Island Time, Part 2

We had a short ride from the campground to the ferry that would take us to Mackinac Island. We were looking forward to a relaxing couple of days on the island. Nothing could quite prepare us for the chaos on Bicycle Street when we got off the ferry. As many already know, there are no cars on the island. There are three ways to get around: in a horse drawn carriage, on foot, or on bicycle. Bikes and horses were everywhere! Many of the people on bikes seemed to not understand the rules of the road. They were all over the place. The carriages seemed to own the road, and pedestrians just crossed the road willy-nilly without looking at what was coming. It took some getting used to, that’s for sure! We were able to deposit our bags at our hotel before check-in, which made maneuvering easier.

Mackinac is Ojibwe for Big Turtle, so in honor of our daughter, who loves turtles and has a pet turtle, we ate lunch at The Big Turtle Eatery. After that, we strolled along aptly named Bicycle Street looking at all the sights. The day was idyllic! We mapped out a course on our bikes to see some of the best sites- Fort Mackinac, Arch Rock, Sugarloaf Rock, and Fort Holmes. Even without the added weight of our panniers, the hills were challenging! Each site was spectacular, but our two favorites were Sugarloaf Rock and Fort Holmes. The fort, being at the highest elevation on the island, gave us the most spectacular views of the Straits of Mackinac, as well as Lakes Michigan and Huron. We stayed a long time…..the lakes from that height and vantage point were almost indescribably beautiful.

We had dinner reservations at the Carriage House at the Hotel Iroquois. We ate on their patio overlooking the lighthouse and the lake. They had torches going to take the sting off the breezy chill of the evening air. The meal was fabulous( whitefish, of course!) and our server, Callie, was so charming and helpful. We had the best time!

The next day we had a quick breakfast at The Chuckwagon. It’s an old-fashioned diner/greasy spoon, where you can sit at the counter and watch the cooks prepare the food. We were lucky enough to have a front row seat. It was amazing watching them sling out orders in record time. Bruce nick-named them the Beethovens of Breakfast!

We decided to ride around the perimeter of the island-8 miles. It was, you guessed it, Cycling Nirvana! It was so great, in fact, that when we finished, we decided to do it in reverse, 8 miles counter clockwise. We saw sites such as Oven Rock, British Landing, and Arch Rock from below. The blue skies and gleaming lakes were stunning. We also hiked a few trails with huge northern white cedar trees.

After lunch we plotted a course to see some of the other sites on the island. Stops included The Grand Hotel, Great Turtle Park, and our favorites, Fort Holmes and Sugarloaf Rock. Then we stopped to get some fudge, since that is what everyone talks about. We took our server’s advice and went to Sander’s. Definitely a good choice. We stopped back by The Carriage House for a quick bite before loading our gear back on our bikes and heading to the ferry.

When we got to the ferry, the attendant informed us we had the wrong ticket, and would have to go back to St. Ignace. We insisted that we asked for the ticket that would let us go from St. Ignace to Mackinac Island, and then from the Island to Mackinac City. Fortunately, his partner let us board. We were hoping we could see the sunset as we rode back to the mainland, but alas, clouds prevented it. But the views of the huge suspension bridge assuaged us.

When we got off the boat, we had the long, arduous journey to our lodging, 4/10’s of a mile! Woohoo!

Thursday Cycling: 13 miles

Hiking: 6 miles

Friday Cycling: 27 miles

Hiking: 4 miles