Yesterday we spent the whole day on Mackinac Island. We took a fast catamaran transport to the island with about a hundred other people. There were three different transport lines each running large boats, with each carrying a load of people to the island about every 30 to 45 minutes. One line had boats that threw rooster tails about 100 feet into the air as an advertizing gimmick. The ride was $25 each round trip. When we got to the island, main street was loaded with tourist shops. The island is famous for fudge, and has about 17 fudge shops. The first thing we saw was the huge number of bicycles! The most unique thing about the island is that no motorized vehicles of any kind are allowed on the island. There were horse drawn taxis, horse drawn delivery wagons, horse drawn everything that would ordinarily be done with trucks. There was also the result of horse use all over the streets later in the day, but it was being constantly cleaned up by people with brooms and shovels. Horse apples are dry and are not messy like cattle stuff. I suspect, however, that they do in fact have motorized fire trucks, as everything is built out of wood.
We opted for a tour on a horse drawn group "carriage" that held about 25 people. That cost about $30 each. There were dozens of these running around the island. We also purchased tickets for $10 each that allowed tours of several of the historical houses/shops on the island. The tour took several hours because we could get off and tour historical places, and then get on another carriage to continue the tour. The first stop was the historic fort on the island. We spent more than an hour looking through the fort. There were re-enactors present doing various army stuff. The facility was very authentic with most of the original furniture and equipment from the 1800's still there. Most of the buildings on the post were at least two stories tall. One had been set up as a cafe with most seating outside, some on a balcony on the second floor where we sat. The food service there was run by the Grand Hotel, and the prices were proof of that. We had lunch there with an amazing view of the town and harbour. We reboarded a carriage after we were done, and later stopped at a natural rock formation that was an arch, to take photos. The colors in the water under the arch were due to the colored rocks in the shallow water near shore.
The last stop was at the Grand Hotel. It is HUGE! They charge $10 per person just to enter the hotel and wander around. I can understand this, because otherwise, there would be thousands of people wandering around inside. As it was, there were a large number of people like us oggling at everything in the place. We sat on the "porch", which is 600 feet long, and had glasses if iced tea. The tea was very good, and cost about $7 for two glasses. It was worth it. Below the porch all along the front of the hotel was a very large grass area that was set up for Bocci Ball and Croquet, and people were playing. We went down a very long set of stairs to get to the grassy area to see it up close. Going back up the stairs was a real effort for both of us.
When we got to the island about 10:45, there were lots of people everywhere. But when we left about 5:00, the place was awash with tourists. The island is about two by three miles, and has 500 permanent residents. There are hundreds if not thousands of seasonal residents there during the summer. The Grand Hotel employs 600 people by itself.
We got back to the trailer about 6:30, and bought pizza for supper. We were both very tired, but it was one of the best days based on interest and scenery that we have had on any trip. I took about 200 pictures and Sandy took almost an hour of video. This post shows just a sampling of the scenery on the island. We both recommend the island as a must see if you are in this area.
Dutch and Sandy
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