MACKINAC ISLAND

August 11, 2011  Dateline: Mackinac Island, Michigan

Rich and Carol are city people.  I got them to Mackinac Island about noon today.  The final leg on Lake Huron from Drummond Island was flat and the 38 mile ride over was really pleasant.

Upon arrival they both got off and went immediately to the downtown.  Carol said that the main street looks like downtown in Disney World.  The streets are lined with small shops, many people and there are no cars allowed.  There are only horses. bicycles and more bicycles.  Everything gets delivered by horse, including horse food.  There are workers who go around and clean up after the horses; there must be fewer of them this year as there are a lot of horse droppings in the streets.  There is a certain air about the downtown.   

If you wanted to rent a horse to ride by yourself you could rent one from Cindy’s.

One of Mackinac Island’s greatest places is the Grand Hotel.  The hotel has a 660 foot porch.  The porch has a blue painted ceiling to keep the birds from nesting up on the porch.  The tour driver was surprised when he asked the question about the blue ceiling and Rich gave him the correct answer which was something he learned in Cape May.  The hotel now charges $10 to enter and sit on the porch. This fee is supposed to reduce the tourist traffic so the paying guests are not disturbed. Rich and Carol had a buffet lunch there and it was wonderful.   The hotel retains the gracious living style that existed in the late 1800s.  It has a special horse-drawn carriage for carrying hotel guests from and to the ferry docks. The hotel was built of Michigan white pine in the late 1800s and is extremely well maintained.

The Island is full of fudge shops, in fact, there are 17 of them.  There is only one other type of establishment that exists with greater numbers and that is bars, there are 18 of them.

Rich saw this pretty Chris Craft and took a picture of it.  I think she is pretty too but not nearly as nice as I am.

Prior to making cars, Studebaker made wagons.  This wagon was seen on the Island at the horse stables and looks like it is still in use.