A Boating Adventure (With Some Nice Surprises!) - Mackinac Island - Part 3

 

Thank you for reading Parts 1 and 2 of my Mackinac Island posts. If you missed them, here are the links so you can catch up. 

Part 1: https://katiekolbergmemmel.blogspot.com/2021/08/a-boating-adventure-mackinac-island.html

Part 2: https://katiekolbergmemmel.blogspot.com/2021/08/a-boating-adventure-with-some.html

Now you’re ready for Part 3…

Beautiful distant view of the Steeple at St. Anne's Catholic Church

Last I wrote, I mentioned wanting to go back up to Fort Mackinac to see what life had been like for the military and their families, as far back as the late 1700’s and early 1800’s. My challenge was that it was waaaay up on a bluff, and I thought that the climb might kill me (ok, that’s a little overly dramatic, but you know what I’m saying).

Interestingly enough, after my shower the next morning, I saw a woman walking ahead of me on the dock, using a cane. It was pretty early, and she was in the marina, so I figured she was probably a boater. I decided to catch up to her, and take a chance by asking her a few questions. She looked to be around my age, so I said, “Hi there… do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?” She said she didn’t mind, so I proceeded. “I’ve been having some pain in my legs, and I see that you are using a cane. Are you a boater, and if so, how does it work for you, having leg issues?” She explained that many years ago, she’d been diagnosed with MS. On hearing that news, her husband told her "If you have MS, I have MS. We’ll figure things out together." By this point, I was already teary, but she continued. She pointed out their boat, which was quite large. She explained that they both have jobs that they can work from remote locations. They sold their house, their cars, and are in the middle of boating “The Great Loop”. (That is a trip boaters often discuss. It takes you south through the Illinois River to where it meets the Mississippi, then south and into the Gulf of Mexico, across to Florida, then up along the East Coast, through the St. Lawrence Seaway, and back to the Great Lakes, whatever your home port. They were presently on Day 65). She explained that even though she walks slowly, she fully participates with the boat and all that needs doing. She was on her way to breakfast, so I thanked her and wished her well as she walked to the nearby restaurant. She had no idea how her story enhanced my day. 

Todd and I had seen an island advertisement for a “Taxi Service” that would take visitors wherever they wanted to go. He called and asked for one to meet us in front of the marina, and they said they’d be there in 15 minutes. Perfect! The horse-drawn taxi paraded up to us right on time. I asked our driver what it would cost for her to take us up to the fort. She answered, “Seven dollars per person.” Wow, fourteen dollars( plus a good tip, of course…) She had no idea how this low price for this simple ride would carry us through this day. I brought my cane this time, and used it to climb up into the carriage. She drove us back up past the Grand Hotel, and past the farm where we’d stopped the day before. She chatted with us all the way, and answered some of our questions, much more personal than our ride the previous day. It was just the three of us, out enjoying the quiet morning - our own private tour, really! After about 30 minutes, we reached the fort and feeling relaxed, I felt ready to start our day there. 

We bought tickets to go in, and as we paid, the ladies in front of us asked if we’d ever been there before. I said, “No, it’s our first time.” They said, “You must MUST eat lunch at the restaurant!” Restaurant? We had no idea there was a restaurant. We nodded and said we’d look into it. Todd and I walked around for a while, taking in how the fort dwellers lived years ago – medical facilities, the kids' school rooms, their living rooms, kitchens, even bathrooms! There was also a jail cell, ready for anyone disobeying fort laws. 

About mid-way through our walk, we found the restaurant – a long, narrow pathway, filled with umbrella tables, boasting one of the most beautiful views you can imagine. We looked at each other and nodded, The ladies were right… we need to eat here! We asked for a table for two, and the hostess led us to the middle of the tables, with the perfect view overlooking the water. Our waiter was so kind, he took the picture you see here, even encouraged us to hold hands ;)  It was fun. The food was delicious, and I must say that this little trip up to the fort was probably my favorite activity we did on vacation. No kidding. It was so unexpected and so special. A day I’ll never forget. 

After lunch, we finished walking around, then began our slow steep descent back to town. There were folks walking up the pathway, and we encouraged them to keep going. Little did they know we’d taken a taxi up… As part of our admission that day, we could get into a few attractions back in town for free. We stopped at the blacksmith shop and watched him work. As a Sheet Metal Worker, Todd enjoys watching that process. We also shopped around in a few stores, and found our yearly Christmas ornament. (We like to get one from each new place we go.) By the time we got back to the boats it was after 3:30. Everyone was going to dinner together at 5:00, so our taxi ride and fort tour had taken up our whole day. I was pretty tired, so I embraced that hour to simply sit down for a while, which felt good.

