Blue Highways Michigan

In 1999, William Least Heat-Moon published a book, Blue Highways, A Journey Across America. In it he told of his adventure across America, driving the blue highways. On a map, interstate highways are usually colored red. State highways are colored blue. He wanted to travel the back roads and see the towns and villages that are often skipped by the expressways. I did my own mini version over a long weekend. I left Lapeer and traveled state and county roads to Bay Port, Michigan on the west shore of Michigan's Thumb. Then I travelled from the Thumb across the state to New Buffalo, Michigan on the Indiana border on Lake Michigan. I decided to skip the expressways and drive the blue highways. It was a real pleasant drive. Slowing to 55 on two lane highways, was a great stress reliever. I saw small towns and drove across the agricultural heartland of the state. Fields of corn and beans and sugar beets stretched along rolling hills. Prosperous farms painted white were predominant with only the occasional shell of an 1890's farm house abandoned and overgrown. The small towns hosted car washes and antique fairs. Some looked prosperous and others mostly abandoned. The occasional sign warning of Amish wagons caught my attention. Reaching the west side of the state I drove on the Blue Star Highway for 100 miles along the shore through stands of trees and alongside dunes. The occasional break in the trees allowed for views of the big lake. Expressways are meant for speed and hills are softened and curves gentle. On the blue highways the road, rather than taming natures landscape, went over or around what the glaciers had deposited many years ago. Bridges crossed streams. Wayside stores and scenic outlooks dotted the drive. When I was a child, my family always vacationed "up north". This was well before the interstate highways we built. The only way north was via the blue highways, slowing for towns and road side attractions like Mystery Spot, road side cheese stands, farmers selling sweet corn, tomatos and home made preserves. I discovered that the road side stands still are there are fresh produce abounds. I figured my trip took about 6 1/2 hours adding about 30 minutes to the time. Those 30 minutes were well worth the price paid avoiding truck traffic, construction back-ups and the monotony of super highways. The blue highways showed me that the still is a wealth of history to be seen at a much slower pace.