Mackinac Island
After I spent the night in St. Ignace, doing such tourist things as eating a pastie (pronounced pass-tee, people--get your minds out of the gutter, will ya?) going to Castle Rock and the Mystery Spot (you'll have to see it yourself--the mystery consumed me, so we had to stop), I spent the night at Foley's Creek Campground in Hiwatha National Forest, which was my favorite campsite on the whole trip.
Mackinac Island, and specifically the Grand Hotel, is listed in Patricia Schultz's 1000 Places to See Before you Die, and after visiting, I see why. No cars are allowed at all on the island and you must take a ferry to get there. Once you dock you see numerous horse carriages carrying tourists, packages, and luggage over the busy streets. Perhaps there are more bicycles than horse carriages, and even more pedastrians walking around buying fudge and the like. Honestly, I didn't know what else there was to do on the main streets of the town other than buy fudge.
But the Island itself is certainly something out of an old movie. The Victorian homes, lighted streets with big flower arrangements with geraniums and purple petunias. The Grand Hotel itself is wicked expensive (something like $300 a night per person) and huge. I gawked at the large and beautiful summer homes that belong to the millionaire families of the midwest. Ah, such is the life, right? Conversely, we overheard many different languages walking around, the non-English typically coming from folks who either worked at the Grand Hotel or from the Eastern Europeans minding the fudge shops--those who cater to the wealthy midwesterners. It was all so... weird... yet really charming at the same time.
I only spent a night there, at a lovely B&B who's keeper was from Pennsylvania and had wonderful things to say about Ohio. I am still in shock. I ate dinner at a nice restaurant that overlooked Lake Huron as the sun set on the Round Island Lighthouse, and the newer automated lighthouse a few hundred feet away. It was beautiful.
The next day was spent walking around the island away from the crowds. A large portion of the Island is a state forest, encompassing Fort Mackinac, which I visited the day before. I ended up getting lost on some trails, but eventually found my way back to the main part of town, but it was certainly worth it. On this Island of many, I certainly found peace and quiet, overlooking the Great Lakes which surprisingly look like pictures I've seen of the Caribbean. It was so absolutely gorgeous and took many photos.
While the time on the Island was short, I definitely felt like I packed as much into the experience as possible, and perhaps one day it will be worth revisiting. But only if I can stay at the Grand Hotel!
*Sigh* Now I have to clean up my bedroom, the only room left to clean before my mother arrives in tomorrow morning.
Mackinac Island, and specifically the Grand Hotel, is listed in Patricia Schultz's 1000 Places to See Before you Die, and after visiting, I see why. No cars are allowed at all on the island and you must take a ferry to get there. Once you dock you see numerous horse carriages carrying tourists, packages, and luggage over the busy streets. Perhaps there are more bicycles than horse carriages, and even more pedastrians walking around buying fudge and the like. Honestly, I didn't know what else there was to do on the main streets of the town other than buy fudge.
But the Island itself is certainly something out of an old movie. The Victorian homes, lighted streets with big flower arrangements with geraniums and purple petunias. The Grand Hotel itself is wicked expensive (something like $300 a night per person) and huge. I gawked at the large and beautiful summer homes that belong to the millionaire families of the midwest. Ah, such is the life, right? Conversely, we overheard many different languages walking around, the non-English typically coming from folks who either worked at the Grand Hotel or from the Eastern Europeans minding the fudge shops--those who cater to the wealthy midwesterners. It was all so... weird... yet really charming at the same time.
I only spent a night there, at a lovely B&B who's keeper was from Pennsylvania and had wonderful things to say about Ohio. I am still in shock. I ate dinner at a nice restaurant that overlooked Lake Huron as the sun set on the Round Island Lighthouse, and the newer automated lighthouse a few hundred feet away. It was beautiful.
The next day was spent walking around the island away from the crowds. A large portion of the Island is a state forest, encompassing Fort Mackinac, which I visited the day before. I ended up getting lost on some trails, but eventually found my way back to the main part of town, but it was certainly worth it. On this Island of many, I certainly found peace and quiet, overlooking the Great Lakes which surprisingly look like pictures I've seen of the Caribbean. It was so absolutely gorgeous and took many photos.
While the time on the Island was short, I definitely felt like I packed as much into the experience as possible, and perhaps one day it will be worth revisiting. But only if I can stay at the Grand Hotel!
*Sigh* Now I have to clean up my bedroom, the only room left to clean before my mother arrives in tomorrow morning.
posted by Molly | 9:52 AM
1 Comments:
Also, it's pronounced "Mackinaw" not Mackinac, like it's spelled. I just had a conversation with my two guests earlier this morning about how pissy they get if you don't say it correctly.
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