I enjoyed my early morning coffee with a view of Lake Michigan , smooth and quiet this morning.
Breakfast was a lighter, continental offering but it’s included in the room rate so we weren’t complaining. We’ve aquired a habit on our big road trips of doing without a substantial lunch ( it helps keep the waist-line under control!) I bring a small thermos and fill it with coffee at breakfast, we grab a couple of muffins from the breakfast buffet and a piece of fruit and around the middle of the day we stop somewhere nice to have a mini picnic – then we can indulge ourselves at dinner time! It’s also good because when you’re on the road it’s not always easy to find somewhere with appealing lunch menus…unless you wnat a burger every day!
It was only a 40 minute drive until we reached the small town of Charlevoix where we stopped to see the Mushroom houses.These are the architectural collection of self-taught builder Earl Young. Starting in 1919, and continuing into the seventies, Young fashioned over two dozen creations using indigenous materials.His houses feature his signature designs, along with wide, wavy eaves, exposed rafter tails; cedar-shake roofs; and a horizontal emphasis in design. These buildings are creatively known as Gnome Homes, Mushroom Houses, or Hobbit Houses
North of Charlevois we drove through Petoskey, which has over 400 stunning Victorian homes on the National Historic register . We saw a handful as we drove through the town, it was a good taster for more Victorian beauties we would see later in the day.
Just north of Charlevoix we turned off onto Michigan Highway 19 which was the start of the Scenic “Tunnel of Trees” byway. The road hugs Lake Michigan on the left hand side but rises up high so, between the trees, we saw the great blue expanse of the lake far below. At this time of year you really do feel like you;re driving through a tunnel, the greenery was lush and gorgeous. There were some stunning houses along here too.
Finally we arrived at Mackinac City, which sites on the tip of the “mitten” of Michigan right on the Straits of Mackinac. The Straits seperate lower Michigan ( the mitten) and Upper Michigan, known as the U.P. ( residents of the U.P. are known as Yoopers and pride themselves on being a different breed to the people down south!- A bit like Queenslanders?) We stopped in a park for our midday picnic and enjoyed the views out across the next Great Lake of the trip, Lake Huron, as the Straits also separate Lake Michigan from Lake Huron. Crossing the strait is the colossal Mackinac Bridge, known as the “Mighty Mac”. It’s the longest suspension bridge in the Americas, with a total length of 8,614 feet suspended. It is currently the third longest suspension bridge in the world !!
Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse looks out across the Straits , they really needed a good lighthouse here to support the sream of shipping passing through the perilous straits.
After our break we set north and crossed the bridge, finally arriving at the Starline Ferry dock in St Ignace to catch the ferry to Mackinac Island.
As we approached the Island we could see the huge “Grand Hotel”, the premier place to stay on the island. It’s a National Historic Landmark and has the longest front porch in the world! It’s very upmarket, gentlemen are required to wear a jacket after 6pm and they charge $10 for anyone who just wants to come into the foyer to take a look at the place! It’s room rates are astronomical, so needless to say we’re NOT staying at the Grand. However, pretty much everywhere on Mackinac is pricey, it’s very popluar with a limited number of accommodation options.
We’re staying at the Island House Hotel instead, whcih we could also see from the ferry.
Mackinac Island ( pronounced “Mackinaw”) is called the jewel of the Great Lakes. First visited by French explorers in the 1600s, and because of its strategic location, the British established a fort there in 1780. After the United States took possession , it became the headquarters of John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company and later developed as a resort. Occupied by the British during the War of 1812, it was regained by the United States in 1815. Today it is an extrenely popular tourist destination, largely because of it’s beautiful location on the lake and because it’s unique status as a car-free island. Other than emergency vehicles, the only way to get around the island is by bicycle, horse-drawn carriage or on foot!
The hotels on the island all have an arrangement with the ferry company to manage luggage. Our bags were tagged at the dock and taken on board for us, once we arrived at the island the bags are transported to our hotel ( free of charge) and are delivered to the room. It’s a great system!
The first thing that I noticed on the island was the strong smell of horse manure!! However, fortunately, this seems to be confined mainly to just a few places where the carriages pick up and drop off. The next thing you notice is the gorgeous Victorian buildings, the island is almost like a time capsule.
We wandered up the main street and were rapidly hit by the rich scent of chocolate fudge. The island is also famous for its many fudge companies, all competing for the title of Mackinac’sbest fudge. I bought some of Murdick’s 1887 All Natural Fudge but in the interests of reserach I’ll probably have to try a couple more. 😂 Inside the stores they make the fudge while you watch, boiling ot up in huge vats and then working it to perfection of large marble slabs.
We pottered in and out of the multitude of gift shops , some of which were selling things that made us feel we were in the wrong store!
The houses that line the streets here were so pretty and the gardens immaculate. I think Walt Disney would have loved Mackinac Island – it really feels like Disney “perfect America” here.
At a Real Estate Agency we looked in the window to see what you;re money would buy on mackinac island. Only US$2,950,000 for a 10 bedroom Victorian mansion with a fabulous view of the lake!
Eventually we took a break in our room at the Island House Hotel. Built in 1852 it’s the oldest hotel on the island and is on the list of the “Historic Hotels of America”, it’s a stunning, white Victorian beauty, sited oppostite a park with a fineview of the lake. I’m excited to be staying here but the only way I could justify the expense was by booking one of the rooms on the 4th floor, almost in the attic. 🙂
For dinner we decided to eat at the hotels’s Ice House BBQ restaurant, set in a pretty garden out the back of the hotel. The BBQ was delicious.
