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Mackinac Island Marina - the tip where
Lakes Michigan and Huron meet.
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Mackinac Island is the only island in
the world I can think of where automobiles are totally prohibited. --- and
this is not just a current "tourist attraction" regulation. It seems that
Chandleries back in the early part of the century were very concerned with
the invasion of, and competition from, the "horseless carriages". They
successfully made their case to the city council that these new motorized
carriages would be hazardous to the safety of island citizens and had them
prohibited from the Island forever. It was, after all, for the "safety" of
the local citizens!
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The GRAND HOTEL is the centerpiece of
Mackinac Island. This century+ old hotel, with the longest veranda in the
world, was the location for the well known movie "Somewhere in Time".
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We were fortunate enough to have dinner
in the formal dining room of the Grand Hotel while we were there. We first
had "cocktails" with Jessica up in the Rotunda bar - the highest central
part of the building which you can see here. We
then had dinner in their formal dining room on the Veranda level. Superb!
Great food. The jazz band playing during dinner was great! It's an old
elegant hotel in the grandest sense.
Jessica stands at the entrance to the hotel, waiting
to go in for dinner. |
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Jessica & Dad walking home from dinner
at the Grand Hotel - we shut the sidewalks down with our "late night" of
about 10pm! |
We did take the horse-drawn carriage tour throughout the
Island - very interesting. Here Jessica stands in front of our first team of
horses at the central stables.
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Part or our horse-drawn carriage tour included a stop
at the cliffs over the "Arch Rock" on the east side of Mackinac Island.
Jessica stands on the walkway in front of the rock arch, looking down on the
beach far below.
Our carriage got stopped along the way by a frantic
tourist - he and his wife had rented two riding horses to take the horse
trail. Seems his wife's horse simply decided to lie down and go to sleep by
the side of the road and not get up! We went down to check and found the
horse on his side - then watched as it rushed to get back up as our own
horse team came alongside.
At the right you're standing on these same tall cliffs
looking Eastward over Lake Huron and the North Channel. The water is crystal
clear - just a "bit" cold! |
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