Great Lakes Area, part 1, Lake Huron, Lake MichiganJul 5, 2011
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Round Island Lighthouse, near the entrance to the harbor at Mackinac Island
Maine Street, Mackinac Island. NO CARS!!!
front view of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Rooms start at...
| We arrived at our campsite, right on Lake Michigan, about 7:30 July 3. There is only a road and a few bushes between us and the lake. When we arrived it was calm and beautiful. Right now it is blowing about 10-15 knots, and has been raining on and off this morning. Being as 4th of July weekend is now over, this place is emptying out quickly. It has been a much better campground than the previous ones--lots of people like us, no noise to speak of, and it will be silent tonight. Yesterday we took a ferry over to Mackinac Island. This particular trip took us on a slight detour to go under the Mackinaw Bridge before getting to the island. The bridge is spectacular. I have decided that while Biggie is a High-pointer, I am going to become a Bridge walker. Unfortunately for me, the bridge can only be crossed on foot on Labor Day, when they close down one side for pedestrians. I won't be here then. But I am determined to come back sometime to do it. We spent the late morning touring the island, where there are no motorized vehicles, in a horse drawn carriage. We heard the history and legends of the island with 2 excellent guides. We ate lunch ($$$) at the Grand Hotel (they charge $10 just to go inside if you are not staying there) with a spectacular view. We sat in the rocking chairs on the porch for a few minutes after lunch. The porch is the longest covered porch (680') in the world (?). The ceiling is painted blue to keep birds and bees from building nests there. Good thing to know for your own porch. Then we walked around some more. Biggie found a job posting in the window of a store on the island. They are looking for a Boys Varsity Basketball Coach from Mid November until the end of March. We thought it sounded like a pretty good gig for him. He could have 6 weeks off after Yosemite, and then experience an entirely new kind of winter, with all the cross-country skiing he could handle, and then some. The only requirement was that he be a high school graduate. Coaching experience was preferred, but not required. We couldn't figure out who they would play, and how they would get to any games, being as everything freezes solid all winter, and there are no vehicles on the island. Also, there were 6 people in the graduating class this year, 5 of them girls. Made for an interesting prom, I am sure. How many people do you need for a team?? We took the ferry back, had a beer at the RV, and then headed over the bridge to Mackinaw City to take a fireworks cruise. We left the dock at 9 pm, cruised under the bridge for about 30 minutes, with sunset background colors (fabulous!!). Fireworks were supposed to start at 10, but it was still light enough out that they did not start until 10:30. We were treated to a really magnificent display for a full 20 minutes--they were constant and lovely. I got plenty of pictures. On our way back to the campground, we realized one headlight of the toad is out, so Biggie is trying to get that fixed today. After he is done, we will go back over to the island again. I will rent a bike, Biggie has his, and we will bike the perimeter. Hopefully the rain is over for the day. Tomorrow we are scheduled to take a lighthouse cruise for 3 hours in the afternoon. I still can't believe I forgot my camera cable, although luckily I brought 2 extra 4G chips for my camera. I hope Jennette can figure out which cable it is and send it to me. When I get it, I will insert pictures of some of our sights. |
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