Thursday, August 12, 2021

1/2 the line waiting to board ferry

Ferry to the island

Day #18 dawned with clear, blue skies and as we approached Mackinac City, we could actually see the Mackinac Straits bridge. We had bought our tickets two days ago and still had a line to stand in and the line continued to extend behind us into the parking lot. The front of the line is at the end of the pier on the right side of the picture. 

Each ferry to the island takes approximately 50 minutes one-way and carries approximately 300 people per ferry. The Marquett II was our ferry to the island, while the catamaran was our return ferry. 

Our view of the island on our approach to dock.

This is where the main tourist area is concentrated, in the dock areas back to the Historic Fort Mackinac established in 1780 and the Grand Hotel.

The whole island is accessible via hiking, biking, taxi carriage or horse back riding. There are two golf courses, an airport and town for the approximately 500–600-year-round residents. (Harrisonville)

State Line Ferry has three docks, we embarked from dock #1, which took us to Dock #1 in the middle of the tourist area of the island. We walked up main street to the visitors center, passing the Chippewa Hotel built in 1902 on the site of the US Customs House and home of the Pink Pony. The Pink Pony opened in 1948 as a restaurant with a pink pony décor. 

We walked up the carriage ride ticket stand and schedule our carriage ride – 2:20 p.m., we had about an hour and half to eat lunch, browse and return to the stand to catch our horse-drawn carriage ride around the tourist area of the island.

Poutine with Cheese Curds and Beef Gravy 

Hay Delivery

We had burgers and poutine at Mighty Mac Hamburgers. Kelley told us to try poutine and we loved it – French fries with cheese curds and topped with beef brown gravy. Better than ketchup with fries. We ate on the back patio of Mighty Mac Hamburgers, which was picturesque as any of the other spots on the island.

Below are scenes of the pedestrian packed Main Street:

Pedestrians, bicycles and horse drawn carriages populate the streets. Bicycles are parallel parked like cars, except cars are not allowed on the island. Only emergency vehicles are allowed - fire truck, police and ambulance. Horse drawn wagons are the mode of transportation.

The horse drawn flat-bed trailer would be considered a transfer truck on the mainland as it carried hay from the docks to the liveries for the horses. 

An example of FedEx delivery on the island.

Delivery wagon pulled by horses on
 the pedistrain-paced street.

Side Streets

The side streets and those parallel to Main Street were less busy and had great shops. 

The thing that I loved the most about the island was the landscaping around private homes and B&Bs.  Here are a few examples of the cottage landscaping. Lilacs were very popular and there is a lilac festival each year. 

Notice the Medical center on the left of the picture as the ambulance backs underneath it. The island is vehicle free, with the exception of emergency vehicles – two ambulances, two fire engines and one police cruiser. One police officer year-round and the state patrol comes in during tourist season to assist.

This is the school for all grades. The average annual student population is 60-100 students with 2-10 students per class!

The carriage ride was a two parts: first with a two-horse drawn carriage through the toursty section of the town, back to Surry Hill. From Surry Hill, we boarded a three-horse drawn carriage to go through the state park. 

Second part of the Carriage tour

She told a story about a cave on the island - Skull Cave and how it was named because the man who discovered it though he was sleeping on rocks and roots, but found out the next morning it was skulls.

 

Post Cemetery

There are three cemeteries – Catholic, Protestant and Post Cemetery. The soldiers from the two forts on the island were buried in the Post Cemetery. 

The Catholic or Protestant cemetery was originally located down near the dock, when the residents decided to move them to make room for expansion of the businesses. The grave markers were moved as the caskets were exhumed and names written in chalk on the caskets to ensure the markers and caskets were matched in the new cemetery. The markers were moved and the day the caskets were moved, it rained, erasing the chalk. They were highly positive that the caskets were matched correctly, maybe.

Hidden Squirrel

What color is the squirrel?

Arch Rock was a stop on the carriage ride. The limestone structure was solid at one time and the elements continued the erosion. It is estimated that in 15-20 years it will be gone.

Arch Rock

We did not go through the fort, only took these pictures from the street and carriage. Below the fort, in the bottom center of the picture is a statute of a famous local priest. The man who did the sculpture, felt that the face of the priest was not handsome enough to go on the statue, so he used his own face as the model for the statute.

Fort facing bay

I know Doug and the boys will think this picture was taken because of the golf course, so I put it in with the other golf course pictures.  I took this picture  because of the big house in the center back.  This summer cottage of 7,100 square feet of eleven bedrooms, nine and ½ baths and a full basement was built for Chicago Attorney, Lawrence Andrew Young in 1902. It was sold to the Mackinac Island State Park for what it cost to construct it - $15,000 with the clause if it was ever sold, descendants had first option at $15,000. Today the Governors mansion is worth 5 million.

Another green on the same course at the Grand Hotel. We were walking back to the dock by the golf course and found a lost golf ball.

Grand Hotel Veranda

The Grand Hotel was the largest hotel on the island, while multiple B&Bs and smaller inns dotted the landscape.

The front porch is 600 feet long and for $10/person you can do a guided tour or order a drink to sit on the porch.

Notice the lady in the red jacket, her job was to allow only paying guest in front of the hotel. Those patrons, who are staying at the hotel had access to the horse drawn carriage with black top-hat & red jacket driver to take them wherever they wanted to go on the island.

The green sign positioned away from the hotel informed vistors of the required attire for the hotel:

• PROPER DRESS required at the hotel and hotel owned street
• GENTLEMEN after 6 p.m. must be attired in coat and tie
• LADIES may not be attired in slacks
• Please no bicycles or saddle horses in front of hotel.

Flowers in front of hotel. 

The flowers around the Grand hotel and cottages were gorgeous. Rudabecki, Dahlia, ornamental cabbage, phlox, spider plant, sunflower variations.

We spent from a little before 10:00 a.m. until about 5:30 p.m. when we left the boat on Mackinac Island. Pictures from the ferry crossing back over to Mackinac City Dock.

After eating supper of leftovers at the camper, we took our books and enjoyed the evening outside. After dark, we sat watching the meteor shower. We saw three before the clouds obscured our view.