Needles and I decided to take a vacation, but we didn't want to do all the planning and transportation arrangements that we have had to do with some of our previous vacations so we decided to do a bud trip with one of our local colleges. This year the trip was to Mackinac Island so we were game. My only experience with Michigan was flying through the Detroit airport. (Above is Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse in Mackinac City.)
We left Sunday June 7th and meet up with our fellow travelers at 7am Eastern. We loaded up on time and started our trek North. The plan was to stop every couple of hours at a rest stop or restaurant. Our first night was spent in Lansing, Michigan at the Causeway Bay Hotel. It was a very nice hotel with very comfortable beds. The next day after breakfast we proceeded on to our destination.
(Above is Mackinac Bridge at 10pm.)
The third day we headed down to the pier and boarded a Ferry from the Star Line Mackinac Ferry. Most ferries just take you to and from the island but ours took us on a detour under the bridge for a nice view of the 5 mile long bridge connecting Michigan with the Upper Peninsula.
We arrived at the island and got in line for of the horse drawn carriage that would take us on a tour of Mackinac Island State Park.
Since the island strictly forbids transportation by motor vehicle the most popular mode of transportation is pedal bike. You see hundreds of them lining the streets.
Our tour took us by the famous Grand Hotel. Sight of some of the scenes from the movie Somewhere in Time.
This is the carriage that took us to the entrance to the park where we switched to a 3 horse team.
Arch Rock was one of the stops in our tour.
After the tour Needles and I wandered up and down Main and Market street.
The boardwalk down by the Park.
Round Island Lighthouse as seen from the City Park and Beach.
Day Four we headed across the bridge up into the Upper Peninsula to Sault Sainte Marie and the Soo Locks. We were treated to free home made cookies and Mackinac Island Fudge coffee. Mmmm.
We boarded the boat Nokomis and made our way up Lake Huron to the American side of the Locks. We were moored to the side of the lock and waited as the water was gravity feed from Lake Superior into the lock. The process took maybe 30 min. for the water level to raise the boat 21 feet to meet the level of Lake Superior. When the water level was sufficient the lock opened and we moved into Lake Superior. We promptly made a turn and made our way into the Canadian side of the locks for the return trip. We had a group of grade school kids waving and screaming at us to have a good trip.
When we return to the port we disembarked and made our way to Sault St. Marie for food and exploring. Needles got the Walleye at Frank's Place and I think it was enough to feed three people.
After a couple hours of exploring we headed back to the bus and headed down the road to the Point Iroquois Lighthouse. We meet the lighthouse keeper named Gilly and went up into the lighthouse where the light would normally be. It was a nice view over looking Whitefish Bay.
A view of Point Iroquois Lighthouse from the walkway to the beach.
Day five started out at Fort Michilimackinac. We were told about the 50+ years and ongoing excavation of the property and was treated to not only a back powder rifle firing but also a firing of the cannon. We also had free time to wander around and throughout the building that have been painstakingly recreated to resemble the original buildings.
We got a tour of Mackinac City which was odd since it was at the end of the trip and then finished up at Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse and got to go up into the lighthouse and see the nice view of the bridge and the Straits of Mackinac.
The next morning was day six, we had to set out our luggage for the driver to load our bags. We had our last breakfast at the hotel before heading south to Lansing. We got about an hour south before we started to have some trouble with the bus. The bus shuttered and then coasted over to the side of the road. We sat there for 20 minutes with the bus running and then set off again. About a mile down the road the bus died and we coasted to the side of the road again. Apparently a filter on the bus was clogged and the computer shut down the bus. The driver cleared the filter and then the bus had to run for 40 minutes at idle so the code would clear and the computer would allow us to continue. After it was all done we were a couple hours behind schedule.
We had a very nice time in Mackinac City and enjoyed the company of our fellow travelers even though while the bus was broken down there was talk of using us for bear bait to distract them from the driver fixing the bus.
To make up time we decide to skip the out of the way place to eat in Frankenmuth and instead settled for a Wendy's in Grayling. After the lunch stop we made our way to Bronner's Christmas Wonderland and was able to get back on schedule.
Our last night was spent in Lansing and we had supper at Finley's Grill and Smokehouse. The food was great and after a nights sleep under sheets that were way too starchy we got home on Saturday June 13th around 4:30pm eastern time.
The last picture is a traditional Michigan dish called a pasty. It is beef, carrots, potatoes and rutabaga wrapped in a pie crust shell with a side of brown gravy. The Mackinac Bakery was recommended by our local guide Dick for the best local pastys. They were very good and filling.
We had a great trip minus the bus trouble and we were glad to be able to see a new part of the U.S.
