This sign was our first clue that we were truly heading into the north country. Our second clue was the sign saying, “Watch for Moose.” We were entering “Yooper” territory, referring to the residents and natives of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Our campground was located in St. Ignace (pronounced Saint “Igness”), which put us close to the ferry over to Mackinac (pronounced “Mackinaw”) Island. Below are pictures of the Mackinac Bridge, which leads to Mackinaw (the “w” is the correct spelling) City.
(According to visitmichiganupnorth.com, “Pronounce it Mack-i-knack and you’ll give yourself away as a tourist who doesn’t know how to pronounce the place you’re visiting.”)
Mackinac BridgeGrand Hotel on Mackinac Island taken from the ferry.This is the view from the bike path around Mackinac Island – a distance of 8.2 miles. We brought our own bikes rather than rent, so we started our ride as soon as we got off the ferry. Halfway around the island we encountered a roadblock, so we turned around and went up the British Landing Road to eventually arrive at The Grand Hotel. The following pictures were taken along the way.Entrance to the Wawashkamo Golf Course, established in 1898. It is one of the oldest clubs in Michigan.Airplane taking off from Mackinac Island Airport. (We made it to the top of the hill!)We arrived at The Grand Hotel, with Marty making a spectacular entrance after the downhill ride by falling off her bike in front of hotel guests, horse-drawn carriages, pedestrians, other bicyclists – perhaps a hundred or more people. Doug rushed to scrape me off the pavement, as did another bystander. I had everything I needed in my backpack to clean, sanitize, and bandage my leg, and soon after another woman came by on her bike to show me her bruises from a similar mishap. Undeterred, as she was also, I got back on my bike after exploring the grounds of the hotel.Horse-drawn carriages are everywhere. Automobiles were banned on the island in 1898.
We took a lunch break at Mary’s Bistro Draught House – this was the view from our table.NO, we didn’t! 🙂This is the Arch Rock, as seen from the bike path. Had we taken a different route down the hill, we would have seen how the arch frames Lake Huron. Perhaps a future visit should be planned. We pedaled back to the ferry dock after taking these shots, catching the 5 pm ferry back to St. Ignace.
Marty & Doug's Travels 