Mackinac Island

After our scenic route along M-119 from Charlevoix to Mackinaw City, we arrived at Shepler's Ferry just in time to catch the 12 o'clock ferry out to Mackinac Island.  Based on a friend's recommendation, we pre-purchased our tickets plus our overnight, unsecured lot, valet parking for $5.  That $5 was probably the best $5 I've ever spent on parking fees because these guys were efficient.  We literally parked at 11:55am right by the loading area for the boat, unloaded and checked our bags, exchanged our online tickets for physical vouchers, and boarded the boat with maybe a minute to spare before they pulled away.

With a sigh of relief from the rushed exchange at the dock, we wisely chose seats on the upper deck of the ferry on the left side allowing for some pretty amazing views (and first views for me!) of the Mackinac Bridge and Mackinac Island.  Mackinac Island sits above the Straits of Mackinac dividing Lake Michigan and Lake Huron as well as the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan.  As we approached the island, it wasn't hard to pinpoint the famous, Grand Hotel, where we opted to fork out the big bucks for our observed 2nd Wedding Anniversary stay.  I was also pretty excited to see the Round Island Passage Lighthouse via ferry (even though we would see it a few more times later).  

After docking at the island, our first adventure was to score us some bicycle rentals for the day, one of the three main modes of transportation on the island as motorized vehicles are forbidden.  We rented our bikes from the Mackinac Island Bike Shop, and we were on our way exploring the Main Street.  They say that Mackinac Island seems frozen "Somewhere in Time" (also the title of a movie filmed on the island starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour) with plenty of history left behind from the Native Americans, French Fur Traders, British Soldiers, and Victorian resorts.  Mackinac Island was also named in the 2009 Forbes 10 Beautiful Destinations.

Our bike ride started along Main Street heading East toward the Mackinac Island State Harbor.  Along the SE part of the island, we spotted the Mission Point Resort, built in the 1950s by the Moral Re-Armament movement, a post-WWII patriotic group.  We decided to veer in towards the Shoreline Trail which is part of the Mackinac Island State Park Commission.  The Mackinac Island State Park covers roughly 80 percent of the island with approximately 1800 acres of land.  The entire island was the second (Yellowstone was the first) national park established in 1875; however, the park has since been transferred to state control.

We parked our bikes just after the first mile marker by the Arch Rock stairway.  We began our climb learning that the park includes 70 miles of hiking/biking trails.  Beyond the normal trails and forests, the park also consisted of unusual geological formations like this Arch Rock.  Arch Rock is an example of Mackinac Island's breccia formations (fractured and recemented).  About 4,000 years ago, the lake waters slowly dissolved the softer material that extended into the center formation.  As the lake erosion cut away its base, the middle of the stack slowly crumbled into the water leaving the firm breccia limestone arch that we see today (courtesy of the Mackinac Island State Park).

Naturally, we happened to time our arrival at Arch Rock with a tour group so we had to wait in line to get some pretty nice views out to Lake Huron and of Arch Rock.

As we made our way around towards mile 4-5, we started to see some views of the Mackinac Bridge from Mackinac Island's west shore.  It was also at this point where we spotted one of many historical markers on this island for the British Landing during the Revolutionary War.  In July of 1812, the British snuck up on the Americans stationed at the Fort Mackinac, which led to the American surrender of the island.  However, it was later returned to us after the war.

Between miles 6 and 7, we discovered another major geological rock formation called Devil's Kitchen.  This group of small sea caves is one of the youngest rock formations on the island.  This large mass of brecciated (fractured and recemented) limestone was formed about 350 million years ago.  Wave action of the last few centuries eroded the softer parts of the limestone creating the smooth-bottomed surfaces (courtesy of the Mackinac Island State Park).

As we approached downtown Mackinac where we started, we spotted the Round Island Lighthouse near the SW part of the island at mile 7.  It was pretty close to the Round Island Passage Lighthouse we discovered earlier aboard the ferry.

We made it back around the loop with about a 1.5-2 hours to spare still with our 4-hour time frame, so we decided to bike inward to catch a few more sights.  First up was Fort Mackinac, which sits atop a limestone bluff overlooking Main Street, and was an active military site from 1780-1895. The British selected this location for its superior position of defense.

After studying the map a few times, we finally found another geological formation on the island called Skull Cave.  Skull Cave is one the island's oldest geological formations located in the base of a 30 foot high limestone stack.  11,000 years ago this stack of hard limestone was exposed, as wave erosion of the ancient lakes cut away the softer material surrounding it.  The caves weren't really doing much for us, but we searched on for the limestone structure called Sugar Loaf, which stands seventy-five feet above the surrounding level and is the largest of the island's limestone stacks.  More than 11,000 years ago, the erosive power of ancient Lake Algonquin washed away the softer material around Sugar Loaf created this isolated stack (courtesy of the Mackinac Island State Park).

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Our ride concluded with a nice view of the island from the east bluff.  We also stumbled upon a plaque on the East Bluff for Lewis Cass, who was appointed a general and military governor of Michigan after the War of 1812 as a result of his unwillingness to surrender his sword to the British.  Later, we rode by the Governor's house on the island.

