A Boating Adventure (with Some Challenges) - Mackinac Island, Part 2

Thank you for reading Part 1 of my Mackinac Island post. If you missed it, here’s the link so you can catch up.  

https://katiekolbergmemmel.blogspot.com/2021/08/a-boating-adventure-mackinac-island.html   Now you’re ready for Part 2:

The view from the "lookout" on our tour - so beautiful!

On the afternoon we arrived in Michigan, the weather felt like perfection. We’d left Wisconsin in the morning to a predicted 90+ degree day, but the further north we traveled, the more the temperature dropped. We were standing on our boat in the marina, staring up at a brand new port-of-call. The sky was blue; we had late-afternoon sun, and 80 degrees. Who could ask for more? 

First, Todd and I got organized. We put up our “camper canvas” for the night (canvas and screens that snap and zip into place, sheltering us from bugs and weather). We plugged in our “shorepower”, (an electrical cord which connects our boat to electricity on land. It provides us the ability to use our refrigerator, microwave, outlets, lights, etc.) After trailering almost 400 miles, the boat could probably have used a good washing; instead, we poured ourselves a drink and headed down the dock to converse with our friends. A little dirt could wait, right? We all had stories to share of our trips thus far. Priorities!

As we chatted, one of our friends leaned over, and knowing that Todd and I had never visited the island before, shared a few special memories of times he’d spent there in the past. He said that when he was young his parents had brought him there for a vacation, and that through the years, he’d come to think of Mackinac Island as his “happy place”, his “Disney World”. His comments made me smile. I was glad he told me those things because it made me view the vacation differently somehow. Knowing how beloved a place it was/is for others, created a need in me to see it all for myself. 

Even with all of the tourists who ferry out to Mackinac Island, it’s still a quiet town. No motorized vehicles are allowed -- no cars, no motorcycles, no trains. Golf carts are allowed on the golf courses, but cannot be driven elsewhere. History says that back in 1898 (yes, you’re reading that date correctly), a car engine backfired and scared some of the horses. After that, a law was made that no motorized vehicles would be allowed on the island. In 2021, that law still stands. With no gas-powered or electric taxis or buses, it’s interesting to watch visitors who are staying over night roll their suitcases down the sidewalks toward their lodging locations. Some have their baggage transported to hotels by bellmen on bicycles, who somehow stack and pile the bags, holding them as they ride. These crazy drivers reminded me of Dr. Seuss characters … can you picture? Anyway, the only real sounds you hear on the island are the clippity-clop of the horses’ hooves, the occasional barking dog, or ringing bicycle bells. From high above the town, Fort Mackinac uses recordings of Reveille and TAPS to begin and end the days. They also shoot off cannons a few times each day, to demonstrate what it was like during the War of 1812. Mostly, you hear the voices of people talking, laughing… vacationing. Believe me, it’s easy to get used to!

Everyone ate dinner in their boats that night, and then we made our first hike into town (only a block or two from the marina). It resembled other touristy bergs we’ve visited. Of course there were bars and restaurants, T-shirt and souvenir shops, places to rent bicycles… but what stood out to me the most, was the overwhelming smell of popcorn, candy, and fudge. Often it was plain chocolate, but we also experienced mint, vanilla, and caramel. Workers poured the warm fudge out to cool onto long marble tables. They work it and toss it, shoveling it, fashioning it into long strips, which they then cut into slabs and store in their display cases. Maybe it’s fun for them when large groups of tourists (like us) stop to watch their process. Some of the fudge-makers get fancy with their maneuvers; busting out into dance moves while flipping the fudge with such skill, nothing fell to the ground. They looked like they were having fun. We were! 

Main Street’s shops were closing down, and it was dark when we got back to the marina. Our group stopped to talk, but it wasn’t long until we felt some rain drops falling. Everyone said good-night, and headed back to their boats. I really love it when it rains at night on the boat, especially lightly so that we can hear the rain plop against the fiberglass, yet we can still keep our windows open. That night was a perfect combination, and we fell asleep feeling tired and satisfied. 

Todd and I usually get up around the same time in the morning, and head to the showers. (Marinas usually have restrooms and showers for their patrons. We do have a bathroom in our boat, but our general rule-of-thumb is that it’s mostly for night-time or emergency use.) Whoever arrives back to the boat first, starts the coffee and gets our mugs ready. As we sip our brew, we look out and enjoy the view from the back of our boat. Whether the sun is rising or rain is falling, we breathe deep and simply enjoy the quiet. Before you know it, the marina comes to life and the new day takes shape. People start walking around, talking, washing their boats, cooking their breakfasts (often, the smell of frying bacon will get your stomach a-growlin’). Honestly, mornings are one of my favorite parts of a boat trip.

