Mackinac Island

George, Martha, Cathe, and Tom

Last night we went to dinner with Cathe and Tom and watched fireworks.  Cathe has a goal to spend the night in every US state, and she has visited two with us:  Delaware and Michigan. I like those kind of reachable goals. Today we said good-bye to Cathe and Tom and then got on a ferry to Mackinac Island.  It was so fun to be with them, and they were helpful.  (They took me to the grocery and delivered us to the ferry station.)

We enjoyed our day on the island.  Since George has a hurt ankle, we took the horse drawn carriage tour.  We usually would walk or bike.  This was a new experience.  The guides were knowledgeable and witty.  The ride was comfortable.

We heard the history of the island and experienced both the touristy and the forested areas.
There are many historic buildings preserved as well as Fort Mackinac, which saw action in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. There has been peace on the island since 1815. Most of the island was a native American burial ground when the Europeans arrived.  There are three cemeteries:  Catholic, Protestant, and post - for the soldiers who died at the fort.

       

Mackinac Island is a state park. In this part the only sound was the clip clop of the horses.

The guides are connected with their horse teams and groom the horses each morning.  The horses were formerly workhorses on Amish farms.  They work from ages 5 - 20ish. On the island they work four hours a day. There was a good bit of horse poop chat.  While the guide was talking about the horses, he said, "Beefaroni." George and I were the only ones to get the Kramer reference.

Richard, Hannah, and Chance were our second team for the forested section.

Random Facts: John Jacob Astor made millions in the fur trade here. There are now 18 fudge shops.  There can be 4 - 6 weddings on a weekend. Lilacs were brought to the island from France. They have a public school with 80 - 100 students. They have no buses, and no snow days. The population is about 500 year round. The Grand Hotel is the largest employer. It was built in just 93 days.

Arch Rock