If the vast expanse of water on the mighty Huron River is not enough water for you to enjoy, think about making a trip to see one of the Great Lakes. Ann Arbor is less than a full day's drive to each of the Great Lakes, and some of the places you might want to go to are even accessible (and enjoyable) via public transportation.

Remember each of the Great Lakes with the acronym H-O-M-E-S - Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. For lots more lake information, see the Great Lakes Information Network, a system that started as a Gopher server in 1993 and which has in-depth information about the lakes and the ecosystems and economies surrounding them.

H - Huron

Lake Huron covers more than 23,000 square miles and forms the eastern coastline of the Lower Peninsula. Current conditions on the lake from GLIN that are available include a Beachcast news feed with current news about coastal conditions.

Alpena, Michigan, is about four hours north of Ann Arbor along US-23. It's the home of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, with headquarters near the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. The marine sanctuary covers 448 square miles of northwest Lake Huron and protects more than 100 shipwrecks from over a century of Great Lakes shipping operations.

O - Ontario

Lake Ontario covers more than 7,500 square miles and is the only Great Lake without a border on Michigan. The drainage basin depicted above covers parts of Ontario and New York, and a small portion of Pennsylvania. The major Canadian cities of Hamilton and Toronto are located on its shore.

Toronto, Ontario is about 5 hours from Ann Arbor via private automobile; you can cross into Canada at Windsor or at Port Huron. VIA Rail, the Canadian passenger rail system, runs four trains daily between Windsor and Toronto. Check the border wait times from U.S. Customs to see how long to plan for your crossing.

Once upon a time, travel to Canada from the U.S. only required a valid driver's license; the State Department has the current information and restrictions. The state of Michigan issues an Enhanced Driver's License, described in this 2009 Grand Rapids Press story, which is valid for travel to Canada. See the Michigan Secretary of State information on how to apply.

M - Michigan

Lake Michigan covers more than 22,000 square miles and is the only Great Lake entirely within the United States. The lake forms the western border of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and most of the southern border of the Upper Peninsula.

New Buffalo, Michigan is reachable by Amtrak from Ann Arbor, with one train per day heading to the new station there. It's exit 1 on I-94, about three hours west of Ann Arbor by car. The city has beaches and a casino; restaurants in the town have two clocks, one set on Michigan time and one set on Chicago time. The New Buffalo Railroad Museum is worth a visit.

You can reach Milwaukee, Wis., on the far shore of Lake Michigan via a 2 1/2 hour ferry from Muskegon, the Lake Express. Service starts for the 2010 season on April 30.

You can reach Manitowoc, Wis., on the far shore of Lake Michigan via a 4 hour ferry from Ludington, the S. S. Badger. Service starts for the 2010 season on May 28. While in Manitowoc, visit the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, which features the World War II submarine USS COBIA.

E - Erie

Lake Erie covers more than 9,900 square miles. The Huron River empties into Lake Erie on the boundary between Wayne County and Monroe County.

The Lost Peninsula is a little piece of Michigan which is only reachable from Ohio. The Lost Peninsula Marina is the only business on this little piece of land, which was part of the disputed territory for the Toledo War. Don Faber's 2009 book on the Toledo War goes into lots more detail on this conflict, which stranded a little piece of Michigan in Maumee Bay.

S - Superior

Lake Superior covers more than 31,000 square miles. It forms the southern border of the Upper Peninsula, and is the largest freshwater lake in the world.

Marquette is about eight hours by car from Ann Arbor, a trip I know all too well. The Marquette Maritime Museum has artifacts from the early shipping era in that area, and provides access to theMarquette Lower Harbor Lighthouse, built in 1866. The lighthouse was part of the Coast Guard for many years, and the lighthouse keeper lived in the house (and received daily deliveries of the Marquette Mining Journal newspaper) as recently as the 1980s.

A little closer to Ann Arbor is the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Paradise on Whitefish Bay. That museum holds the relics from the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a 730- foot-long iron ore freighter, which sank on Nov. 10, 1975, in a gale on Lake Superior.

Edward Vielmetti delivered the Marquette Mining Journal to a lighthouse on Lake Superior the day the Edmund Fitzgerald sank. Reach him at 734-330-2465.