Mackinac Island

Hi Blog!

On Monday, September 24, 2018, we bid our friends, Dick and Gaila, a fond farewell and began our journey to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. To get to the UP, we had to cross the Mackinac Bridge. We are staying just north of the bridge in St. Ignace. We hope to get a closer look at the bridge and some better pictures in the next day or so. But first, we had to plan our day trip to Mackinac Island.  On our ferry ride to Mackinac Island, we had a chance to get this view of the bridge, which bears an unsettling similarity to the Golden Gate Bridge:

The weather during our stay here is "iffy." We decided the "best" weather (and I use that term loosely) for a bike ride on Mackinac Island was Tuesday, September 25, 2018. We booked our tickets on the Shepler's Ferry. Star Line also runs a ferry service, but their boats are considered slower. Ultimately, we took a recommendation for Shepler's from our friends.  Shepler's and Star Line entertained us with a race to the dock.

Mackinac {MAK-in-aw) Island is an island and resort area covering 3.8 square miles in land area, in Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to an Odawa Indian settlement before European exploration began in the 17th century. It was a strategic position as a center on the commerce of the Great Lakes fur trade. This led to the establishment of Fort Mackinac on the island by the British during the American Revolutionary War.

Here we are cruising through the Straits of Mackinac.

As the ferry pulled into Haldimand Bay, we got our first look at the downtown business district. I am not sure what we were expecting, but it wasn't Disney World on the Great Lakes, which is what we found. We were under the impression that Mackinac Island was a Michigan State Park. We later learned that only 80% of the island is a park, the other 20% is mostly commercial with a few really expensive residences.  Here is a view of the town from our ferry:

Main Street in the City of Mackinac Island is lined with all things a tourist needs. Since the turn of the century, motor vehicles have been prohibited on the island. Everyone gets around by bike, horse or electric cart. We decided to bring our bikes with us for a small fee of $11.00 per bike. Bike rental on the island is a big business. While the ferry was full with two bus loads of tourists, we're pretty sure not a one rented a bike.

We started our bike ride with a stop at the State Park Visitor's Center to watch the park video. From the Visitor's Center, we had a great view of Fort Mackinac. Since the entire loop around the island is only nine miles, we decided to ride our bikes first and then visit the fort after lunch.

Mile "0" of Michigan Highway M-185 starts just past the Visitor Center. M-185, also known as Lake Shore Road, is the only highway in Michigan that prohibits motor vehicles! This narrow paved road offers scenic views of the Mackinac Strait that divide the Upper and the Lower peninsulas of Michigan and Lakes Huron and Michigan. It passed by several scenic sites within Mackinac Island State Park, including Fort Mackinac, Arch Rock, British Landing, and Devil's Kitchen. Also on the list of scenic sites is Saint Anne's Church. Founded in 1670.  The first church was constructed in 1708. This church was constructed in 1874 and restored in 1996.

Lake Shore Road carries the highway right next to the Lake Huron shoreline, running between the water's edge and woodlands. And, yes, when the waves hit the rocks you can get splashed!

Rising 146 feet above the water, Arch Rock is a natural arch which spans 50 feet at its widest point. The rock was formed over thousands of years by wind and water eroding soft rock below, leaving only the hard breccia rock which forms the arch.

The Michigan area is know for Petoskey stones. A Petoskey stone is a rock containing a fossil, often pebble-shaped.  The fossil is a fossilized coral. These stones were formed as a result of glaciation, in which sheets of ice plucked stones from the bedrock, grinding off their rough edges and depositing them in the northwestern portion of Michigan's lower peninsula. In those same areas of Michigan, complete fossilized coral colony heads can be found in the source rocks for the Petoskey stones.

In the photo below, Kathy tries her luck in search of the elusive Petoskey stone.

With a fine mist falling, we decided not to spend too much time on the beach. It wasn't long before we reached the halfway point at British Landing. You guessed it! This is where the British landed during the War of 1812 and captured Fort Mackinac.

Another roadside attraction is the Devil's Kitchen. This gouged-out breccia formation was eroded at some prehistoric time when the lake levels were much higher. Over the years, a number of visitors used this area as a camp kitchen.

Fort Mackinac is a former British and American military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century in the City of Mackinac Island. The British built the fort during the American Revolutionary War to control the strategic Straits of Mackinac, and by extension the fur trade on the Great Lakes. The British did not relinquish the fort until fifteen years after American independence. Fort Mackinac later became the scene of two strategic battles for control of the Great Lakes during the War of 1812. Click the link to see an animated scene of the moment the Americans decided to surrender Fort Mackinac.

 At the fort, we had a chance to view the parade grounds:

During most of the 19th century, the fort served as an outpost of the United States Army.  Mackinac Island was dedicated as a U.S. National Park, second only to Yellowstone.  It was dedicated as a national park in response to the growing popularity of the island as a summer resort. In 1895, the fort was decommissioned and, at the request of the Michigan Governor, the park and fort were decommissioned as a national park and were turned over to the State of Michigan, becoming Mackinac Island State Park, the first state park in Michigan.

Several of the park buildings display artifacts from that era.

Situated on 150-foot bluffs above the Straits of Mackinac, it is one of the few surviving American Revolutionary War forts and one of the most complete early forts in the country.

In 2015, Fort Mackinac celebrated 235 years standing guard over Mackinac Island.

From the bluff we could look down on the island's "cottages." Off in the distance in the right background of the photo below is the Grand Hotel.

The Grand Hotel is a historic hotel and coastal resort on Mackinac Island. Constructed in the late 19th century, the facility advertises itself as having the world's largest porch. The Grand Hotel is well known for a number of notable visitors, including five U.S. presidents, inventor Thomas Edison, and author Mark Twain.

We finished our tour with a stop at MOOmers Homemade Ice Cream. According to our friends Dick and Gaila, Moomers has the best ice cream in Michigan. After sharing a scoop, we would have to agree!

We made our way back to the ferry with time to spare. On the ride back to St. Ignace, we passed the Round Island Light, which is a painted brick lighthouse located on the west shore of Round Island in the shipping lanes of the Straits of Mackinac. Because of its color scheme and form — red stone base and wood tower — it has been likened to an old-fashioned schoolhouse.

We enjoyed our bike tour of Mackinac Island, and could imagine ourselves spending a leisurely summer on the veranda of one of the historic hotels or mansions that have been refurbished as B&B's.  We can understand how people have flocked here every year to escape the heat of U.S. summers.

We hope to explore more of the U.P. during the coming week or two.  Stay tuned!