Awoke to another beautiful September day in Michigan--we have been exceedingly fortunate with clear weather to this point in our journey. Exiting the hotel, we discovered Mackinac Island streets are hosed down every morning to mitigate the accumulation of...horse poop! Horse-drawn carriages certainly are romantic, but they do create a certain residue. And, daily, a nearly invisible worker quietly patrols the streets to eradicate some of the larger deposits.
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| Freshly cleaned streets! |
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| Doud's is the main supermarket with quite an impressive inventory |
Our first choice for breakfast, the Chuckwagon, was closed on Mondays. So, we enjoyed a nice breakfast at the Pancake House instead. Thus fortified, we decided to try riding a tandem bike...for the first time ever....around the entire island! After helmeting up, we entertained the locals by taking off from the curb like an overloaded seaplane seeking to lift off a lake. Let's just say our first few takeoffs were...not very smooth!
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| M-185...the bike path around Mackinac Island |
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| Stairs up to Arch Rock |
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| Arch Rock as seen from the bike path |
The 8.2 mile bike/walking trail around Mackinac Island is posted as M-185 and advertised as "the only state road in Michigan where cars are banned". Horses are also not allowed...perhaps due to that "residue" issue! There are several points of interest along the route, the first of which were the steps up to Arch Rock.
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| Kenny, Jim and Linda on M-185 |
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| Stack of 31 rocks.... |
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| Tandem bikers! |
A bit further along, we saw a couple struggling to take a photo of themselves along with the stack of rocks they had just created. So, we stopped and offered to take their photo to only to learn their 31-rock cairn represents their 31st anniversary they were celebrating on Mackinac Island. Although Jim & Linda had flown their airplane into the Mackinac Island airport, Linda allowed she is not always the best passenger and wished a red "panic bar" could be installed near her seat in the cockpit...Jim just grinned.
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| Amazing clear waters of Lake Huron |
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| M-185 mileage post at British Landing halfway around the island |
As we rode, I was amazed at how clear the waters of Lake Huron were when so many U.S. waterways are brackish. Halfway around the island, at British Landing, we decided to turn inland and rode through the interior of Mackinac Island. There are several beautifully maintained historic homes--especially as we approached the Grand Hotel.
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| Carriage entrance to the Grand Hotel |
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| All is grand at the Grand Hotel |
Although the historic Grand Hotel has been in business since 1887, the more nuanced online reviews consistently indicate it is not the best hotel choice on Mackinac Island for a number of reasons: outdated infastructure, arrogant/impersonal staff, mediocre food, expensive ($600-1000/night--note their rates are quoted per person) and they are very "rules oriented". The rule that killed Kenny's interest in staying there was the "ladies must wear skirts/dresses after 6pm".
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| Our lunch at the waterside Pink Pony restaurant |
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| Fudge making on marble-topped tables |
Both our bodies and marriage survived the tandem bike test, so we had some lunch and then strolled along the Main Street tourist avenue. It is apparent that fudge is the primary tourist purchase, with 3 primary vendors each having 3-4 stores within the half mile tourist trail. Referencing the ancient "when in Rome" custom, we decided to sample the Kaluha fudge. Mistake! We left with a $40 bag of fudge and thus personally embraced the local vernacular for tourists..."fudgies".
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| Clouds rolled in just before sunset |
Time to head back to our balcony overlooking the harbor for cocktail hour!
Posted by TBW Travel Today!
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