Can I Survive Crossing the Mackinac Bridge with My Girl Scouts?

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Discussion Overview

The thread centers around a participant's anxiety about crossing the Mackinac Bridge while driving a group of Girl Scouts. Various participants share their personal experiences and coping strategies for dealing with bridge-related fears.

Discussion Character

  • Anecdotal
  • Opinion-based
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses fear of bridges and seeks advice on managing this while driving a group of girls.
  • Another participant suggests driving in the middle lane and gripping the wheel tightly as a coping mechanism.
  • One participant shares that singing songs with the girls could help distract from the fear of crossing the bridge.
  • Several participants mention specific songs that could be sung during the crossing to alleviate anxiety.
  • Another participant notes the importance of staying in the outside lane for a smoother ride.
  • One participant recalls their own dislike of bridges but shares that they managed to cross the bridge in winter.
  • Another participant mentions the bridge's safety record and encourages not to obsess over it.
  • Several participants discuss the pronunciation of "Mackinac" and "Mackinaw," sharing their thoughts on local dialects.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Views differ on how to cope with the fear of crossing the bridge, with some participants suggesting singing as a distraction while others focus on practical driving tips. No clear consensus emerges on a single approach.

Contextual Notes

The discussion reflects personal experiences and fears related to driving over the Mackinac Bridge, particularly in the context of managing a group of young girls. Participants share a mix of humor and concern regarding the experience.

Who May Find This Useful

Participants in the consultant community who may face similar fears or challenges when traveling with groups, particularly in contexts involving children.

pcchris said:
website is Mackinac Bridge Authority in case you aren't sure of the bridge in question. I'd do a like, but I don't know how. KG may be able to help me with that....he's such a computer guru! Or, someone else might be able to do that too....

It's a MONSTER!
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OH man better you than me!! I hate going over bridges too I looked at some of the pictures and I hope it's not snowing when you have to cross that sucker. What I usually tell myself when I cross bridges is that I am not the first and I will not be the last and everthing will be ok. Just think of the little engine that could, or better yet just think of how prowd you will be with yourself when you get to the end and realize how strong you where to drive over it and you never know, this experience just might help you with your fear, good luck and everything will turn out fine :balloon:
 
pcchris said:
Wow - stunning pictures, KG!!!

Just for the record, I wouldn't go over that old metal bridge for anything!!!:eek:
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Well, actually, that one is closed to all traffic. I walked across it, anyway, but the old wooden deck is in pretty tough shape. I also found five similar iron through-truss bridges that cross the same stream, Fish Creek, which flows from Greene County, Pennsylvania to the Ohio River.

pcchris said:
ok....went and reread....ummm...over the railing?????? :eek:

All that, took your life into your own hands, for little ol' me?? WOW!

Thanks! I feel loved!! ;)
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Well, you're welcome, but not really. I was probably in more danger of falling down the hill (where I took the panorama shot) than I was looking over the railing, with only 460 feet to Turtle Creek.
 
Oh, I LOVE you KG!!!! Thank you for showing off WV!!

Are you still there?? If so - DO drive up that hill I mentioned! There's a kiss-your-OWN-butt turn which is at the END of a hill that makes you want to keep your hands up in the air!!
 
I am headed for home today, as a matter of fact, but there are two things I want to do before I head west. One of them is to go up to Oglebay Park and the other is to see if I can find any historical data on the Wheeling Tunnel. Or, the "eeling Tunnel" if you're headed westbound. The "W" and "H" came down and were destroyed when a truck slammed into the east portal a couple of years ago. The driver died in the resulting fire and much damage was done to the portal. Ironically, it is the eastbound tube that is currently closed for refurbishment. I don't know if you've heard anything about the project, but the eastbound tube was closed in January for refurbishment, including replacement of the ceramic tiles that line the tunnels. It was supposed to have reopened for Memorial Day. It didn't. It was supposed to reopen on November 1. It won't. Through traffic just detours on I-470 but local traffic is snarled up every day. It's become a local joke in the meantime, and people are not terribly good natured about it, either.I took some photos of the river yesterday from the cemetery on the top of Mount Wood. That is a very interesting place, too.
 
IM006488.jpg
You can see the Fort Henry Bridge in the foreground, that carries I-70 and US 40 across the Ohio River, immediately behind it is the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, the oldest suspension bridge in the United States (and still in service.) In the middle of the photo, you can see the I-470 bridge about four miles down river and way in the distance, you can just make out the Bellaire Bridge, a majestic structure that has been closed since 1991.
 
