Our trip to Mackinac Island

View of Mackinac Island from the ferry boat

Wow, are we really that far up?

Arch Rock - a natural rock formation on the top of the island that looks down on the water.

The girls and my niece posing for a typical "see where we are" sign

Back on the boat after a long, tiring but enjoyable day

In July we decided to take a trip to Mackinac Island with my parents and my niece. When I heard about the island it just seemed like the kind of place I had to go check out. There are NO automobiles of any kind allowed on it. When you want to go somewhere on the island you either ride your bike or walk. If you have to move something a horse and cart is used. How neat, I thought, to be able to spend a day in fresh, pure air not tainted by exhaust fumes.

The only way to get to the island is by ferry boat or airplane. We decided that since we wanted to have money for shopping the ferry was our best option. It was the perfect day out, sunny but not hot. The sky was blue, there was no wind and best of all, no rain. We had been having rain all week prior to our trip and even went through some on our way to the ferry. Once we paid and were on our way we started taking pictures of the island in the distance and as we came up to it. On first sight of it I just knew it was going to be a fun, relaxing day. That feeling lasted right up until we got off the ferry and actually saw the island up close. Yes, it was beautiful just like I had been told. Yes, there were lots and lots of shops to go explore. And yes, there were lots and lots of people. In fact there were people everywhere - on bikes, riding in carriages, walking on the sidewalks and even in the street. Hmm, I don't know why I thought it wouldn't be crowded in the middle of summer with it being the number one tourist destination in Michigan.

Well, nothing to do but begin our exploration. So off we went only to discover that once you get past the first street on the water where all the shops are the rest of the streets are all situated on hills. Very, very steep hills. We decided that maybe the best way to see the island was not on foot as we had originally planned but by horse drawn carriage. We found the ticket booth for the tours and asked how much they were. After hearing the price we decided to go back to plan A and walk as much of it as we could. I am not sure how many miles (yes, miles) we walked that day but I will say that walking in fresh, pure air does not stop the huffing and puffing that begins to occur about halfway up the first hill. In my defense, did I mention the hills were steep? We did see a lot of really neat things though. We were able to see the fort that was stationed on top of the island. Arch rock, a natural rock formation in the shape of an arch, was interesting. The best part for me was the view looking down at the town and the water from the top.

By the end of the day we were all exhausted and looking forward to getting back on the ferry boat. We will go see it again but this time we are renting a room right on the island and bringing enough money to see the island in luxury - from the back of a horse.