Yeah... We made it!!! With wind and rain?
We throughly enjoyed three nights on MACKINAC ISLAND. The weather was very poor for boating... What a "Grand" place to be stranded for a few days :)
Located on Lake Huron, MACKINAC ISLAND was home to Native American settlements before European exploration began in the 17th century. The ISLAND served as a stategic position amidst the commerce of the Great Lakes.
This led to the establishment of Fort Mackinac by the British, during the American Revolutionary War.
In the late 19th century MACKINAC ISLAND became a popular tourist destination and summer colony. The entire island is listed as a National Historic Landmark.
MACKINAC ISLAND can only be reached by private boat, ferry or small plane (and in the winter by snowmobile, when the Lake freezes over). Motor vehicles have been prohibited since 1898. Travel on the ISLAND is by foot, bike or horse drawn carriage.
Looper Tio: This is one of those must stop destinations (Yes, its touristy, but unique and historic).
Monday morning sunrise over MACKINAC ISLAND.
Our journey from ST. IGNACE to MACKINAC ISLAND - one hour.
Picture perfect MACKINAC ISLAND... Has a year round population of 500 residents. In the peek of summer (July) there are as many as 15,000 tourists per day!
MACKINAC ISLAND.
We circumnavigated the Island two times! The M-185 Perimeter Tour is an eight-mile state highway around the shoreline. Rock "Cairns" (stacked mounds of rocks and pebbles) are popular to build as a memorial along the trail.
Doud's Market is the oldest family run grocery store in America, it opened in 1884. Only horse and bike parking provided while you shop.
MACKINAC ISLAND is nationally known for its fudge shops. Many of the locals call the tourists "fudges"!
We rode bikes to the Woods Restaurant in the middle of the Island for lunch. It was closed for lunch, but we enjoyed a tour and both knocked down all the pins in the old fashion "Duckpin" bowling alley.
The view of Fort Mackinac from Thistle on our dock.
Fort Mackinac was the site of the first land engagement in The Was of 1812. The cannon is fired on the hour to welcome visitors to MACKINAC ISLAND.
Grand Hotel (No "The") on MACKINAC ISLAND is 128 years old. The hotel is open from June to October each year with more than 130,000 guests each season. We decided to splurge and stay for one night on a Visit Michigan's Grand Hotel special. (At $128 each including: accommodations, full breakfast, five course Grand Hotel Dinner, Golf (we passed in the rain), Fort Mackinac and Art Museum admission and 10% off and additional purchases.)
At 660 feet long, Grand Hotel's front porch is the largest in the world. Every one of the 385 guest rooms has unique decor (bottom left was ours for one night :). The lobby is lavishly decorated with all kinds of live music thought the day and night.
There have been two popular movies filmed here: "This Time for Keeps", staring Ester Williams in 1947 and "Somewhere in Time", staring Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour in 1980.
We both walked the sacred path of the hotel's Labyrinth. Feeling relaxed we followed the hotel's dress code and changed attire for dinner!
Grand Hotel, MACKINAC ISLAND.
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