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CentralMass

(15,265 posts)
19. I remember listening to the song as we were crossing the Mackinac bridge in Michigan during
Fri Nov 10, 2017, 09:50 AM
Nov 2017

a very bad storm. The bridge connects the upper pennisula of Michigan to the "mainland" over an 8 mile stretch across the Mackinac Straits where lakes Huron and Michigan meet (if i remember correctly).

My father and I had driven up to pickup my brother from Michigan Tech in the U.P. it must of been around (edited) 1978. I think i was srill in high school when we made the trip

We were driving in a terrible storm as we approached the bridge. Near the water edge the wind was so strong the trees were bent over. We were hesitant to get on the bridge. It was a dark as night and it was only late afternoon. As we crossed the bridge the winds coming from our right were so strong they were blowing our large 4 door sedan out of lane. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald was playing on the radio and i can recall seeing a huge freighter crossing under the bridge as we as we crossed over it. If the ship hadn't been lit up it wouldn't have been able to see. They mentioned on the radio that the bridge had just closed for additional traffic due to the storm. Not comforting as we were one of the last vehicles that had been let on. Shortly after exiting the bridge we were far too close to a tornado that touched down.



That song always gives me the chills. demmiblue Nov 2017 #1
Me too... absolutely haunting hlthe2b Nov 2017 #2
Same here Pacifist Patriot Nov 2017 #50
The Witch of November remembered. lastlib Nov 2017 #3
Marta & I saw Gordon sing it in person a couple years ago Omaha Steve Nov 2017 #4
Loved Gordon Lightfoot BumRushDaShow Nov 2017 #5
I Felt Like That Too ProfessorGAC Nov 2017 #8
Sadly. I don't think the actual event got much national coverage then. alphafemale Nov 2017 #82
Here in Philly around that time in 1975, we had our own drama. BumRushDaShow Nov 2017 #85
Damn thanks for sharing. titaniumsalute Nov 2017 #6
Hard to believe its been 42 years. roamer65 Nov 2017 #7
k & r Achilleaze Nov 2017 #9
An incredibly moving song. TNNurse Nov 2017 #10
Same here LeftInTX Nov 2017 #27
What an amazing song. Never fails to get me. nt Codeine Nov 2017 #11
Just haunting and will never be forgotten thanks to GL. yallerdawg Nov 2017 #12
Youre right, Haunting is a good description............ Old Vet Nov 2017 #67
I have that song on my devices. I remember it too. Ilsa Nov 2017 #13
Entrancing is right ailsagirl Nov 2017 #35
This YouTube version spells out the names of the crew. . . DinahMoeHum Nov 2017 #14
Yep...this is the best YouTube of this. Liberal In Texas Nov 2017 #61
I still live near Toledo. Mendocino Nov 2017 #15
YouTube has a number of documentaries, too MountCleaners Nov 2017 #16
42 years ago tonight ewagner Nov 2017 #17
Cool. Interesting story. n/t Liberal In Texas Nov 2017 #71
Only one correction to his song. roamer65 Nov 2017 #18
Zug Island DownriverDem Nov 2017 #37
26,000 tons of taconite pellets from Superior, WI. roamer65 Nov 2017 #51
I-75 South is closed from I-96 downtown for non-local. susanna Nov 2017 #94
Yes, it was. n/t susanna Nov 2017 #77
I remember listening to the song as we were crossing the Mackinac bridge in Michigan during CentralMass Nov 2017 #19
Superior, Huron and Michigan can all get wild this time of year. roamer65 Nov 2017 #56
Wow. That storm we encointered was formidable. CentralMass Nov 2017 #65
Many people dismiss the Great Lakes as...well, "they're just lakes." susanna Nov 2017 #78
You know it's interesting BumRushDaShow Nov 2017 #86
Yes - they do impact our climate, which should clue folks into their size ;) susanna Nov 2017 #88
Have to put it on my bucket list! BumRushDaShow Nov 2017 #91
I would love to see Egypt. susanna Nov 2017 #92
That bridge has alway scared me. Liberal In Texas Nov 2017 #64
