Mackinac Island 7/10/2016

Woke up this morning to the squawking of a seagull on our roof. Who needs a rooster when you have a seagull? No one had camped next to us, so we had a clear view of Lake Huron, which was whipped up by the wind, and looked a lot more like the ocean. Today we headed to Mackinac Island.

The French Pronounced it "aw" but spelled it "ac". The British heard it pronounced "aw" so they spelled it that way. Whichever way it is spelled, it is always pronounced "aw".  So that's why Mackinac is pronounced "Mackinaw." Mackinac Island is an island and resort area located in Lake Huron between the Upper and Lower Michigan peninsulas. In the late 19th century, the island became a popular tourist attraction, and much of it has since undergone extensive historical preservation and restoration, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Other than that info about the place itself, there are a few other things we learned during our visit there yesterday. There are 2 ways to get to the island and the most popular method is by ferry. Automobiles are not (for the most part) allowed on the island, so ferries take people and bikes only. Transportation around the island is by 2 methods also: bike and horse. which brings me to our first impression of Mackinac Island--OMG, the smell.

Typical of most streets. They have people coming around to clean up , but it's impossible to keep up.

Stepping off the ferry, we were immediately greeted by strong breezes carrying the unmistakable aroma of horse manure and urine. My first thought was NOT "How authentic! How charming!" Horses are everywhere. Horse carriages are for rent everywhere. Horse manure is everywhere. As a result, the smell of manure and urine (especially in town) is overpowering. The gutters by the sidewalk are frequently filled with brownish fluid--and it wasn't raining...

The main streets of the island are lined with tourist shops selling everything any tourist might want: T shirts, candy (fudge is a big thing here), jewelry, clothing, and food. Ergo, there were throngs of people on the sidewalks, and lots of people on bikes--the other bane of this place. Normally, bikes wouldn't be so bad. But when you consider that 3/4 of these people haven't ridden a bike in 10 years, and then put them all together in a place with all kinds of distractions... Nothing like dodging bicyclists who are tooling down the street unaware of what's in front of them because they're interested in that candy shop they're passing. Kids on bikes are another issue. The young ones can be unsteady, and the older ones too sure of themselves as they zoom down the street--don't forget to swerve to avoid the horse poop! Crossing the street on foot is an adventure as you are approached from the rear by a bicyclist who doesn't warn you of his approach. At least you can hear the horses coming.

Our first order of business was to trek over to the Grand Hotel, a Victorian behemoth that sits atop a bluff overlooking the lake. We were advised by the island welcome center staff that to gain admittance to the porch to observe the view would cost us each a cool $10.00. We decided to skip that and hike up to another bluff for a free view.

One of the island's "cottages"

Once you get out of town, the island is lovely. Via paths in the woods, we walked over to Arch Rock, a natural limestone arch. The architecture around the island is very much Victorian, with many grand "cottages" sitting on the bluffs overlooking the lake. 80% of the island is a state park and when the state park was established, the state leased the land for people to build cottages. The cottages were later sold to the wealthy who developed them as grand mansions.

The weather was fantastic during our day here--high 70s and dry. We spent a bit of time lying on the grass in the park under the shade of some gorgeous elm trees. We're glad we came to visit this unique corner of America.