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The_Kitchen_Guy said:
IM006488.jpg


You can see the Fort Hood Bridge in the foreground, that carries I-70 and US 40 across the Ohio River, immediately behind it is the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, the oldest suspension bridge in the United States (and still in service.) In the middle of the photo, you can see the I-470 bridge about four miles down river and way in the distance, you can just make out the Bellaire Bridge, a majestic structure that has been closed since 1991.
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I'm loving the Cemetery! One of the very odd things that DH and I enjoy doing is exploring old cemeteries. In fact, I've enjoyed it since I was a child, and used to explore with my brother. When I started dating DH, and found out he enjoyed it too, it was just another confirmation that he was the ONE!:love:
 
That cemetery goes back to the earliest days of Wheeling and there are several prominent citizens buried there. Many of the graves have had ground heave and some stones are off kilter as a result. The really heartbreaking thing is the vandalism - there are toppled headstones everywhere, many of them more than 150 years old.
 
The_Kitchen_Guy said:
That cemetery goes back to the earliest days of Wheeling and there are several prominent citizens buried there. Many of the graves have had ground heave and some stones are off kilter as a result. The really heartbreaking thing is the vandalism - there are toppled headstones everywhere, many of them more than 150 years old.
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The Vandalism is so sad. There is so much history in cemeteries - and it is heartbreaking to see it destroyed because of a lack of respect.One of my favorite cemeteries is in the courtyard surrounding the Circle Church in Charleston, SC. Because of the high water table, many of the caskets are in crypts above ground, but it's laid out like a regular cemetary. Some of those date back to the early 1700's.
 
pamperedape said:
Oh, I LOVE you KG!!!! Thank you for showing off WV!!

Are you still there?? If so - DO drive up that hill I mentioned! There's a kiss-your-OWN-butt turn which is at the END of a hill that makes you want to keep your hands up in the air!!
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Here's another thing I love about West Virginia:

IM006077.jpg


I was actually going west at this time. It makes me think of that cartoon sheriff, a sheepdog with hair over his eyes, who kept saying, "Which way did he go? Which way did he go?"
 
Which way did he go? He went for Faaaaaayygoooooo!
 
That's in South Dakota. They made a weird movie with the name for a title.
 
That's from the old Faygo Pop commercials. :) And I just realized that I forgot to take Rock and Rye with me when I was in WI last month. Darn.
 
Yeah, I know. I watched the movie, Faygo, not that long ago. I love the Minnesota accedents dere, ya know?
 
What a saga! I'm so glad you made it over just fine, Chris. Great advice and stories from everyone else. I enjoyed it. :)

I've always had mixed emotions about bridges, suspension ones especially, since we live right by a famous one, at least out this way, The Tacoma Narrows Bridge. It's actually the second bridge built, the first one "Galloping Gertie" collapsed like 4 months after it opened. :yuck: On wikipedia they have some cool footage of it.

The scariest part for me has always been how high above the water it is. That's what makes it so scary. That and never EVER change lanes!!! On the westbound bridge (they just opened the new eastbound one this summer), there are grates in between the lanes, and you can see down to the water. Well, you get high gusty winds and the wind coming up through the grates can literally flip a car over.

One story I have, when I was in high school, my family was going over the bridge to a family camp for Labor Day weekend. We had a sailboat, that was fairly shallow, so more like a board, than boat. We had it tied down on the top of our motorhome. There were pretty high winds that day and the boat came untied halfway across the bridge. :eek: My dad and I quickly ran out there (you aren't allowed to stop on the bridge) and tried to tie it back up there, so it wouldn't just drag. Well, we didn't get it on good enough and it came loose again and ended up flying off and over the side of the bridge. :eek: It took a while before it hit the water. Some people in a boat rescued it, but we never did get it back. There was no real way for us to get down to water level to get it.

But, yeah, I've gotten used to driving over it, but for years I'd just either look waaaaaaaaay out into the water so it didn't look as high up, or I'd just look in my lap. :p Oh, and to make it worse, it spans over the deepest part of the whole Puget Sound. And we're talking DEEP. They do sonar testing with subs way, way down there. So, anyway, I'm proud of you Chris, and glad you made it! I completely understand! ;)
~Vicks
 
That concrete/steel deck on the Tacoma Narrows is the same design the Mackinac Bridge uses. Several years ago, a Yugo was blown off the bridge. (We tried to not tell Chris that story before she left for Michigan.)
 
