Up North - Part 3 (of 3)

In this, the final installment of the award-winning "Up North" series (I won't say which award), I offer you views of Mackinac Island, a small resort island between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan. The British establishd a fort on the island in the mid 1700s, and the fort saw action in the War of 1812. Later in the 19th century, vacationers began flocking to the island for the cool summer weather and pleasant lake views. Now, it seems many of them just come for the fudge. Still, Mackinac (pronounced "MACK-i-naw") Island is among Michigan's top tourist attractions--if not THE top. As there are no motor vehicles, it's a great place to walk or ride a bicycle. And fans of the Christopher Reeve movie "Somewhere in Time" (yawn...sorry) will recognize the enormous Grand Hotel, which is now an ultra-exclusive hotel experience. (It's a cost of $15 to simply enter the lobby! We passed...)

So here we are, off to Mackinac Island by boat...

Pulling into port--the 18th century fort sits on the hill above...

Car-less streets mean that transport is all done by horse or bicycle...

Nice views...


I liked the place so much, I decided to stay and open a restaurant...

Actually, the only real "job" I had was carting my niece around on my shoulders...

The island is home to many gorgeous old inns, like this one...

...where a rocking chair with a view of the lake is a good place to spend an afternoon...

I bet this taxi driver doesn't drive too fast...

When my shoulders got tired, I traded kids with my brother-in-law, John, and got my slightly lighter nephew...

A "Butterfly Museum" is a nice diversion...

An old New England-style protestant church...

One of the island's gems is the 1887 Grand Hotel, where that sappy movie was made...

The hotel also has its own exclusive transport...

A view of 4-mile long Mackinac Bridge from the island...

Finally, a windy ride back...

...and a good look at the Mackinac Bridge, leading across to Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Thanks for coming along for the ride!