Friday, September 19, 2014

Mackinac Island

Never believe the weather forecast!  We were prepared for a cloudy, cold, and chance of rain.  The clouds burned off this morning and the sun came out and no rain.  It was a beautiful day.

We took the hydro jet ferry over to the Island with a detour under the Mackinaw Bridge.  I took a picture of it from the boat. 

We took a horse drawn carriage ride around the island.  There are no cars allowed on the island. There are lots of horses and bicycles.  The history on the island is very interesting as is the lifestyle of the people that live there. 

The average temperature last winter was 22 below!  When the lake freezes, the only way to get to the main land is to snowmobile across the ice.  The 500 people that live there year round stock up now for the winter buying groceries in bulk.

There are beautiful views from all over the island.  We only saw a few.  One of them is The Arch.  It is a natural formation from limestone.  We also enjoyed touring the fort.  It was amazing to see how they lived back in the 1800s.  The fort has a wonderful place to eat that overlooks the harbor.  It felt great to sit out in the sunshine and have lunch. 

We went by the Grand Hotel that boasts the longest porch in the world. (They charge $10 to see it.)  They also employ 700 people during the summer.  It is a beautiful place. 

We were glad we were there this time of year.  I can't even imagine the crowds in the summer time.

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