With little nourishment along our ride (other than the Clif Bar we housed at mile 5), we decided to play into the circus downtown Main Street to get ice cream at Sanders (although supposedly this town is all about its fudge).  While we were down there, we also peaked into the Michigan Peddler shop which had a lot of Michgan-made gifts.  On our slow walk up to the hotel, we found some more Michigan historical markers for the island itself and the significance of the fur trading industry including the American Fur Company that was located here.

As we approached the Grand Hotel, we saw a sign reminding us of the dress code for the hotel which was after 6p.m. (men were required to wear a coat and tie while ladies were strongly encourage to wear a dress or skirt).   Built in 1887, this hotel is the most famous spot on the island and they do everything here in a "grand" way.  As you approach the hotel, you're overtaken by the sheer beauty and simplicity of the white house-esque building with a yellow awning, carefully planted red geraniums, several American flags flapping in the wind, the rolling red carpet, and the infamous 660-foot long front porch (which claims to be the longest).   In the August 2011 issue, Travel + Leisure honored Grand Hotel as the #41 Best Resort in U.S. and Canada in its World's Best Awards 2011, its definitive list of the world's top hotels, as voted by readers.  You can also get more of a feel for the hotel in this video.

Included in our hotel deal through Scottie's insurance, BCBS (which partners with the Grand Hotel through a program called Live Healthy. Live Grand to promote healthy lifestyles) was a 5-course meal, which we prepared for with a shower and our "dress code" garments.  Dinner was served in the Main Dining Room seated pretty much first come first serve with a set menu (tonight's option was the "blue" menu) and an extensive amount of dishware.  It was as if we were at a country club or in the movie "Dirty Dancing".  Scottie and I noticed that we were surrounded by much older couples that were probably off  celebrating their 40th or 50th Wedding Anniversary while we were just clinking our glasses of Carmenère for our second anniversary!

As the appetizers arrived, I realized I had already made a dining faux pas by placing my dinner roll on the main plate in front of me not on the side "bread" plate.  Oops.  I would make that mistake again during breakfast.  Double-oops.  To start, I opted for the Lobster-Avocado roll with grilled pineapple-chili sauce while Scottie chose the American Wagyu Beef Tartar with herb aioli, heirloom tomato and radish salad. They weren't messing around here.  Next up was the soup where we both tried the Chilled Asian Melon Soup, which was quite original and delicious.  Our salads came next which was a Mackinac Wedge that included a crispy kurobuta bacon slice, blue cheese, olives, toasted hazelnuts, and tomato vinaigrette. Splendid.

At this point, I was getting full, but I saved room to eat as much of this as possible. For the main entree, I ordered the Veal Scallopini and Crisp Bobwhite Quail with chanterelles, a dried apricot relish, asparagus, and some pasta.  It was divine. I was so big on the quail which tasted like a greasier version of chicken strips, but Scottie helped me finish my plate.  He ordered the Braised Lava Lake Lamb Shake.  To cleanse the palate and because it came with the meal, I put down a little bit of the Tart Cherry Sorbet for dessert.  The Parlor inside the Grand Hotel where the post-dinner "demitasse" (a small cup for coffee) is served, accompanied by music from The Grand Hotel Orchestra.

After a long day of biking, we were stuffed and well-fed, but as we exited the Main Dining Room, the staff handed this bit of chocolate-mint as if the 5-course meal wasn't enough.  We took a stroll up along the West Bluff to help with our digestion and to observe the pretty sunset.  After taking our own self-guided tour of the hotel, we indulged in a nightcap at the Cupola Bar.  Even when we returned to our room, these folks at Grand Hotel were always thinking as they left us fresh towels and some sweet dreams chocolates.  Classy.

In the morning, we awoke to another clear sky, bright sun kind of day.  After our delightful 4-course  breakfast (mango juice, strawberries and yogurt, and a veggie omelet!), we strolled into town to write some postcards at no other than the local Starbucks before heading off to the ferry for our return trip to Mackinaw City.

Upon boarding Shepler's Ferry, we handed our luggage tag tickets and our car valet ticket, thus, when we arrived back ashore, everything was pretty easily located.  Talk about efficiency.

Back in Mackinaw City, we stopped at the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, which guided ships through the Straits of Mackinac from 1892-1957 and at Michilimackinac State Park, an old British Fort, for some good photo opportunities.  And then we began the $3.50 drive across the approximately 5 miles of bridge!

The total length of the Mighty Mac is approximately 5 miles and at mid span, the roadway is 200 feet above the water. The main towers are 552 feet above water. Bridge construction began 1954 and completed just 3 years later. The Mackinac Bridge has the third largest suspension of any bridge in the world. The Mighty Mac is categorized as the 8th Wonder of the World.

More information about Mackinac Bridge and Mackinaw City located here.  This is also a great site with guides to the U.P. including Mackinac Island.

More photos can be found in my photo album and here's a link to the map we used to guide us throughout the trip.