Today is one of the highlight days of the trip, with a visit to Mackinac Island. This island sits near the point where Michigan’s two peninsula’s nearly touch. The island itself is 8.2 miles long around the perimeter, and is 80% occupied by Mackinac Island State Park. The remainder of the island is mostly bicycle rentals and fudge shops.
Miles has been working remote this week, and then joins in the family festivities during the evening. We left him clickety-clacking away on his laptop overlooking the Rapid River, as we left the house around 7:30.
It was a little over 2 hours from our home base to St. Ignace, where we would catch the ferry to the island. We packed our crew into two cars for this day trip, which included one stop for a Sasquatch photo op.
Once in St. Ignace, we found Shepler’s Ferry HQ and got in line for the next boat. There are no vehicles allowed on the island, so this was a passenger-only ferry. The ride over was just 16 minutes, with nice views of the island and the Mackinac Bridge, which connects the two peninsulas, but not Mackinac Island.
Once you step off the boat and take a few steps off the pier, you are immediately hit in the face with the smell of horse poop. Given the fact there are no vehicles on the island, horse power is the primary way that business gets done. There are carriage rides, taxis and delivery wagons, all hauled by horses.
Stephanie had reserved PK a mobility scooter for the day, and we only had to walk about 100 feet to find the business and pick it up.
We immediately had lunch at the Great Turtle next door to get fueled up for our day.
Next up for Stephanie, Mallory and I was a bike rental for our ride around the island. Given the no-vehicle rule, bicycles are EXTREMELY popular on the island. You can even bring your own over on the ferry, should you want to (for a fee of course). One of the things the island is most known for is a paved road (not big enough for vehicles, but designed for bicycles, pedestrians and carriages) that goes around the perimeter of the island. We checked out our bikes and hit the road.
At our first stop, we parked our bicycles and I dutifully locked them up, as I was instructed by the Rental Attendant. When we returned to the bicycles and started the unlock process, I realized that none of the other 300 bicycles at this stop were locked up. This was the last time we locked the bikes.
While the three of us were riding around, the rest of the family were exploring the shops, tasting the food, and hitting the beaches. One of the shops was called the Pink Pony Club (same as the currently popular song), and Ellery was very excited to visit.
The team of Scott, Erin, Ellery and PK tried ice cream at Kilwins, which featured waffle cones coated on the inside with warm chocolate. The rest of the group also tried this. It was amazing, if not difficult to eat because the ice cream melted so fast. (It was worth it.)
Around 4:00, Peyton, Scarlett, PK, Scott and Ellery boarded the ferry for their drive back to Rapid River. Erin stayed in town while Stephanie, Mallory and I walked past Fort Mackinac and over to the Grand Hotel. We met up with Erin shortly afterward.
The Grand Hotel is a National Historic Landmark, which among other things, boasts the world’s longest porch and is the world’s largest summer hotel. The gardens in front of the hotel were gorgeous, with great views of the island, Lake Huron, the fountain, and the swimming pool. Pictures do not do it justice to see how large this hotel is.
Upon meeting up with Erin, we checked out the shops on our way back to the ferry station. The line to get on the ferry was pretty considerable around 5:30 when we got there, but it moved pretty fast.
On our drive back to Rapid River, we were lucky enough to see a black bear cross the highway. It lumbered across the road much too fast for us to get a picture, but we were excited to see one. We also saw some very large Sandhill Cranes on the drive to, and from, the island.
Once we reunited with the family back at the house, we ate some dinner, discussed the day, and turned in.
Mackinac Fun Facts:
Mackinac Island was established as the country’s second National Park, in 1875, three years after Yellowstone. It stayed a National Park for 20 years, but was converted to a Michigan State Park in 1895.
There is the town of Mackinaw City that sits on the Lower Peninsula adjacent to Mackinac Island. Though spelled differently, both versions are pronounced the same.
Mackinac Island sits in Lake Huron, and the lake freezes during the winter, creating an ice bridge between the U.P. and Mackinac Island. It is customary for the locals to line the path with old Christmas trees between the mainland and the island, for those that want to walk across.