Monday, August 18, 2014. Mackinac Island.

In the morning, we went ahead and reserved our same campsite for the next night. That way we could spend as much time on Mackinac Island as we chose.

The ferry to the Island only takes a little while. The first thing you notice after disembarking is the number of variations of bicycles and other means of transportation like scooters, sidecars for bicycles, tandem bicycles, etc. Many people of all ages are cycling around the area, but many of us were walking. There are also many types carriages pulled by horses (mostly draft horses), so it becomes evident that one type of pollution (auto exhaust) has beenWell, traded for another (horse manure). Ah, but it's historically accurate! Well, maybe not entirely, because there were probably lots more horses and other livestock in the past.

We walked around to view various points of interest including a butterfly house with additional insect displays,

Which of these is not like the others?

the historic Fort Mackinac, lunch on the deck at the Pink Pony, and visiting a couple of fudge shops (yes, and buying. There goes our good intentions!)

Fort Mackinac was involved in one of the first altercations of the War of 1812. The British troops, including French voyageurs and Indians, landed on the Island about 200-strong. The Americans at the Fort, about 57 of the, didn't even know the young United States was at war again! Being obviously out-numbered, they surrendered the Fort without firing a shot. One of the most interesting displays at the Fort was in the former Infirmary. Several beds are in one room with mannequins portraying sick and injured soldiers, including the Commander. I believe the timeframe was supposed to be around 1895. A movie is then shown on the back wall showing someone portraying the camp's doctor at the time. He explains the first patients ailment/injury and describes his treatment and the outcome. Then the picture changes to a woman doctor from the current era. She discusses what the name of any ailment would be today and what treatments and outcomes would be expected with our modern technology. Some vary a lot, but some of the earlier doctor's treatments, especially of fractures, are pretty close to what is still done. We thought this learning experience was well-done.

The last thing we did was to go on a carriage tour of the Island that lasted about 45 minutes to an hour. A couple of young men told us about the history of various places and people as we rode around the town and through the surrounding countryside. One of the Belgian draft horses (I love draft horses!) had some severe gastro-intestinal problems and regaled us with many loud instance of passing gas. This definitely provided some comic relief when our guide's presentation was continually interrupted.

So, another ferry trip and we returned to the campground. The temperature for the day, which was supposed to be
in the lower 70s, actually never got over 62 as far as I saw. So it was definitely not the prettiest day to walk and ride around the Island. At the campground we began having some light rain, so it was supper, reading, eating some fudge, and going to bed fairly early. Perhaps not exactly in that order!

Sunday, August 17, 2014. Pictured Rocks and across the U.P.

We started the day by heading toward Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on the northern boundary of Upper Michigan (the U.P.). This boundary is washed by Lake Superior, then largest of the Great Lakes. Pictured Rocks is a pretty descriptive name. The rocks are rugged and very colorful from the various sediments that has formed them. It is suggested that the best way to enjoy the Pictured Rocks is by boat, canoe, or kayak, but we settled for using some of the observation towers.

Where to go next? We decided to head toward Mackinac Island, Michigan, since we've heard about it and it's automobile-free atmosphere. By the way, we discovered that the name of the Island is actually pronounced “mac-a-naw.” The city across the bridge into lower Michigan is actually spelled “Mackinaw City.”

We weren't ready to leave U.P., so we camped at Straits State Park on the edge of St. Ignace. If you walk down to the beach near our campsite there is a great view of the Mackinac Bridge that connects the two areas of Michigan.

After a run to a nearby grocery store, we drove around the city to get our bearings for the next day when we planned to take the ferry over to Mackinac Island.

Chris and Kathy under the 5-mile long Mackinac Bridge