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Golden Gate Bridge - San Francisco Skyline as seen from the Marin Headlands - California

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Check One Off The Bucket List–Mackinac Island

What a fabulous, beautiful, air conditioned sunshine day

to tour Mackinac Island, long awaited and anticipated. . .

Shepler's Ferry leaving from St Ignace MI

we chose Shepler’s only because our RV Park owner

told us that was the one they preferred. . .

a combo Ferry/Mackinac Carriage – $46 PP. . .

Panaramic View of Mackinac Island from the Ferry

our view of the island from the ferry – panoramic style. . .

The GRAND - Mackinac Island

and of course. . .the show place – Grand Hotel

Beautiful Views of Mackinac Island - St Anne's Catholic Church

a pretty view as we pulled into the harbor. . .

Mackinac Island Carriage Tour $21 - pic $10

our chariot. . .I highly recommend the carriage ride,

as it is a long way to several places you want to see,

and it is very steep in places. . .

there were a lot of people pushing bikes up hills. . .

after each ascent, the carriage was stopped to give the horses a breather. . .

(as cheap as I am, I paid the $10 for this pic. . .how else would I get one?  I love it!)

Mackinac  Carriages

at Surry Hill, we changed carriages,

and went from the 20 seat, drawn by two Belgian Draft Horses,

to this 35 seat, drawn by three Belgian Draft Horses

weighing 2000 lbs each. . .we were in the third row. . .

they were high octane. . .let me tell you (smile!)

Arch Rock

our first stop after changing carriages is Arch Rock. . .

which is located inside Mackinac Island State Park. . .

we are allowed seven minutes to see this phenomenon. . .

it is quite lovely. . .

 

watering the horses

while we are seeing the Arch. . .the horses are taking a break. . .

being watered and offered oats. . .

they are given three coffee cans full of oats per day,

and all the hay they can eat. . .
(Jason’s instructions as we exited, “children. . .

do not play in the puddles. . .it has not rained today. . .LOL!)

Michigan Governor's Summer Residence

our next stop. . .if you wish to exit the carriage,

is the Governor’s Summer Residence. . .

the Governor is in residence today, and a soiree is being held. . .

there are folks everywhere. . .we choose not to exit.

Fort Mackinac

the next stop. . .Fort Mackinac. . .where tours are available for an extra fee.


Everyone exits but us. . .we choose to return to Surrey Hill,

where we can once again change carriages and be taken to the Grand Hotel. . .

Mackinac  Carriages

at Surrey Hill we were also give the opportunity to tour

the Grand Hotel Stables where these beautiful Hackney Horses reside. . .

Mackinac  Carriages

the Stables also serve as a show place for several antique carriages. . .

 

and if you so choose

The Butterfly Conservancy

you may tour the Butterfly Garden for an extra fee. . .

Mackinac Fire Engine

of course the Surrey Hill Tourist shops are available

for your viewing pleasure, and a couple of snack shops

are also available. . .we browse a bit and enjoy the antiques

on display while waiting for our carriage to the Grand. . .

The GRAND - Mackinac Island

ah. . .here it is. . .the Pièce de résistance. . .

the GRAND HOTEL at Mackinac Island. . .

this is what I have been waiting and planning for. . .

the tour. . .$10 each to be allowed on the porch,

and inside to tour the fabulousness. . .

 

BUT WAIT!. . .STOP RIGHT THERE. . .

the Governor is in residence on the island. . .

there is a Conference at the hotel. . .

The Grand is CLOSED to TOURS. . .

WHAT?  are you kidding me?

as you can imagine. . .I was NOT a happy camper. . .or tourist. . .

WHY. . .oh WHY did they not have a notice posted

at the ferry terminal where we purchased our tickets. . .

we could easily have rescheduled our day. . .

OH WELL. . .nothing to be done about it at this point. . .

so on we trudge back into town. . .

thoroughly disappointed by this turn of events. . .

Mackinac Island Fudge - 17 Fudge Shops - we chose Murdick's as it was the original

perhaps some fudge will ease my heartache. . .

we choose Maple Walnut. . .it is fabulous. . .

but not really helping. . .sad. . .sad, sad, sad. . .that’s what I am!

the famed Mackinac phone booth. . .located on the front nine of the golf course

a few more things we really enjoyed. . .

the famed phone booth located on the first nine of the golf course. . .

Mackinac  Carriages

all the beautiful carriages, Governor’s Residence in the background. . .
 

one little tidbit we learned about the porches of the Grand. . .

The GRAND - Mackinac Island

the ceilings are painted sky blue to fool the birds

into thinking it’s the sky. ..

which discourages nest building. . .

is that true?  Don’t know. . .but it makes a good story. . .right?

Mackinac Bikes

as stated in several articles I read. . .bikes were everywhere. . .

Mackinac  CarriagesHay Wagon

worker wagons. . .stuff has to get places. . .

Mackinac Post Office

and no tour would be complete. . .PO for me. . .

Emergency Vehicles are the only motorized vehicles allowed, and are given right of way at all times. . .

Fire Trucks for Dave. . .emergency vehicles are the only motorized vehicles on the island. . .

Mackinac  Gardens

I thoroughly enjoyed all the art, and the gardens of Mackinac. . .

and even with the disappointment, we really enjoyed our day!

Would we have enjoyed it more, had I been able to tour the Grand. . .

absolutely. . .will I return at some point to make that happen. . .absolutely!

We hope you have enjoyed sharing our tour,

and will be encouraged to visit this beautiful place for yourself. . .

 

We’ll see you next time at the SOO Locks where we have a boat tour planned. . .

‘til then,

Janice and Dave

 

A FEW EXTRA THINGS. . .

some winters, an ice bridge forms across

the Straits of Mackinac, allowing you to

walk or snow mobile the five miles to the island. . .

Would I want to do it?  NO. . .

Does it seem interesting?  YES. . .

Here are some pics and references about it:

Weekend Explorer Mackinac Island

Mackinac Straits Ice Bridge

Mackinac Ice Bridge Movie

More Blog Posts about Mackinac Island

Gypies @ Heart

more by Gypsies @ Heart

Living Our Dream

a very well written blog with great pics inside the fort:
Michigan Exposures

 

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