Most of our friends had decided to meet up at 9:30 a.m. for a bike ride around the island. It’s usually an eight-mile trek, but parts of the path were under construction due to flooding, so the route was modified and included many more hills. Most had brought their own bikes from home, and placed this activity as a priority, a main attraction, for their days. But… something I haven’t shared much about is that I’ve been having some trouble walking. Back in 2018, I found out I have arthritis in my right knee and my left hip, which obviously affects both my right and left sides. This makes my legs hurt like h*ck, and sometimes feel weak. The medication I was on interfered with my stomach, so I needed to stop taking it. I’m “okay” when I’m at home, but I was unsure how a vacation of this nature might take shape. With all of the walking, I felt quite challenged. My ability to “get around” was going to take some creativity. 

While I didn’t foresee myself riding up and down major hills, I did think that biking could be an answer to my “not walking”. We decided to check out how renting a bike might work. Conveniently, there was a rental station directly across from the marina, so Todd and I went over to see the fees. I want to point out that I had not ridden a bicycle since (I believe) 1998. I knew it might be a challenge, but was willing to try. You could rent bicycles-built-for-two (which have weight limits). They had adult tricycles (Hmmm…) They had professional bikes with 20-some speeds. They had bikes with tires as fat as my hand is wide! In the end, we settled for a couple of traditional-looking models with five speeds. My water bottle fit nicely into the basket they provided. The bikes would cost $12.00/hour each, and you didn’t have to commit to a time frame, rather they’d pro-rate the hours as you spent time riding. Sounds reasonable! 

There were a lot (a LOT) of people out riding bikes on the road that day, my friends. After some weebling and a little wobbling, I started to pedal pretty well. Todd is the kind of guy who follows behind a group so that he can make sure things are in order. From his vantage point, he began shouting out shifting instructions, to make my ride “easier”. I was concentrating on trying to shift with my right hand, when from my left side, some of our friends whizzed past, asking how we were doing. While trying to call out over my shoulder, I lost my balance and my bike veered off the road, almost into a garden. Thank goodness there was a low fence that caught my front tire enough to slow me down. I didn’t fall, which could have been catastrophic. I was able to re-group; I ran my hand through my hair, and acted as though I’d meant to stop that way. Doesn’t everyone stop that way? Up ahead, I saw that the road began to narrow. I decided that for me, at that important biking juncture, “wide” would be better than “narrow”. We stopped at a beautiful beach, then turned around and headed back to town. We passed by the bike rental station like pros, and I headed towards the main drag. Things were going well! My bike was back in a comfortable gear, and I was holding steady.

The street was very busy with horse-drawn carriages, bicycles dodging in and out, and shoppers jay-walking. Now, I’ve got to ask you… what are some people thinking when they step from the safety of the curb, eyes down, studying their phones, and step directly into the path of a middle-aged woman riding a bike for the first time in 20-plus years? Wow! Note to self: Don’t ever do that. Yes, it racked my nerves, BUT I did okay. I kept going. I had to brake a few times, and catch myself with my feet, but overall, I pedaled all the way down Main, and rounded the corner. We stopped at a grassy area when we caught sight of the bridge. Wow, the morning had felt like an accomplishment, no kidding! No kidding at all. Success! Feeling satisfied, we pedaled back through town and returned our bikes. 

For our afternoon, we decided to book a horse-drawn carriage tour. We found out there were a variety of choices such as smaller private tours, or rides where you are your own driver (no, thank you). But having never been there before, I wanted to have a guide tell us all about the island. Though we shared our tour with other visitors, I feel we got a lot of bang for our buck (or $60, actually). We left Main Street, then clip-clopped up the next street, which was more representative of the town’s business – post office, doctor’s office, police/fire, etc. The driver took us past the Grand Hotel, which is lovely with its manicured green lawn and hedges, colorful gardens, and bright white porch and exterior. From there, we were shown the farm where some of the horses are kept. We got off the carriage there, and were able to walk around and browse the blacksmith shop, old restored carriages, and the barns. 

When ready, we got onto another tour which continued through the Mackinac National Forest (second national park after Yellowstone). Our second driver had that little extra “something” that really good tour guides have – humor! He showed us the cemeteries on the island and how, even in death, the Catholics and the Protestants are separated. Silly. He stopped and let us out at a beautiful lookout point so we could take pictures, then completed our tour by dropping us off at the very top of the hill near “Fort Mackinac”. The horses cannot walk down a steep incline like that, so he’d wind down another way. I’m sure we could have stayed with him if needed, but everyone else disembarked, so we did too. Though we could see our boat from the top of the hill, it was going to be quite a feat for me to walk down that steep pathway. It would have been a great location for a zip line! Perhaps a business idea for the future? Anyway, for that particular day, we’d simply need to walk slowly and take our time.

Just a short walk down... Yikes! Zip-line anyone?

The fact that the horses stopped by the fort gave me hope for a future visit there. I’d seen the place from the marina on day one, but thought there was no way I’d be able to climb the hill. We’d definitely have to figure that idea out for another of our days! Everyone began to gather at the marina picnic tables, and talk about their days. Our tour had lasted about 2 ½ hours. Some of our friends had done similar activities, but theirs lasted only about 90 minutes, so overall, ours had been a good value. Time would tell what kinds of fun tomorrow would bring …

 

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.

 

#boatinglife #MackinacIsland