TUE., AUG 1 thru MON., AUG 7, 2023
We drove 184 miles southeast from Ishpeming to Mackinaw City, MI to reunite with Cheryl & Joe on Aug 1, (2023) at Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground.
Joe surprised us with a beautiful original painting of his. It’s of Arches National Park. I was brought to tears… so touched. Gary and I absolutely love it! We’re not worthy, but we’ll gladly accept this beautiful work of art made with love by a very special man who’s married to a very special lady. They also kindly hosted Happy Hour and dinner on our first night together in almost 2 months. So fun! We love you guys.
Ishpeming MI to Mackinaw City, MI
Wednesday, Aug 2, (2023), the pod boarded a ferry and headed to Mackinac Island. Pronounced Mackinaw Island. The French spelled it with a silent “c” at the end. At times it was spelled with an “aw.” Regardless of how it’s spelled, it’s always pronounced Mackinaw. The full name of the island was once “Michilimackinac” meaning “Great Turtle” because the island looked like a great turtle rising out of the water. Mackinac Island was considered a sacred place for nearly all of the Great Lakes Native American tribes.
Mackinac Island’s 1,800 acres is a step back in time. It was Michigan’s first state park. The only means of transportation on the island are horse drawn carriages, bicycles or walking via its 144 miles of roads and trails. We opted for walking… and ended up walking over 4.5 miles and climbed 21 flights of stairs. Definitely got our exercise!
We passed under the Mackinac Bridge, which was completed in 1957 and is the third largest suspension bridge in the U.S. behind the Golden Gate and Verrazzano-Narrows bridges. It spans 5 miles.
We visited Fort Mackinac, one of the best-preserved historic forts in the nation, with 14 original restored buildings, exhibits, and cannon and rifle firings. Founded during the American Revolution in what is now Mackinaw City, the fort was moved to Mackinac Island in 1780. We got a tour of the fort that perhaps provided more history than we ideally wanted, but still interesting. They shoot off one of the old cannons at least once a day. It’s loud!
The fort wasn’t the only structure built in Mackinaw City and moved to the island. St Anne’s Church was originally moved across the ice from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island in 1780. That must of been quite the feat! The current church was built in 1874.
The Grand Hotel, built by a railroad company in 1887, has the World’s Longest Porch and is the world’s largest summer hotel! We couldn’t resist having a drink on the porch. Somehow we avoided the $10 charge for sitting on the porch. I think because we unknowingly came in a different entrance. That’s the story we’re sticking with!
On our walking tour, we also passed by the Governor’s residence… she was not in residence the day of our visit. There’s a tradition of Boy Scouts doing summer service on Mackinac Island since 1929. We saw scouts outside the Governor’s residence, at the fort and other public buildings.
Over 80% of the island is state park property. A fun day exploring this charming island! We got caught in a storm on the ferry coming home, and got a little damp in the process.
Thursday, Aug 3rd, (2023) the pod played corn hole and did a 2-mile walk after dinner to check out this very large campground… over 600 sites. It borders Lake Huron and there are some gorgeous views. The campground sets up fire pits along the shore. Campers would “claim” one by setting their chairs around it in the early evening then do a fire later. Beautiful setting, although we did see haze due to Canadian wildfires.
Saturday, Aug 5th, (2023) the pod headed to the charming town of Petoskey, MI with its famed Victorian architecture. The town has more than 500 historic places on the National Historic Register. We could live here if not for the winters! Petoskey has Little Traverse Bay with its crystal clear water, which is part of Lake Michigan. It has the amazing Crooked Tree Art Center located in an historic church built in 1890 with original stained glass. It has Meyer Hardware established in 1935 and still run by the Meyer family. And it has Perry Hotel, 123 years young, with a gorgeous wrap around porch.
Ernest Hemingway was a frequent visitor to Petoskey, since his family had a summer cottage in a nearby town. There is a sculpture of a young Ernest celebrating his relationship with the town.
After exploring Petoskey, we drove the 20+ mile Tunnel of Trees Scenic Heritage Route on M-119 making stops along the way. Parts of the route were scarily narrow with our dually truck. In route we visited:
- Thorne Swift Nature Preserve in Harbor Springs, MI and walked two short trails over boardwalks and saw lots of native plants, wetlands and even some dunes. The payoff was a nice sandy beach at the end of the trail on Lake Michigan. Gorgeous tranquil spot!
- Next was Pond Hill Farm in the same town. It’s a working farm with a petting zoo, cafe, vineyard, and lawn games. Lots of beautiful flowers throughout the property.
- Then Good Hart General Store… totally authentic and operational since the 1930s. It’s the town’s grocery, bakery, deli, real estate office and post office.
- Lastly, Legs Inn in Cross Village, the“2nd most iconic restaurant in the state of Michigan.” Owned and operated by the Smolak family since 1921 serving Polish food. This was the spot we celebrated Cheryl’s birthday! We all loved the rustic stone architecture, kitschy interior, gorgeous gardens, and views of Lake Michigan. The name “Legs Inn” comes from the row of inverted stove legs used to make the decorative railing on the roof. We were fortunate to get an outside table in the shade for Cheryl’s birthday “linner.”
Once on the other side of the Tunnel of Trees we had Lake Michigan on one side of us
and some very nice homes on the other. It was a fun day of exploration and celebration!
On Sunday, Aug 6th, (2023) we celebrated Cheryl AND Joe’s birthdays at our tiny home. Joe’s birthday was in July, which we missed celebrating because we weren’t together then. We played a marathon (4-hour) game of Mexican Train and Gary & I made dinner. Plus we surprised C&J with a 15+ minute video of their last year’s travels. Twas fun to see their reaction!
Monday, Aug 7th, (2023) we visited the Mackinaw Bridge Museum located on the top floor of Mama Mia’s Italian Restaurant. Funky museum! It was established many years ago by one of the iron workers (sky cowboys) who worked on the bridge. The “Mighty Mac” as it’s called is still the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere at 5 miles long. 11,350 individuals were involved in various phases of planning and construction on this 5-mile suspension bridge that connects Michigan’s 2 peninsulas. There were tons of hard hats on display donated by the workers. The bridge was built more than 60 years ago and can withstand winds up to 1,000 mph. It was designed so that “the wind flows through like water through a sieve.” There is no resistance to the wind with the designer’s “openwork” bridge construction.
The pod also visited 2 lighthouses, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse and McGulpin Point Lighthouse. Both with commanding views of the bridge. McGulpin Rock near the McGulpin Point Lighthouse is about 9 ft tall. Since 1615 it was used as an aid in navigation. Now water levels have increased so much that it’s almost completely submerged. Exploring the museum and the lighthouses was a nice way to spend our final day in Mackinaw City.
Tomorrow we move to Ludington MI.
Mackinaw Bridge Museum
