ST. IGNACE, MI - VISIT TO MACKINAC ISLAND

Thursday, August 13th, 2015

Day 374

Miles Traveled: 0

Total Miles Traveled: 5765

  Thursday we took the Star Line Hydro-Jet Ferry to Mackinac Island (a popular tourist destination).  Over eighty percent of the island is a state park, and, it is the Nation's Second National Park.  We arrived before some of the shops opened.  The streets were just starting to have some activity.  By the afternoon, the streets were bustling with people.

downtown Mackinac Island in the morning

downtown Mackinac Island in the afternoon

  Mackinac Island has a unique vibe.  Cars were banned on the island in 1898.  There are no motorized vehicles allowed (except for a few emergency vehicles).  The only modes of transportation are foot, bike, or horse.  A parking lot for employees was quite small.

Employee parking

  Even the street cleaning cars are horse driven.

horse driven street cleaner

   

  We took the tourist horse drawn carriage ride to get an overview of the island.  The ride was enjoyable and we were able to cover more ground than if we just walked.  One stop on the carriage ride was a carriage museum.  There were several different makes, modes, and styles of carriages both old and new on display.  We even saw a hearse carriage, which is still used today for funerals on the island.

multiple carriages on display

hearse carriage

  We paused for a few minutes and enjoyed the natural beauty of Arch Rock.

Arch Rock

  We gazed at the grandeur of The Grand Hotel.  Built in 1887 out of Michigan white pine, it has the longest colonial porch in the world.  To enjoy sitting on this porch, you either have to stay at the hotel or pay a $10 fee.  We chose to admire it from afar.

Grand Hotel

  The local post office has other post offices in the United States beat for the least amount of mail delivered.  This post office has never delivered one piece of mail.  "Rain, Shine, Sleet, or Snow - you can come and get your own mail".

Mackinac Island United States Post Office

  No visit to Mackinac Island would be complete without a visit to a fudge shop.  We visited the oldest fudge shop, Murdick's Fudge, which opened in 1887.  By the 1920's fudge became this island's number one sweet souvenir.

Murdick's Fudge Shop

  Several of the fudge shops had workers making this gooey delight right in the store window front.  It was interesting to watch how it was poured on a marble table and kept from running off with metal bars.  Then as it cooled, it was turned with what looked like a putty knife.  Finally, as it thickened, it was shaped into a long log and then cut into slices to be sold.

making fudge

  We returned to St. Ignace late afternoon, checked out the weather, grabbed a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant, and then, went to work on travel plans and the blog post.  It was late when we completed these tasks, and we were glad to crawl into bed.