But the tallest suspension bridge (distance from bridge to water below) in the US is at the Royal Gorge in Colorado. It's a pedestrian bridge. Very cool. They have a whole little tourist trap built up around it. We've got video footage from a vacation out there back in 2000, but DH doesn't have it posted on our website. It was also one of the stops on my family's big "out west" vacation when I was still in HS. I had a not so nice temporary souvenir from that trip - a bruise. We (the 3 kids) were feeding the mule deer that live near the gorge. We ran out of graham crackers and they didn't understand that there was no more food. So one of them kicked me. I got a bruise shaped like a perfect deer hoof right on my hip.
 
Oh, deer! Are you hip now?
 
No. Never was. Still aren't. It's tragic.
 
It's okay, you're too young to be a hippy.
 
The_Kitchen_Guy said:
It's okay, you're too young to be a hippy.
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I'm gonna be a hippy for Halloween!:thumbup: Flower Power, Man!
 
Here's one of our car club members as a hippy last year:
http://www.michiganlcoc.org/gallery/albums/Halloween2006/Bob_the_Hippy_is_caught.sized.jpg
 
chefann said:
Here's one of our car club members as a hippy last year:
http://www.michiganlcoc.org/gallery/albums/Halloween2006/Bob_the_Hippy_is_caught.sized.jpg
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That's DH's costume from last year!

Funny story (although it wasn't funny at the time!)......Late one night, last year about this time, I was in the shower. All of a sudden, I felt a hand on my shoulder, looked around and there was this guy with an afro and dark glasses standing there. I screamed, and about peed in the shower.......and then realized it was my dork husband wearing his halloween costume! I had to actually sit down in the shower for a few minutes because my knees gave out!

I was so MAD at him.....and he just stood there and giggled like a girl!:grumpy:
 
It must be the "car dork" gene that makes them act that way. And pick out that costume!
 
It couldda been worse - at least he didn't wear the Carmen Miranda outfit.
 
How about this one, Chris? This stunning open-spandrel three arch bridge is in Fairmont, WV, over the Monongahela River. It was built in 1921, refurbished in 2000, and made the list of historic places in 1991. It's a beauty!
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The_Kitchen_Guy said:
That concrete/steel deck on the Tacoma Narrows is the same design the Mackinac Bridge uses. Several years ago, a Yugo was blown off the bridge. (We tried to not tell Chris that story before she left for Michigan.)
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That is correct. You tried to not tell me about it, but did anyway. I'm still trying to figure out why I asked.....
 
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The_Kitchen_Guy said:
How about this one, Chris? This stunning open-spandrel three arch bridge is in Fairmont, WV, over the Monongahela River. It was built in 1921, refurbished in 2000, and made the list of historic places in 1991. It's a beauty!

IM006651.jpg
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KG, isn't this a similar type bridge to the one that collapsed in Minneapolis?
kinda looks like it, but I'm not sure.


And yes.....some bridges are beautiful....but I still HATE them!!!

btw - dh wants to go to the island next summer....and I'm gonna have to go over the Mighty Mac AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ugh!
 
No you don't. You can take the car ferry from Manitowoc to Ludington (or the Lake Express from Milwaukee to Muskegon) to Mackinac City. Or you can go all the way around the Yoop to St. Ignace. Either way, you can take the ferry to the Island and never have to cross the bridge.(Check my blog for the store of the SS Badger.)
 
Oh, and no, that isn't the same kind of bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis. The I-35 bridge was a steel deck truss, a gridwork of steel that supports the deck on top.The bridge in Fairmont is a concrete, open spandrel arch. It was built in 1921 and rehabilitated in 2000. When it was inspected in 2004, the following report was made:Deck condition rating: Excellent (9 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 73.6 (out of 100)It's not only a beautiful bridge, it's in great condition.(Incidentally, aqueducts using arches, built by the Romans 2500 years ago, are still standing all over Europe.)
 
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The_Kitchen_Guy said:
No you don't. You can take the car ferry from Manitowoc to Ludington (or the Lake Express from Milwaukee to Muskegon) to Mackinac City.

Or you can go all the way around the Yoop to St. Ignace. Either way, you can take the ferry to the Island and never have to cross the bridge.

(Check my blog for the store of the SS Badger.)
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Ah yes.....this is what I suggested. His response to me was "Well, you already went over it once....you can do it again".

Grrr.....

we'll see if it happens at all. I have months to not worry about it.
 
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