We reached our furthest north point of our trip today on the north shore of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron in the tourist town of Mackinaw City. It is where throngs of tourists come each summer to ferry over to Mackinac Island. We are in that throng but before the rush! Mackinac Island is the #1 tourist spot in Michigan, so of course we didn’t want to miss it. The first part of our drive north was farmland and then it turned to lush forests. The sun was out by the time we headed out to see the town. Many of the motels are the small single story places from the 50’s but in beautiful shape. Everything on the water side of town looks freshly painted and ready for the summer. This place pretty much closes down by the middle of October so money has to be made in just six months. Fudge shops are everywhere, a little bit of heaven at every turn. The Murdicks opened the first sweet shop on Mackinac Island in in 1889, and fudge shops have multiplied in both the city and the island since then. We visited two of the 22 lighthouses that line the tip of Michigan. These two are built of Cream City brick and don’t have the traditional lighthouse look. With the opening of the Erie Canal, shipping increased and by the mid 1850’s, lighthouses were being commissioned. These two go back to the 1860’s and 1880’s and have been beautifully restored. Even with the lighthouses, the waters going around the tip are a graveyard of sunken ships. Fort Michilimackinac was built here in 1715, to protect the fur traders. I’m glad they shorten the name to Mackinac and Mackinaw, both pronounced the same. The British moved the fort to Mackinac Island in 1780, with Americans taking control in 1796. It went back and forth a couple of times but still stands today with the original walls and many originally buildings. The “Mighty Mac” or Mackinac Bridge opened in 1957 connecting Michigan to its northern peninsula. It is just short of five miles long. When it was built it was the longest single span bridge in the world. They have a transport services where you can call for a driver if you are too nervous to drive it yourself. We drove it expecting it to be nerve racking but it’s no different from other long bridges. Maybe in the winter when it’s icy and windy it would have a different feel.
 |
| These two pictures are two of the lighthouses along the tip of Michigan. |
 |
| This is the passenger ferry we will take tomorrow to Mackinac Island. |
 |
| The Almost 5 Mile Long Mackinac Bridge The "Mighty Mac" connects the two parts of Michigan. On one side is Lake Huron and on the other it's Lake Michigan. |
June 4
We woke up to blue skies this morning and took the Shepler passenger ferry over to Mackinac Island this morning. They picked us up at the KOA and delivered us to the dock, very easy. We chose the 10:30 boat that went under the Mighty Mac before taking us to the island. What a quaint and charming islands this is! It is wonderful that automobiles were banned in 1898 because their sputtering scared the horses. Now all travel is by horse drawn carriages, bicycles, or on foot and it adds so much to the charm and peacefulness. We smiled when we saw bicyclists delivering boxes to the post office, taking large bags of aluminum cans to the ferry dock for recycle, and workers cycling in their uniforms going to their jobs. It was nice to be here before the tourist season really gets going. It must be a little crazy for two months. The only way to get here in the winter is to fly in. The year round residents have to stock up on supplies and hunker down! There are 100 carriages of all sizes and over 400 beautiful draft horses. Manure must be an issue! Thank goodness 80% goes to compost. We saw guys all over town with their manure bins on wheels doing their duty. The carriage tour took us through town, past the Grand Hotel and into the state park before stopping at the fort. It was a great way to see the island with only one day. We got some of the history along with some great story telling from our guides. I loved seeing the wild flowers as we rode through the State Park, We got out at the arch for photos. Our guide did a bit of great story telling in his off hand way on the formation of the arch. What a beautiful scene with the crystal clear water below and blue skies above. We were surprised at the gorgeous turquoise color of the water near the shore.
 |
| The "Mighty Mac" from the Ferry |
 |
| The Grand Hotel from the Ferry |
 |
| Round Island Lighthouse |
 |
| Bike Rentals are a big thing on Mackinac Island! |
 |
| View of the Arch - Gorgeous |
 |
| Our Favorite Guide |
 |
| The Grand Hotel |
 |
| Beautiful Table Set fot the Lunch Buffet |
 |
| From the Porch of the Grand Hotel Can you tell, I would love to stay here! |
Tourism was in its hay day in the 1880’s but hit on hard times with the depression and WWII. It is back in all its splendor for us today. One of my favorite movies, “Somewhere in Time,” takes places here. The hotel made the perfect backdrop for the 1912 scenes. I have wanted to see this place since then! We walked down to the pool area through the lilac gardens. Huge lilac trees and bushes line the roads and gardens all over town. They are all in bloom! What a sight and the smell is heavenly. Lunch was amazing. It was like a beautifully presented cruise ship spread! We couldn’t eat again for the rest of the day. The dining room was sunny with summer prints on the drapes, white table clothes and flowers on the tables with silver water pitchers making a divine dining room. The windows looked out to the porch with its white rocking chairs overlooking the lake. Splendid!
I went to the fort while Chris and Norm went downtown. It is part of the State Park and fully restored to the 1880’s when it was purchased by the state. They have manikins that move while the story of a battle in 1812 took place. Soldiers were required to go to school before they required children to go. In the hospital, soldiers are suffering in their sick beds and as you walk in a nurse’s image is projected on the wall and she tells about one of the soldier’s ills. I toured the officers and enlisted men’s quarters. When I walked in the office I could hear the telegraph machine. They had a bath house by the 1880’s with small rooms lined up with bathtubs using hot water. Surprisingly they found that illness degreased. They were very fortunate to have a recreation room with a pool table, card table and bar serving beer. Coffee didn’t pay off. What lucky soldiers! Now Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts from all over Michigan spend a week here. They are ready to answer questions, some more than others, and are responsible for raising and lowering the flag each day. I stayed for the firing of the cannon before I met Chris and Norm downtown in time to do a little fudge tasting and go in a few shops. Before catching the ferry, I took a little walk to see some of the Victorian homes and take some pictures. By afternoon we had gray skies and a few showers. What a delightful day in a beautiful setting. I wonder what it would be like to be one of the 500 people who live here year round without being able to go to the mainland during the winter. It would certainly be a long cold winter!
 |
| The Fort |
 |
| Hundreds of lilac bushes and trees were every where and all of them were in bloom! |
 |
| One of the displays at the fort at the hospital. A young boy is being innoculated with small pox. |
 |
| Our Fudge Shop of Choice They had dark chocolate fudge with pecans! |
 |
| Downtown on Mackinac Island These baskets must be overflowing in another month. |
No comments:
Post a Comment