- Trip start, Duluth stopover, and the International Wolf Center
- Duluth Round 2
- North Shore of Minnesota
- Isle Royale National Park
- Bayfield, Apostle Islands, and Hayward, WI
- Waterfalls, the Porkies and Bond Falls
- Pictured Rocks and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
- Mackinac Island
- Dunes, friends, and the end of the trip
For years I’ve heard people rave about Mackinac Island — the history, the hotels, the restaurants — and no cars! Part of the reason for this trip was to visit there, which we did for 4 days. Getting to Mackinac is by passenger-only ferry. Our ferry took a detour to go over the Mackinaw Bridge, affording us the opportunity to visit both Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Arriving in port is very impressive — a logistical machine! Porters from your hotel are already at the dock and deliver your bags to the hotel. There are a ton of people moving in all directions. But it’s like it is all choreographed. At first blush, the downtown area reminded me a bit of Provincetown — lots of kitschy tourist shops, throngs of people walking through the streets, etc. It probably didn’t help that we were staying right in the middle of it. But you only have to walk a block or two in any direction from the tourist center to get a taste of the real Mackinac — a gathering place to enjoy nature, learn about history, pamper yourself in the grand old hotels and spas, and explore the beautiful architecture that is here. We certainly did!
It’s interesting that Fort Mackinac seems to be integral to the history of the island and the fortunes of the residents and visitors therein. As with so many other places we visited on this trip, Mackinac was a hub for commerce, especially during the peak of the fur trade. While originally inhabited by native people, the French quickly arrived and set up a mission (remember Father Jacques Marquette from your history?). Following the Seven Years’ War, control shifted to the British who saw the value of the thriving fur trade. Of course, with the arrival of the American Revolution, the British built the fort to defend against attack. Of course, Mackinac was turned over to the Americans after the British surrender. With the advent of the war of 1812, the first battle was actually taken by the British and they repulsed another attempt by the Americans to retake the fort 2 years later. Thankfully, what the military couldn’t accomplish was done by the peace negotiators following the end of the war. At that point the fur trade and commercial fishing made Mackinac a major economic hub. This brought steam ships and railroads on the mainland, which ultimately brought interest in the island for tourism. Many of the beautiful homes and hotels were built during this period to accommodate all the tourists and “summer people.” The fort was an integral part of the social scene during this timeframe. Recognizing the popularity of the island, the government created the Mackinac National Park in 1875, making it the second national park after Yellowstone. At that time, the Army served as the rangers for the national parks, performing all the duties done by the National Park Service today. But in 1895, after 115 years of service, the Army removed the soldiers from Fort Mackinac and it was turned over to the state of Michigan, creating its first state park. Today, the fort runs as a living history museum with live and static displays and demonstrations. We spent nearly a whole day there and probably spent more!
In planning for our stay on the island, I was not willing to stay at the Grand Hotel since they still require men to wear a jacket and tie after 6pm. Somehow that didn’t seem to fit in the rolling duffle that we had been dragging around the countryside for 3 weeks. Having said that, we wanted to experience some of the grandeur that the old hotel offers to its guests. So for the ridiculously low, low price of $10 per person, my friend Alma and I were allowed to walk the premises. It is pretty over the top — there are beautiful gardens everywhere and even the front porch is 660 feet long! How would you like to sweep that?! All the staff are dressed in period formalwear and the public spaces are very opulent with rich colors, chandeliers, etc. All that touring kinda wears you out, so we went up to the Cupola Bar, the highest point in the hotel for a drink. We also spent some time wandering around the gardens but other than those at the entrance, I was a bit disappointed in the others. In the recent renovation, I guess all the money went into the new pool and some room updates (by the way, every room is decorated differently — this made some decorator’s career!).
On our last day, we decided to see more of the island. We would have biked, but it was raining so we opted for a horse-drawn carriage ride. A full 82% of Mackinac Island is undeveloped state park with over 70 miles of trails. We only got to see a bit of it, but did get to see the iconic Arch Rock that rises 146 feet above the water. The arch here was created much the way most of the other arches we have seen on the trip — wind and water (in this car, rain). We did have one other treat, however — a visit from some of our friends/neighbors from Puerto Vallarta who live in Detroit when not in Mexico. It was great of them to come up to see us while we were there.
From here, we began the last leg of our trip, heading south to visit a few more parks and visit friends.
This entry was posted in Michigan, Travel, United States
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
