Friday, August 21, 2009

Great Michigan Adventure: Mackinaw

Day 3:
Sunday dawned bright and early with 8:30 church. Kennedy wore her cute new dress from Grandma and had fun playing with all the aunts and uncles during the meetings.
After church we ate a quick meal and then loaded into the cars to head up north.
While planning the Great Michigan Adventure, we decided that Mackinaw Island was one of the highlights of Michigan and was worth the 4 hour trip to see. We were right!
The whole area was incredible. We stayed in Mackinaw city in hotel with a sandy beach and had a grand time playing in the sand. My parents took a lovely stroll along the coast and we ended the day with a laser light show. What fun!
Kennedy walking pensively in her new dress.

Moving into our hotel room.

Where are my legs?

Day 4:
Wanting to get an early start, we headed off to Fort Michilamackinaw right after breakfast. Of all the historical sites we visited, Fort Michilamackinaw was definitely my favorite. Located on the northern tip of Michigan's mainland, right next to Mackinaw bridge, it was an early trading post for first the Indians and later the white trades. A fort was soon built on the location by first the French and was later occupied by the British. During the Revolutionary War, the British abandoned the fort for a much more defenable location on Mackinaw Island.
The whole place was brimming with cool stories and amazing artifacts. I want to go back next summer as a historical interpetor. Kennedy and I could dress up like a fur trader's wife and child and hang out for a week makine dutch oven and taking about history. Sweet!
After the fort, Tim and I took Kennedy back to the hotel for a nap while the rest of the gang toured an old lighthouse.
We met back up for lunch and then took off again to see Historic Mill Creek, an old saw mill used to cut logs for most of the homes on Mackinaw Island. Being the granddaughter of a logger, I found the whole thing very interesting. It is amazing how they harnessed the water to power their saw and other tools. Very clever!
Back at the hotel, it was time for a beach party. Armed with a bucket and shovels, we built many unique sand creations. The sand bar extended way out into the lake and we had a blast playing frisby in the water and surfing the waves created by the ferries going back and forth from the island. Only Kennedy failed to apprecaite the experience, nervously eyeing each wave and expressing her displeasure when the cold lake water touched her toes.
That night, my Mom and sister Kayla hit up the shops and brought home our first taste of Mackinaw fudge. Tim, Ryan, Jared, and I forked out the three dollars to cross the bridge into the U.P. (upper penisula) to see the wonders of the north. We hiked up castle rock to catch a great sunset and took our picture next to Paul Bunyon and Babe the Blue Ox.
Kennedy and my Dad hung out at the hotel and went for a walk.
All in all, it was a perfect day!





Day 5:
As the morning fog blanketed the vast grey waters of Lake Huron, we set off by ferry to Mackinaw Island. A cold breeze and a few sprinkles made me wish I had brought a jacket. When the details of the island came into view, I could see just what draws so many visitors here each year. Quant, scenic, fresh, colorful; are just a few words I would use to describe the tiny town set up on one corner of the island. Once on land, we set off to taste as many free samples of fudge as could be obtained before we turned to hike up towards Fort Mackinaw.
Although Fort Mackinaw was established by the British during the revolutionary war, they chose to depict it as it was in the 1880's. I loved learning about all the phases of the fort and the island in general. I am such a history geek!
After the fort, Kennedy and I stopped by the butterfly house while the rest of the gang scouted out bikes. We decided to eat lunch before our bike ride and happened upon an excellent all-you-can-eat pizza place. We stuffed ourselves sick and then rented a few bikes to go burn of the calories. My parents and Tim and Ryan started off on two tandem bikes with Kennedy on the back of my bike and K and J riding single. We played musical bikes the rest of the ride switching rides each stop. It was absolutely beautiful riding along the shore.
After turning in our bikes, we walked up to the Grand Hotel, a huge summer resort on the island. I guess it was the site for the movie Somewhere in Time. They tried to charge $10 to go inside, but my brother Ryan found a way to get in and look around.
As the day wound to an end, we settled on our favorite fudge shop to by a treat for the ride home. (After all our sampling, we were pretty much fudge experts) Fudge in hand, and mouth, we boarded the ferry for a ride back to the mainland. I was very sad as we piled into our cars and drove back home. I can't wait to visit Mackinaw again.

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