It’s not uncommon to see black and white bumper stickers on cars emblazoned with the number 22 in Michigan:

The number on the sticker refers to a scenic stretch of roadway snaking along the Leelanau Peninsula northward – then curving westward, and eventually, southward along Lake Michigan.

I have very firm opinions about bumper stickers. I will never, ever put one on any car that I drive. Why? Because there is always someone out there who will cast judgment on me (and my poor defenseless car) for having said opinion. Yes, it’s a very odd hang-up to have, but no more odd than my hang-up about always wanting to leave closet doors open (my theory is monsters can’t hide in closets if doors are open).

I joked about my bumper sticker hang-up on our recent trip along M-22, when we traveled north on it from Onekama to Frankfort.

“Well, if I HAD to make an exception to my bumper sticker policy, I might consider putting a M-22 sticker on the car. But then what if someone sees that I have that sticker on the car – surmises I’m some kind of granola-loving hippie and decides to slash my tires or something?”

Then I’d have no choice but to say:

“I wish I hadn’t put that M-22 bumper sticker on my car.”

Unlikely scenario, of course! I mean what’s to hate about a scenic drive?

Remember what Ferris Bueller said:

While we were “looking around,” we found something worth looking at…a lovely boardwalk winding through marshlands. We drove by it the first time we saw it, but decided to turn around. We’re glad we did that, because if we’d waited to check it out later, we would’ve been drenched with rain.

Apparently this marshy walkway was called Arcadia Marsh…it was DEFINITELY worth the stop!