August 30, 2008: Mackinac Island, Michigan

Mackinac Island, in the straits of Mackinaw, there is a community that runs by horse drawn buggy and bicycles and many of the hotels date back to the mid 1800's. It is a treat that we have our children with us for the weekend, so this morning we rode out across the crystal clear water to visit. Tom called to get us a place at the marina, but they were full, so they suggested that we dock at the end of the transit pier where some of the ferries let off passengers. We found the place next to huge pilings where you could see all the way to the bottom. We adjusted all the fenders to the starboard side for protection, and managed the long reach up to the concrete decking. This was truly a working dock, and our tie up was right by a manure wagon and a line of propane tanks. While we were docking, a working wagon pulled by two Clydesdales rounded the end of the dock with a the clip clop of their hooves echoing across the water. The docking location was great though, and put us right in the middle of town. We wandered around a little checking out all the fudge shops before having lunch on the patio of the Chipawa hotel over looking the waterfront.

We had heard that the best way to see the island was by horse drawn carriage, so we hired a local driver to take us on a tour. The carriage was a two seat surrey with the fringe on top. We toured past the Grand Hotel, where we decided to return later, and by several $10 million dollar, beautiful, mansions that overlooked the Mackinaw Straits. Eighty percent of the island is a Michigan State Park and our tour included a visit to the arch rock there. This is an amazing cliff with a natural stone bridge formed by movement of glaciers so that the limestone arch remains. The view of the water from the cliff top was beautiful and color and clarity of the water matched a Caribbean postcard.

After the carriage ride, we walked up to the Grand Hotel and walked the world’s longest veranda. The gardens in front of the hotel were full of beautiful flowers and we walked through them and by the aqua blue tear shaped swimming pool on our way down to the shore road back to town. We left the island around 7:00 PM and circled around the island to catch a glimpse of the stone arch from the water before heading back to the Mackinaw City Marina for the night. Saturday night concluded with a dazzling show of fireworks from Conklin Park. And we had front row seats right on the bow of The Next Thirty Years.