There are several ferry options to get over to the island and we opted for Star Line. This company offers an 18-minute ferry ride from both Mackinaw City and St. Ignace (across the suspension bridge) using hydro-jet boats. Star Line's schedule from Mackinaw City has hourly departures and about three times a day, weather permitting, the ferry boat will take a quick loop under the Mackinac Straits suspension bridge -- our ours did just that and offered me some unique photo ops.
Our hydro-jet ferry boat, the Cadillac. I sat up-top, first row, right behind the pilot house.
I took a shot of a photo in Star Line's office since it showed the hydro-jet boats in action, flinging that tail out behind the boat. And yes, the spray was that high and long. Amazing to watch!
Another view of the Cadillac just before our departure from Mackinaw City.
View of the five-mile long Mackinac Straits suspension bridge from the Cadillac.
View of the edge of Mackinaw City, with the suspension bridge in the background. The building at right is the old lighthouse for the Mackinac Straits.
A semi beginning its journey across the Mackinac Straits to St. Ignace. I'm thinking about 6 June when I have to drive our motorhome, towing our car, across this same bridge. Pray for no wind.
I guess if these big trucks can do it, I'll be okay. At least that's what I keep telling myself!
View of Mackinac Island as we approach the dock area. The large building in the middle is the Grand Hotel, an old historic resort hotel. It has the longest covered porch in the world.
Closer view of the Grand Hotel as we approach the downtown dock area.
View of downtown Mackinac Island -- a quaint village on Lake Huron.
A few more detailed views of downtown Mackinac Island as we approached.
Mackinac Island dock area with historic Fort Mackinac in the background on top of the hill.
Outdoor patio of a waterfront hotel near the Mackinac Island dock area.
Lynette posing in front of the "Welcome" sign at dock area.
No motorized vehicles (other than emergency vehicles and snowmobiles during the winter) are allowed on Mackinac Island. The only options for getting around are on foot, by horse (either a saddle horse or a carriage), or on a bicycle. The pic below is a shot of the carriage we opted for during our tour of the downtown area and the grounds at the Grand Hotel. This style of carriage holds up to 20 people and is pulled by two HUGE draft horses. Several businesses offer a variety of tour options. Also, please note the "Ryba's Fudge Shops" sign across the street. This was just one of many, many fudge shops that abound on Mackinac Island. More on this later in the blog.
Typical views of Mackinac Island's main street. Notice all the bicycles...everywhere!
There are so many horses on the island -- and they are such an important piece of the tourist industry -- that there are three vets on the island, but only one medical doctor.
And with all those horses there must to be lots of horse poop, right? Well, you'd be right. What to do? Why, simply have a crew follow the horses around the island, muck up the poop, and then take it to the village compost pile and mix it with other stuff --- and develop your own fertilizer.
The Grand Hotel has its own livery that serves not only to house some of their draft horses that pull their fancy carriages, but also as a museum for carriages used throughout the island's history.
Me posing next to one of the older, finer carriages on display in the museum.
View of Lake Huron from the back doors of the carriage museum.
Hmmmm. Surrey with the fringe on top???
More carriages....and more carriages.....
Handler about to pull these two HUGE draft horses out to harness them to one of the Grand Hotel's many carriages.
Who says Denny doesn't like horses?
Lynette posing between two of the Grand Hotel's finest carriages, often used in one of the many weddings that take place on Mackinac Island.
Perhaps a wedding carriage coming up the road now?
A team of three HUGE draft horses pulling one of the largest carriages on the island; this type of carriage can hold about 50 people.
An outdoor dining area at the Grand Hotel's golf course.
View of the Grand Hotel's golf course. Not sure where the British call box came from or why its on the golf course in the first place. Perhaps to call for a mulligan?
Even garbage collection on the island is done via horse-drawn carriages.
After our island-wide carriage tour, we ended up back in the downtown area to do some shopping and to look for a bite to eat. Ending up dining at the Chippewa Hotel's Pink Pony, right on the island's waterfront. I had a terrific whitefish sandwich washed down with an Angry Orchard hard cider, while Lynette opted for the French dip and a glass of Pinot Grigio. Here's a couple pics of our view from the Pink Pony dining area -- quite a spectacular view. And the food was good, too!
So, how about that Mackinac Island fudge I mentioned? Well, just walking around the downtown area and passing one fudge shop after another soon got to our sweet tooth. Just smelling those mouthwatering aromas became too much to take – we just had to try these delicious
confectioneries. And of course, we bought some -- four different kinds, including blueberry and raspberry. While the island doesn’t claim to have created fudge, after one taste, one might agree it
was perfected here. The variety of flavors is almost unworldly. The history of candy making on Mackinac Island goes back to
the 19th century when the Ottawa Indians began making maple sugar
sweets in nearby L’Arbor Croche (now Harbor Springs), packaged the candy in birchbark containers and
shipped them in steamships touring the
Great Lakes to confectioners in America’s big cities. After the Civil War, the
tradition of fudge making began and has continued to be the island’s most
popular and tastiest souvenir. Some
claim that Mackinac Island’s fudge has become the most popular fudge in
America. I can't disagree!
All in all, our day trip to Mackinac Island was a great success -- both of us had a really great time and would highly recommend a day trip -- or even an overnight stay (especially at the Grand Hotel if you can find a deal). Here's a shot of a ferry boat leaving the island on its way back to either Mackinaw City or St. Ignace.
Tomorrow we're heading further north on I-75 to Sault Ste. Marie on the Upper Peninsula's top edge, right on the border with Canada, to take a tour of the Soo Locks. These locks allow ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. Should be a very interesting trip.
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