One of the restaurant owners in town had given his business card to our friend, promising that if we could eat an early dinner, he’d be able to get our whole party in to sit together. That’s not an offer our group gets very often, especially for a Friday night! (And especially since we had 15, total!) But everything was ready for us when we arrived. I don’t say this very often, but everything was delicious! Some ordered appetizers, some ordered special drinks, and all ordered dinners (including large fish fries, which we, Wisconsinites, love!). It was all so good. Mostly, I enjoyed sitting back, watching everyone eating, drinking and laughing together. Good for the soul! 

We walked back to the boats, where some of the women wanted to go for a bike ride.  One family decided to do the “Haunted Mackinac Walking Tour”. While that idea intrigued me, things like that also kind of scare me. Is that funny? I mean, years ago, I read Stephen King on a regular basis. Amityville Horror? No problem! Nothing about any of that bothered me. But…as I’ve gotten older (and wiser?) I’m not so sure about some of that anymore. Let’s just say I leave it for others to “enjoy” and Todd and I do other things. For example, the remaining group walked to the end of Main Street and saw the bridge all lit up in the dark. I took some pictures, but they don’t do the scene justice. It was much prettier in person. When we got back, we were just about ready to turn in for the night when our friends returned from their haunted tour. I won’t give you all the details because some day you might want to visit for yourselves, BUT I will give one.  Many many moons ago, when those who lived at “the fort” needed to grow food, bones from the burial ground were unearthed, and supposedly tossed into the water… yes, the water (the marina) in which we’d been staying. Yikes! I’m not sure I wanted (or needed) to know such a detail. Let’s just say it was running through my mind that night as I fell, rather tried to fall, asleep. Twilight Zone music plays… 

ANYway, it rained that night, and most of the next morning. Around noon, the sky looked a bit brighter, so Todd and I ventured out from our boat, and walked into town. We’d heard about a very small restaurant that’s difficult to get into because it’s so popular. “The Chuckwagon” was not as busy as predicted, probably because it had been raining, and people didn’t want to wait outside on the sidewalk to get in. All of the tables were taken except one table-for-two. Perfect! That’s all we need! We’d heard that the burgers are second-to-none, so we ordered a couple of diet Cokes, a cheeseburger, and fries to share. It was fun to sit there, enjoying “the joint’s” atmosphere – very narrow, like a small New York diner; a lunch counter, behind which the cooks worked fast and furiously, producing their magic. Maybe ten tables in all…? It operated like a well-oiled machine. I was so excited we got that opportunity. Afterward, we walked around, did a little shopping, and even stopped to get a beer. All that exercise can make a girl thirsty, am I right? 

When we’re on vacation, we don’t always go to church; mostly, we watch a service online. But our friends had decided to walk a block down, and attend Saturday mass at St. Anne’s – the oldest church on the island. It sounded like an opportunity too awesome to miss, so we asked if we could tag along. It had been remodeled (probably many times) but still had very old features, such as narrow wooden pews and kneelers. The priest hailed from Ghana, and I loved listening to him read Jesus’ words with his beautiful accent. There was no piano or organ, so we simply sang “How Great Thou Art” unaccompanied. We are not Catholic, but Todd was raised with that background. It’s amazing to me that no matter where you attend Catholic church, whether for a Sunday, a wedding, or a funeral; the format - the liturgies and the responses - are always the same. Todd picked up as though he’d never left. Fascinating… 

After church, four of us decided to go out to dinner for our last night on the island. We picked “The Pink Pony” which had a good reputation for excellent food. We checked in, and found out we’d have to wait an hour. Conveniently, there were four open seats at the bar. From our perch, the bay and marina were right there for our viewing pleasure. With good conversation, time flew by quickly and soon we were led to our table for four. Everyone enjoyed their dinners. I’m not kidding. The food we ate in Michigan was so delicious. I’m not sure why that is, but it’s so good! I’d give it an eleven out of ten!  

We got back to the marina around 9:00, just as darkness was settling in. We’d just started chatting with our friends, when all of a sudden, something happened. I didn’t know what at first, but one of our friends sprang up and ran into the action. She saw that a woman had fallen into the water between the boat and the dock (a dangerous place to be). More people began to rush over and started calling out their own ideas... but our friend was already at work. She hopped onto the boat’s swim platform and began calmly talking to the woman, making room for her to come around the back of the boat, offering her hand, and getting the ladder ready, guiding her along to finally climb out. The woman was shook up, but was following our friend’s clear instructions. The woman (with help) was able to get up out of the water, and our friend calmly left the scene, but it had really been something to witness. She doesn’t think she did anything heroic, as "heroes" never do... but I see it differently, and want her to know that her quick response likely made all the difference that night. I’m so glad there are people like her in the world… 

On that note, I’ll stop. I have two more legs of our journey that I want to share with you, but I’ll save it for another post or two. I hope you all have a great week. Talk with you again soon. 

 

Katie Kolberg Memmel is the author of three books: “Five Fingers, Ten Toes – A Mother’s Story of Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference”; “Silly Stories and Sentimental Stuff”; and “From This Day Forward…” All are available in paperback and electronic versions, through Amazon.