Yay, I was here. Actually, I've passed right on by this "landmark" of sorts a million times now- or…read moreat least, it feels like it. Seriously, who hasn't managed to pass by the landmark known as the 45th Parallel North on a road trip to Northern Michigan? Is is even possible to bypass this spot, also known as the midway point between the North Pole and the Equator? Who knows. What I do know, however, is that I've passed it more than a time or two on road trips, vacations, etc, and you probably have, too, if you've ever driven to Northern Michigan from downstate or elsewhere.
It's odd that the only thing marking the fact that you've traveled to the exact midway point between the Equator and North Pole is a sign that whirs by you as you drive past it. Strange, but I would assume that something more befitting the marking of the spot would be in place, but sadly, there is not. Other than that, I only notice that I'm at the midway point by spying the signage on the side of the expressway as I travel up north or by checking into this spot on Yelp, as I did this fall because I was bored or something while riding in the passenger seat of my car. Other than that, the experience falls a bit flat. It's fun to acknowledge that you've made it to precisely the midway mark of both the Equator and the North Pole, but for an adult who's done it more than a few times, the whole experience is kind of meh, but it sure is novel to say, "I've been to the halfway point of the Equator and the North Pole," isn't it? At any rate, it is an interesting spot to be able to say, "I've been here." After all, when you really think about it, how many people have never been here even once? Probably quite a few when you actually calculate it.
PS trying to snap a photo on my phone of the sign while traveling 80 mph on the expressway was pretty impossible. Don't bother. It'll probably just be a big old blur.