Its long and narrow...5 miles. roamer65 Nov 2017 #66
Fun Fact: The Mackinac Bridge Authority has a driver assistance program for people who... demmiblue Nov 2017 #87
WOW - as a Michigan native who has crossed that bridge countless times... susanna Nov 2017 #79
1st heard of wreck in 1976 when in Newfoundland bobbieinok Nov 2017 #20
Powerful strong ailsagirl Nov 2017 #34
I wouldn't like this song if the subject were different. Ilsa Nov 2017 #21
Years ago we were in a museum in the U.P. that played to song over and over. rzemanfl Nov 2017 #53
Several theories of what happened. El Mimbreno Nov 2017 #22
I believe in the rouge wave theory. Mendocino Nov 2017 #30
Also plausible El Mimbreno Nov 2017 #31
Didn't the Arthur Anderson's captain support this? He said they were hit by bigger waves than he anneboleyn Nov 2017 #39
The rogue wave theory is very persuasive. Waves like that are seen periodically. yardwork Nov 2017 #49
I also have read she may actually have grounded Liberal In Texas Nov 2017 #72
I am a Six Fathom shoal believer as well. roamer65 Nov 2017 #32
Yes, but they were "holding their own" according to their last transmission. It also happened SO anneboleyn Nov 2017 #40
Or especially taken down a ship with a compromised hull. roamer65 Nov 2017 #60
Theory in a book I read... El Mimbreno Nov 2017 #48
One problem is that Mendocino Nov 2017 #47
my dad took me to see Gordon when I was 7.. TalenaGor Nov 2017 #23
I went to see him five years ago or so... susanna Nov 2017 #90
... shenmue Nov 2017 #24
Recording of the Coast Guard asking the Anderson to go back and look for the Fitzgerald: WhiskeyGrinder Nov 2017 #25
For ham radio enthusiasts... orangecrush Nov 2017 #26
That song is one of my very favorites and has been for decades. Haunting. Stinky The Clown Nov 2017 #28
As a young man, my father worked for a time on a Great Lakes iron ore freighter. greatauntoftriplets Nov 2017 #29
My sister's friend's husband ellie Nov 2017 #33
I was 10 years old when that happened. Dulcinea Nov 2017 #36
My uncle sailed on the ore boats Lifelong Protester Nov 2017 #38
I don't know who wrote the lyrics for this song, but it was done yuiyoshida Nov 2017 #41
Lightfoot wrote the lyrics. n/t Liberal In Texas Nov 2017 #73
One of the best songs ever written cp Nov 2017 #42
I saw Lightfoot perform in early '69 before the Edmund Fitzgerald went down. panader0 Nov 2017 #43
I saw Gordon Lightfoot in 79 in Milwaukee ProudMNDemocrat Nov 2017 #44
I saw him this summer. ghostsinthemachine Nov 2017 #80
At the Maritime Museum in Duluth, Minnesota....... ProudMNDemocrat Nov 2017 #45
Try the Great Lakes Shipwreck Musuem Liberal In Texas Nov 2017 #63
Been there. It is definitely worth a visit. FarCenter Nov 2017 #68
Been there. emmadoggy Nov 2017 #69
a good link DonCoquixote Nov 2017 #46
Earlier tonight, Delphinus Nov 2017 #52
I had to interview family members of the lost crew Wolf Frankula Nov 2017 #54
This message was self-deleted by its author roamer65 Nov 2017 #57
My father's company owned that ship.... shanny Nov 2017 #55
The November 1966 sinking of the Daniel J Morrell. roamer65 Nov 2017 #58
... Meant to add condolences. Forgot. Every time I hear this song, I cry. raven mad Nov 2017 #59
Haunting Loyd Nov 2017 #62
I'm embarrassed to admit that I know very little about this story... Upthevibe Nov 2017 #70
The melody is amazing sweetloukillbot Nov 2017 #75
I grew up on the shores of Lake Superior near Duluth and watched nadine_mn Nov 2017 #74
I live a couple of blocks from where she was built and was launched. susanna Nov 2017 #76
There is/was an actual video to this song/ alphafemale Nov 2017 #81
I think this is the one I remembr. alphafemale Nov 2017 #83
Wow! That is excellent! Rhiannon12866 Nov 2017 #84
Saw this documentary years ago. edbermac Nov 2017 #89
Thanks for posting this! Very well done! Rhiannon12866 Nov 2017 #93
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