Mackinaw City and Surrounding Area

     After a couple of nights in a remote campground (the last 1.5 miles of road was so bad we could not exceed 10 mph without jostling everything loose in the motorhome!!), we drove to a nice campground and set up on our site along the shores of Lake Huron. A short walk behind our campsite and across the road afforded us the view that you see above.

     Our campsite. In the center of the photo you can see Lake Huron... we were that close! Nice level site with trees separating campsites.

     The next morning, we boarded a shuttle to the docks in Mackinaw City and got on a ferry boat to take us to Mackinaw Island. This particular ferry is known for its jet motors that throw up a spectacular rooster tail of water as you ride over to the island. We departed early enough that our ferry went under the Mackinac Bridge. This bridge connects lower Michigan to the Upper Peninsula and marks the dividing line between Lake Michigan (to the West) and Lake Huron (to the East).

     Pretty big bridge. Here, as we approached, are two big motorhomes with their tow vehicles in the line of crossing traffic.

     As you near the island docks, you are met with the view of the Grand Hotel. Another thing of note, there are only a few vehicles on the island and they are strictly maintenance and emergency vehicles. Otherwise there are no cars to take you around on the island. You get around by bike, walking, or.....

     Yes, by horse. There are over 500 horses on the island and they provide transportation for tourists and residents alike. There are large multi-passenger wagons like the above for tours. You can call for a taxi (which is a horse drawn carriage). Even UPS delivers via horse!

Taxi for those staying at The Grand Hotel

We saw the UPS guy jump off the wagon and deliver to the store

     Now I don't know what it is about this part of the country but there are more Fudge shops per capita than anywhere else in the world! You can't throw a rock without hitting a Fudge shop. All of them make their own fudge and it is pretty fascinating to watch. You can also sample in each shop until you find just that right flavor. Our guide told us that if you were to eat samples from every fudge shop on the island, you would consume about 1 1/2 lbs of fudge (for free)!!! Yes, we did our share of sampling but we also bought more than our share. It was all just too good!

     That weekend was the beginning of the Lilac Festival. All of the Lilacs were in bloom all around the island. They come in a variety of shapes and colors and the fragrance permeates the air. Barb was in heaven.

     The Grand Hotel has established a neat little museum dedicated to horse drawn carriages. These carriages have been restored to their original glory and, in some cases, have been extensively used on the island throughout their history.

     The museum is housed in their new stables along with the horses that pull their taxis. The horses are all Percheron Draft horses. Some are the iconic grey color but others are pure black or variations thereof. As you can see from the photo above, they are not small horses! I stand right at 6' and that still doesn't reach the top of this guys back. (The horse's name by the way is Mario. His pulling partner in the stall next to him was named Zelda.)

     We enjoyed our stay on the island and picked a fantastic day to tour it with. After a couple of days wandering around and seeing what the shops had to offer, we set off for our next destination. Door County, WI.