We spent the better part of the day on the renowned Mackinac Island yesterday, an Island on Lake Huron, that encompasses a little over 4 square miles. It is on the historic register, with a battle during the War of 1812 being fought there. At least a decade ago, we spent another day there and not much has changed. We considered lunch at the Grand Hotel, but it appears their buffet is history, and getting a table is not likely due to its popularity. This hotel, for those who have not visited the island is a popular wedding venue and hosted several weddings this weekend, among other events. You can rent a horse at a local livery, replete with the saddle style your prefer. It was tempting, and the horses were said to be well settled, but it is a long way from the saddle to the manure coated streets for an old(er) guy like me. We passed. The town was bustling, in spite of the cool weather, with many draft horse drawn conveyances pulling wagons full of tourists around. The horses were magnificent, big, strong and committed to their life strolling Main Street. There were uniformed men, pushing handcarts equipped with brooms and shovels to remove the copious piles of horse exhaust from the streets. This method of removal left a thin coat of manure from curb to curb. Of interest, there are 85,000 bicycles licensed on the island.
We finally settled at the well known Pink Pony for lunch. It was adequate but certainly not wonderful, even with the ambiance of sitting over gin clear Lake Huron. There were approximately 10 million tee and sweat shirts for sale and fudge at every turn. The locals are referred to as fudgies, entirely appropriate. In the height of the season, 10,000 pounds of the stuff is made there daily. If you like fudge, Murdicks is described as the pinnacle here by the world travelers we know.
The ferry ride over and back was fun. These ferries get right along, piloted by young Captains who handled the boats deftly. We opted to spend a few extra bucks to ride under the bridge, another incredible engineering feat, one of many in the Great Lakes area.
If my descriptions are underwhelming, it is with reason. Mackinac Island is a must see for folks, a showcase highlighting the art of tourism, and if you have between one and five thousand a night, the Grand Hotel is, well, grand. I am guessing my many years in and around Branson, Mo. have resulted in our appreciation of the smaller towns and hamlets around our country. We eat, when we can, where the locals eat, shop with local folks and love local attractions.
Today we motor over to Leelanau and the Traverse City area for a few days. We have been there before and love the understated beauty of this region. There is a fish ladder there, adjacent to a great little restaurant, much more my style.
Have a great week!
SR
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