730. Mackinac Island

Where: Mackinac, Michigan
When: August 7-9, 2015
With: Dave

There is only one item in the Book for the state of Michigan, but I made sure this was a top priority as soon as we moved here. The island of Mackinac (pronounced Mack-i-NAW as I was corrected by many locals) sits all the way at the top tip of the state, on the edge of the mitten, if you will. Therefore, it's actually quite a hike to get up there, a five hour drive from where we are. However, we planned a three day weekend and off we went!

Mackinac Island actually sits in the middle of the strait connecting Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. Getting there requires a crossing of the famous Mackinac Bridge that connects the lower peninsula of Michigan to the upper peninsula.

Once in the upper peninsula, or UP as the locals call it, the island is only reachable by ferry. As such, there are no cars on the island, which is awesome and novel and unique. The ferry also provided nice views of the island as we were coming in. 

Once we got off the boat, it was like we stepped back in time. The old main street is all tree-lined and white trimmed storefronts with American flags hanging. Bikes are parked as far as the eye can see (again, no cars!) and horse drawn carriages go clopping by frequently. I feel like a woman in a hoop skirt with a parasol will go strolling by at any minute. 

Oh wait, nevermind. There goes a penny farthing. 

After checking into our inn (because, not surprisingly, there aren't really big hotel chains here), we headed to one of the main Mackinac attractions: Fort Mackinac. 

Sitting up on a bluff overlooking the water and the downtown, this outpost has been here since the Revolutionary War, though ironically, it was built by the British. It had strategic importance as this strait was the main connection between the eastern and western US for the fur trade.  It took the redcoats 15 years after the end of the war to finally relinquish the post. 

Heading up the hill.

Entering the fort. 

The interior of the fort has been preserved in much the same way as it may have looked when there was a garrison here. There are several demonstrations run throughout the day to show what life in the fort may have been like over the years. This included a lot of cannon fire. 

After the Fort, we decided to stop in one of Mackinac's more famous drinking establishments, the Pink Pony. We saddled up at the bar with a great view of the water and ordered their "famous island rum runner" which is as pink as the decor of the restaurant. 

That evening, we booked a really awesome dinner at the Woods restaurant. While the restaurant itself was a novelty with a Bavarian-style atmosphere in an old Tudor home tucked away in the middle of the woods (hence the name), the best part of the dinner was getting there.  Since, again, there are no cars on the island, the only way to get there is by horse drawn carriage. Our "chariot" picked us up right on the main street and took us on a 20 minute ride through the forest to get to dinner. 

The crazy part was the ride home, after the sun had set. It was odd because it was so pitch black. There were no street lights, just the lantern swinging along on our carriage and horses that knew this route backwards and forwards. 

Except the odd part was that even as we approached the town, it was still pitch black. All the storefronts were dark, and even the street lamps were out. 

Well, we soon found out that we were right in the middle of a power outage on the island that must have occurred just as we left the restaurant. Since the island is so hard to reach, a power outage can last for hours (sometimes, even days!). 

The only light in the town was from the flood light of the fire trucks attempting to restore power. 

The cool part was that most of the bars stayed open, serving drinks by candle light and using old fashioned payment methods. 

We were only going to grab one drink before calling it, but the atmosphere in a pitch black bar was so cool, we couldn't leave! Our bartender was wearing a miner's helmet to see and soon passed out glowsticks to help us see.

We ended up checking out one more bar, just to see how they operate on no electricity. This one used electric candles. So much for an early night in, we were out until 2AM!

We woke up the next morning to beautiful weather and the power restored. This was the view out of and back at our inn. 

The view on the stroll through town to breakfast. 

After breakfast, we partook in another Mackinac tradition: a bike ride around the island. Only 8 miles around, totally paved, this is a stunning ride along the coastline. 

The coastal terrain had the rocky pine look of Maine, but the turquoise waters looked like  the Caribbean. It was a stunning combination. 

I had to dip my toes in. After all, this is my first time seeing Lake Huron!

I couldn't get over how pretty the water was. 

Loving Mackinac!

Didn't think it was possible, but as we made our way around the island and the sunlight changed, the water became even more turquoise. 

Dave with our rides. 

Evidence of our neighbors to the north, the Canadians, notorious for building these rock structures wherever they go. 

For it being a weekend in the middle of August, and a nice one at that, we were shocked to see how relatively quiet it was. There were definitely spots where the road was filled with bikers, but overall, it was a manageable number of people. 

From down below, we spotted one of the famous landmarks of this ride, Arch Rock.

Formed naturally out of limestone, this archway is one of the only ones of its kind along the Great Lakes. Native Americans revered it, while Europeans admired it. 

We were definitely in the admiring camp after we hiked up the side of the cliff face for better views of it. 

We also got some aerial views of that gorgeous coastline. 

Final beachside views before we head back. 

We took one quick ride through town before heading back to the inn. 

That afternoon, we planned to go for drinks, but not just at any old bar. We headed to the most famous hotel on the island, the Grand Hotel. Built in 1887, this hotel has hosted five US Presidents, Mark Twain, and Thomas Edison. It touts itself as having the world's largest porch, which takes up the entire front of the hotel, and that would be where we were making a beeline for to have some afternoon cocktails. 

Heading up into the entranceway. 

We snagged ourselves a great spot at the end of the porch. 

A mimosa for the lady and a Bloody Mary for the gentleman. 

After some porch cocktails, we headed inside to have afternoon tea. The dress policy in the hotel is strictly business casual (a main reason we didn't want to stay here all weekend), but it did make for a nice atmosphere to enjoy our spot of tea. 

And with seats at the front of the parlor, we still got to enjoy the porch views. 

After tea, we took the long way home, walking along the water. 

A view of the Mackinac Bridge in the distance. 

The houses along the way were so stinking cute. 

Getting back to the "mayhem" of town. 

We took some time to walk along the beach by our inn. It was super windy, so there were a bunch of kite fliers out. 

Just enjoying ourselves. 

Ah, so here's where these things are coming from. If I was braver, maybe I'd give this a shot.

Evening views of Fort Mackinac. 

Sunset views of the shoreline and downtown. 

Our evening activity was a ghost tour through the city. This town is so old there's bound to be lots of creepy stories. This is one of the main churches that had some tales associated with it. We were just happy that the power stayed on while we took the tour. 

The next morning, with nothing to do but drive home, we decided to try our hand at a round of mini golf. The course was right on the water so it was a super scenic way to enjoy the nice weather. 

By our faces, it's safe to say Dave was winning. 

Ahh taking in the relaxing vibe before our drive home. 

One more dip in Lake Huron. 

I have to say, this island completely blew my mind. It was one of the prettiest places I've ever been, and to think it's only a few hours from us. The laid back atmosphere, old time feel, and surreal landscape was just incredible. What a great "up north" trip!