Life goes on - Mackinac Island

A day after we dropped our fifth wheel onto our truck we went to Mackinac Island. We figured the best way to get the sour taste out of our mouths was to enjoy the area. Mackinac Island has long been on our list of things to see. The only way to get to the island is to take a ferry. Unlike other areas where we have been that only had one ferry option but here there are at least three options. Luckily they all cost the same and take about the same time to get there. We took the one ferry a day that took a small detour to go under the Mackinac Bridge which was really neat.

We got to the island and walked around downtown for awhile looking at the shops and reading menus. There are no motorized vehicles allowed on the island except for emergency vehicles so we are in for a day of walking and riding in house drawn carriages. We ate lunch and signed up for a carriage tour of the entire island. There was some time to kill so we walked around downtown and we have never seen so many places that sell fudge. Mackinac Island is known for fudge and we sampled some of the best fudge we have ever had, can you say sugar coma?

The carriage tour was about 2 hours and went by the landmarks of the island including the Biddle House, the Grand Hotel, Arch Rock, and ending at Fort Mackinac. Fort Mackinac was built in 1780 by the British, and remained a US Fort until 1895. A posting at the fort on a resort island was highly sought after. The Fort has maintained the old buildings, one from when it was first built. Combined with reenactors to give it that 1800's feel it was pretty cool. The view from the fort walls giving a commanding view of the surrounding area showed why the fort was placed here. Originally this area was under the control of the French who built Fort Michilimackinac where modern day Mackinaw City is located. That fort has also been restored and is available for touring which we may do before we leave.

After our tour of Fort Mackinac we walked to the Grand Hotel which is the world's largest summer hotel and has the world's longest covered porch. We took the elevator to the Cupola Bar for the great view and an iced tea after the walk. We then walked around the hotel and on the front porch. By now we were ready for some relaxation so we took the hotel shuttle to downtown and of course bought some fudge, pumpkin pie and chocolate peanut butter, and then took the ferry back to St. Ignace.

It may take awhile for all the photos to upload to Flickr.com since we have a slow WiFi connection but here are a few samples:

Mackinac Bridge from the ferry

Grand Hotel

Arch Rock

Fort Mackinac

As we said earlier, life goes on. We had a great day and although until we get the truck fixed every time we walk towards the truck there is a constant reminder of what we did we are determined to continue enjoying life. We try to keep our focus on the future and not the past and maybe the constant reminder may help us be more conscientious when hooking up.

Till next time,

Bob and Jo