Hello to Mackinac Island

Picture Heavy Post!

Hello. I do still exist. I am still wanting to blog but finding the time has been much more challenging. Coming out of the 4th hectic week in a row has left me reminiscing of our idyllic stay on Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Island. I actually look back and think, "Did that really happen?"

It did though, I have the pictures to prove so.

The day after our wedding we drove up north and found ourselves in Mackinaw City. From there we got on a Sheplers ferry. We opted for the bottom deck. I still hadn't gotten warmed up from the wedding. It was a wonderful ride, complete with the most darling little girl who was enthralled with the water splashing on the windows.

That's the Mackinac Bridge. It connects the mitten of Michigan to the upper peninsula of Michigan. It makes for a pretty view while on the ferry and on the island. 

The Island is located in the straights of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. 

In a nutshell the Island is 8 miles of perfection.

There are no cars on the island. Only horse and bikes. 

You have seagulls cawing, horses clip-clopping, ferries coming and going, the sweet smell of fudge and...road apples. It is an experience that engages all the senses. 

We visited a butterfly house and tried to clear Jerrel of his insect fears. However, I think we may have made things worse once we went into the pinned insect section.

Let us all take a minute to thank the Lord above that we don't live in Malaysia...unless you live in Malaysia. In that case-good luck. 

But we came out alive. Probably a little grossed out but that didn't last long.

Because how could it when 90% of the time you have a view similar to this. Everywhere I looked for our whole visit I was awestruck. It was like no other place I had been. 

One of the best things about this place was the families. It was refreshing to see families playing frisbee in this park area, having picnics together, renting bikes for adventures on the island, getting a mid-afternoon fudge treat. It was so nice. 

Essentially the Island is one 8 mile wide hill and so things are built up, and up, and up. Every time we were up higher I took a picture and thought "This is the best view I'm gonna get." But then we'd get to another level in another spot and I'd have to snap yet another picture. 

Speaking of 8 miles. Remember the horses and bikes? We decided to rent bikes and take a joy ride on the Islands highway. Seriously it's an official highway. The views were spectacular.  And the joy ride felt like a race much of the time because of Jerrel. We also went off roading on some trails-again his idea not mine. I was perfectly content to be on the highway. The things we do for the men we marry.

Senor Smarty Pants did let me stop a couple times and take pictures. After a week in the forests of Michigan I was refreshed to see a horizon for more than a couple seconds. Let alone the beautiful blue of the water. 

Thank goodness for timers on cameras. This is in front of Lake Huron.

Everything about Machinac was wonderful. The food, the people, the recreation, our Inn.

I would HIGHLY recommend the Market Street Inn. Here are 3 good reasons:

1. Location, location, location. The Inn is close enough to Main Street to get there quickly, but far enough away to have some peace an quiet. 

2. The Innkeeper is the BEST. Kristen is friendly and helpful. 

3. They bring your breakfast to you at the time you specify. By day 2 I was spoiled. 

4. They have cookies and fudge in the afternoon. 

5. The Inn has ranunculus growing in the front beds.

Ok that was five. Oh well. 

See what I mean about the views? You can see a peek of the highway in this picture. And this is officially the highest point I got to on the Island.

There were so many things to do. We could have spent a week there and not been without something to do. This is Arch Rock. The island is mainly composed of limestone and this rock formation was made because of how water ran across this portion of the island. All that is left and making the arch is the harder type of limestone. 

And then there was the Grand Hotel.
Holy time travel.

Home of the largest wooden front porch and gaudy decor(my words not theirs). But it is beautiful in it's own right.

The hair salon. I feel pretty oh so pretty...

The porch is done on such a massive scale. It makes you want to just sit and appreciate the whole scene, so that's what we did.

The hotel has been a summer destination since 1887. It's a tourist spot in it's own right. Thankfully we had passes so we didn't have to pay to simply sit on their porch.

Grand Chess anyone?

They have a pergola so we made our way up there. Because in Michigan, height is always key. 

But after our little rest in the pergola it was time to catch the ferry back to the mainland and head to our next destination. We were ready to see what was next but not tired of Mackinac. It just might be one of my new favorite places.

Next up Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes!

Blessings!