygan, Straits of Mackinac, Point Nipigon, Grand View, Freedom, and Mill Creek State Park (Cheboygan County); Mackinaw City (Cheboygan and Emmett Counties) Epilogue Biography
About the Author :
David E. Bonior is the Democratic Whip in the U. S. House of Representatives. He represents Michigan's Tenth Congressional District and lives in Mount Clemens, Michigan, with his wife Judy.
