I think this day was the highlight of our trip and is really what it is all about, but others are welcome to disagree. We saw some awesome sights, ate some great food and even had our first mishap of the week. But by God’s grace even that turned out well and just added a sense of adventure.
Remember: All photos can be viewed in larger sizes by clicking on them!
We took a ferry across to Mackinac Island and the fun began! The boat trip was interesting but somewhat cool (in a cold way). After departing the boat onto the island, we were taken on a couple of tours by horse carriage. The first carriage wasn’t large enough to take all of us so we split up on two carriages. Then, joined again later on a larger carriage that could accommodate our entire group. Both tours were informative and entertaining. One of our driver/guides should probably work as a comedian, and maybe does. He and his wife both drive the carriages.
Finally, we took third carriage (actually two again) to the Grand Hotel. The hotel truly earned it’s name and is a very grand hotel. We were primarily at the hotel for their luncheon buffet. This was outstanding and a real treat with nice background piano music. We felt that we’d gone “Back in Time”. The selection of soups, salads, appetizers, entrées, and deserts was really very good. There probably isn’t anything comparable. I’m happy that we made the decision to offer this option on our package. Everyone in the group took this option and I think enjoyed it as much as we did.
After the lunchtime we were able to check out more of the hotel. It is huge with just about anything imaginable. Nancy and I met a gentleman, working in the gift shop, who is a student from Macedonia. It seems that the hotel is known around the world.
After the Grand Hotel experience we were able to go into town (some of us took that opportunity to walk off some of the food and others returned by carriage) We checked out other sights and the shops. Many shops made Fudge. We also checked out another hotel where Nancy and I had stayed before without young daughters. It is the Chippewa and is still pretty much the same.
One significant mode of transportation other than horse carriage and walking is bicycle. There are a number of places that rent bicycles. This one caught my fancy with the real dog sitting at the rental window!
I also went up to the fort to take a few photos of it and the church.
Finally, all good things must come to an end and we re-gathered at the boat dock. As our boat approached it seemed to us that it was coming in too fast. One rope got hitched properly but the other didn’t. So, the ferry swung around and crashed into the dock. It did some damage to the dock but the boat seemed to be OK. They checked it out and brought it back in. The rest of that experience went better, and we didn’t sink!
After returning to Mackinaw City, we had dinner in the Embers Restaurant. Then a number of our people took a Starlight Trolley ride to see the sunset and the lights.
