Michigan Junket: Mackinac Island Memories

Mackinac Island's downtown, less bustling in September

Pics When Bob and I were married in 1983, we had little money but lots of energy and creativity. Our honeymoon hotel was an old Nimrod camper, difficult to set up and cramped inside, but we had beautiful weather in the week before the Fourth of July and I remember thinking how much I love being outdoors. One of our stops was Mackinac Island.


Iroquois Hotel, where we had lunch at the Carriage House

Bob photographed the Mackinac Bridge with his old Canon as we drove across, and I imagined myself careening over the edge into Lake Michigan.  I don't remember where we camped; Bob says he thinks there was a campground in St. Ignace at the time so perhaps it was there. My only previous experience on a ferry was rocking and heaving across the Bay of Fundy in the winter, so I was pleasantly surprised by the short crossing to the Island.

The main street was just as crowded and bustling then as it was today, but we rented bicycles to ride around the island. I was extremely apprehensive, since my only previous bike experience as an adult had exacerbated my chronic knee pain. Bob raised the bike seat and I discovered the joy of riding a bike without stress on the knees. I was amazed that I could ride 8 miles so quickly; I think we went around twice.



The Grand Hotel

Seven years ago, we returned to Mackinac Island, camping once again in our little Palomino tent trailer. This time we had our own bikes and we simply unloaded and began our ride right off the ferry. Same Main Street crowding on a very hot summer day, but the crowds dissipated once we began the ride. No photos of that ride, though: my first digital camera stopped working at our fist stop and the ensuing near panic attack did put something of a damper on my enjoyment. It was my first realization that I sometimes miss the moment as I record it for the future. By this time, I was an experienced rider and amazed that a quarter of a century had left its marks, so many of them good ones.



State park is an oasis of calm on the island

On this visit, the crowds were more manageable because September had arrived and lines for the ferry weren't long. The delicious lunch and horse carriage ride, described in another post, were lovely and I didn't have to stand in line to buy fudge, the first time I've ever given into the temptation to do so.

Mackinac Island's natural beauty is breathtaking. Shoppers might enjoy the bustle of Main Street but others will prefer the magnificent views only a short distance from downtown. I haven't yet visited the Grand Hotel, as I find the fee to visit the porch, dress code after six and other rules too cumbersome for my taste. Next time, perhaps in lilac season.