We made it! This post will be long as we spent two days here, and there is a lot going on!
This was the goal. Getting to Mackinac Island on our own boat, to explore and see the island and all it has to offer. We had to make reservations, and this was the soonest we could get them, thus the slowing down and side trip to Soo Ste. Marie.
If you’re not aware, the island has no motorized vehicle of any kind. Bikes and horse drawn carriages are the only modes of transport (except for a firetruck and ambulance, and one or two power wheel chairs I saw). Even the delivery vehicles are horse drawn carts. There is also no shortage of fudge and ice cream spots! There is a large, fancy hotel on the island: The Grand Hotel. From Wikipedia: 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.
Also notable is The Fort: Fort Mackinac became the scene of two strategic battles for control of the Great Lakes during the War of 1812. During most of the 19th century, it served as an outpost of the United States Army. Closed in 1895, the fort has been adapted as a museum on the grounds of Mackinac Island State Park.
So back to arrival before I get into the stories: We traveled 18 miles in 2 hours and 45 minutes. As we approached the island, the ferries were coming and going in all direction, causing a lot of wakes from all directions! Once we got through that, I called on the VHF and was directed to a slip. We approached and there was a bunch of traffic, but we found our slip and docked without incident. Whew!
Once we were finished tying up, I called the person from Hyde Park whose name I will not mention (Rob K.!) and told him we were secured and to find out where he was. He had just left his dock and was heading our way! It only took him 20 minutes to come across to the island and find us! He tied up to our boat, and we had a celebratory cocktail!
Rob had told us he wanted to take us to the Grand Hotel for champagne and sit on the porch; at this point I did not realize how grand the hotel was, nor was I aware of the “world’s largest porch”. We walked there, taking in the scenery and the smells of the island- picture this: sweet fudge aromas one moment, then pungent horse manure. yay. The horses will be horses, and they let loose whenever they feel like it- the puddles are not water, so avoid those!
There were people everywhere-riding bikes and carriages, walking around and just a general sense of vacation! The island feels like you should let loose and take it all in… When we approached the hotel after a short 15 minute walk, there is a charge for walking the grounds; we paid the fee and was given a ticket and we were on our way!
The hotel is massive- it is also expensive to stay at: the cheapest rate I saw online was around $700/night! We wandered around the halls and went to an upper level where the porch is. It has every reason to proclaim itself as the worlds largest, but we had noticed there was another bar on the top level and really wanted to go see the view there. The hotel requires tie and jacket at their restaurant, and we figured if we could go to the top now, we should! We found the bar overlooking the water and ordered cocktails enjoying the magnificent views from our perch way on top of the hotel. It was magnificent! What a way to succumb to the island life!
After cocktails, we made our way down to the gardens, and wandered around for a bit. There were flower bed after flower bed of colors and species that you will never see unless you come here. We made our way back towards downtown, and was getting thirsty again. There are many options in town, but we wanted to be by the water. Mary’s Draught House was the answer! So we wander in to the back patio bar, and we see there are a few seats available…Who is at the bar, but a couple who had helped Rob the previous day with his boat across the lake on St. Ignace! What a small world! We all have a pint and chat for a bit, then we have one more.
Eventually Rob has to get back to his boat, as he has to cross the lake back to his marina/ hotel. Lauren and I go back with him, and retrieve our bikes. We see a sunset coming and decide to bike around the island to the far west side, so we can get a better view. The sunset was awesome, and we head back toward town. At this point, we’ve had a few beverages, and need some food. We see a restaurant that has piqued Lauren’s interest: Sea Biscuit. We order some dinner and relax even more reveling in the scenery and atmosphere of this cool island. The day would not be complete if we didn’t have some local fudge- boy was it delicious!
Day 2 started with breakfast at The Chuck Wagon. They serve breakfast and lunch and close in between, and we just made it for breakfast! We got there around 10:15 or so, and at 10:25 they switched to ‘closed’. No worries since we were in! We had a hearty breakfast, and we knew we needed energy as we planned on biking the eight mile ride around the island- that is how big the island is- 8 miles around. As I came back to the boat, I notice more ‘Looper’ flags, so I wandered around and introduced myself to those who were on their boats. I exchanged cards with a couple of them…
Rob joined us after we ate breakfast and he rented a bike at one of the many bike rental shops- Remember, there is no other option: bike, walk or horse carriage. We started out trip and soon came across the first attraction: Arch Rock. This is a natural rock bridge soaring 149 feet above the Straits of Mackinac that appears to be suspended in midair. To get to the viewing area, we had to park the bike and walk 209 step (they claim that! I think it was a few less, but I didn’t include the landings and I lost count…) to the top. It was worth it, and we have pictures to prove it.
We continued on, after huffing it up and down the (209ish) steps and saw stunning views around every turn. There were constantly people passing and being passed as we biked the trail. Luck for us (me) the trip is mostly flat, around the perimeter of the island. We made a few stops along the way for pictures and views, so it wasn’t all that bad of a ride, for 8 miles!
We returned the rented bike and retired to the boat for much needed refreshments. We had all worked up a thirst! After relaxing for a bit, the Admiral announced it was time for a trip to The Fort. To The Fort we went! We paid our admission and walked to the top of the vista which is an excellent place to have a defensive fort. The views from up here were marvelous. I can see why they would have the highest point overlooking the Straights, and could see any ships approaching. The grounds are now a museum, with period costumed actors showing how life was in the 1800’s. There were even cannons being shot every hour, as well as taps in the evening, and ceremonious flag raising and lowering at the appropriate hours which could be heard all over town. Each building within the walls of the fort were now museums recreating life of the time of yore.
After spending a couple of hours at the fort, we had again worked up a thirst. Our mantra has been to not repeat visit, so we chose a new watering hole. This time it was The Pink Pony. They have a bar inside, and one outside, along the water, close to where the ferry’s pick up and drop off visitors. What a way to spend an early evening. The rum runners were delightful, as well as the appetizers we put away.
Once again, it was getting to be a time Rob had to think about departing, as he didn’t want to travel in the dark. This was such a pleasurable time, I did not want it to end- so I broke out another cocktail before his departure. We sat around a chatted about boats and areas he will be visiting on his adventure, as he will continue on to other parts of Michigan where his family has some history and he can explore.
Once Rob left (Thank You, Rob!) Lauren and I took the bikes for another spin. We went back out to see another sunset, and take in a little more of the island vibes. This is somewhere everyone should visit, as it is truly unique in every way. By the time we were done biking, we had a little hunger coming on, so we stopped at yet another new place and got some food. We then had some more fudge, and retired to the boat for the last evening…but it doesn’t stop here: Checkout isn’t until 1pm tomorrow, so we have a whole morning/afternoon to bask in the island ambiance.
And so it goes on; We awoke to a cool morning, and went for breakfast at Ryba’s Pancake House, which doubles as an ice cream shop in the evenings. I had pancakes and Lauren had avocado toast something with eggs. both were yummy. We took advantage of having water to wash down the boat, and get re-organized before we had to leave, Lauren went for another bike ride while I did maintenance stuff, We pushed the time to the very end- I started the engine around 12:50pm, and the dock hands came over inquiring “if we were ready to depart, and do I need a hand?”. They assisted us with departure, and we turned a course toward Mackinaw City, which is on the mainland, and only about 7 miles from the island.
With mixed emotions, we headed for our next port. While it was quite enjoyable and vacation-like, it was also a little overwhelming being around so many people and having to see everything we could in a short amount of time, and spending vacation-like money. This is why people need a vacation from their vacation!