Mackinaw Island 2012

The highlight of our Northern Michigan adventure is always the trip to Mackinaw Island. Arriving at the island on the earliest ferry is our general routine, by 8:30am we are deep in the State park where we visit Skull Cave, the 3 graveyards, and Arch rock. There are many other great spots on the island but these three we always do first, then go and search the island for other adventure.

After spending the morning in the woods we then move toward the city for lunch. This year there was a tour of the Governors mansion which we attended so now we can say we were inside the Governors mansion, if only for a few minutes. After shopping for a bit James and I went through the haunted house and Mary shopped for T-shirts. On the boat ride home we sat on the upper level and enjoyed the high speed “breeze” created by the boat and the beautiful day.
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Edited: June 6th, 2012

Mackinaw City 2012

James had a blast at Mackinaw City, perhaps his favorite is throwing rocks into Lake Huron right underneath the bridge, especially at night. We made sure to make time for his activity and also took him to Mackinaw Crossings earlier in the evening to shop for toys. Other activities he enjoyed were two trips over the Mackinaw bridge, which is the largest suspension bridge in the Western hemisphere (I think, people keep making newer and bigger bridges each year). It spans 5 miles between the lower and upper peninsula’s which is a larger span than the Golden Gate bridge. This time we tried to get some pics crossing the bridge as Mom worked the camera while Dad drove. As in past years, we ended the visit with a trip to Mackinaw Island and a visit to Sea Shell City.
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Edited: June 6th, 2012

Deer Ranch 2012

The first stop after we crossed the bridge was the Deer Ranch in St Ignace. They just had a few new fawns and you can see some of them in the pics. James got both carrots and crackers for the deers this year and made some of the deers a cracker sandwich with a carrot in the middle. This year none of the albino deers came up for food, only the brown normal colored deers did, which was just fine with James.

While Dad and James were out feeding the deers, Mom was shopping for souvenir shirts for everyone. James got a Deer Ranch sweater which he wore on the Soo Lock boat tour. James enjoyed running around outside and the deers would run along side with him. He said that was his favorite part of the Deer Ranch this year, even more so than feeding the deers.
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Edited: June 5th, 2012

Mackinaw Winter 2011

I had to attend a safety meeting at one of our customers up North, so we checked the weather, called the school and kept James out a day, and took him on a quick up North trip to see the Straights of Mackinaw frozen in winter.

I had been up here before in the winter, usually January or February, but I think this was a first for the family being up here, even though it was only for a little while. For the most part, everything was closed except for the souvenir shops outside the Fort, (a couple restaurants, and the Holiday Inn Express were also open). We did not cross the bridge because of the high winds and lack of time but I think James understands why we go up North in the summer and not the winter. (more…)

Edited: March 12th, 2011

St Ignace Deer Ranch 2010

On our way back from Mackinaw Island we realized that outdoor activities were really going to be curtailed due to the oncoming storms so we grabbed a quick bite to eat, hopped in the car, skipped past the high wind escort on the bridge, and got James to the deer ranch. James certainly remembered it from past years because when he went in he did not say hi to the teller but instead said “crackers please”.

The cost for going through the deer ranch is $5 per person plus carrots and crackers (we got a dollars worth which was plenty) so for a relatively low cost James had a lot of fun. About the time he finished, the first drops of rain were hitting St. Ignace so we got out of there just in time.
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Edited: September 4th, 2010

Mackinaw Island City 2010

One of the best main streets in all of the United States. Complete with the famouse fudge shops, haunted houses, magic shops, carriage tours, and tons of souvenir shops. James insisted on another ice cream cone so he could keep up his energy, Mom went browsing for new clothes, and Dad checked out the haunted house and magic shops on main street.

Something new we found was a Haunted Mackinaw Island Tour, which we did not go on but we put on the schedule for next year. James did very well this day and was rewarded with a couple toys, a megaphone that changes your voice (It reminded me of one his Grandpa had in Michigan), and a mouse game where you “bop” the mouse with a rubber mallet and the computer tells you how well you did.
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Edited: September 4th, 2010

Macinaw Island State Park 2010

Each year we travel through the State Park and always find something new along with old reliable sites (like the arch rock). This year there were several first’s. James went for the first time without a wagon so he had to do all the walking by himself. Another first was going up a stairway we found in the woods that took you to the highest elevation point on the island, the pictures really don’t do it justice.

We stopped at the little rest area which is North of the Grand Hotel as we were exiting the State Park. James always gets an ice cream and Mary has a chance to check out some of the souvenir shops there. In the center is the collection of horse drawn vehicles including the hearse (which they still use when someone dies).

The key to a successful day at Mackinaw Island is to get there early, before the crowds. This year we did very well at avoiding the crowds and the weather held off for us till we were finished. The boat ride home is when the weather made a turn for the worse but our day was already complete by then.
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Edited: September 4th, 2010

Mackinaw Island Cemetery 2010

There are 3 main cemeteries on Mackinaw Island and each year we visited all three since they are right next to each other. There is a Protestant cemetery, a Catholic cemetery, and a Military Cemetery. Each has its own atmosphere with burial sites dating back well over a century ago (1835 is the oldest we found). To be buried on the island you need to either have been born there or own property there.

One fascinating bit of history is the Military Post Cemetery. It is one of only 5 locations where the American flag is flown at half mast every day. The other 4 places you may have heard about, they are Arlington, Pearl Harbor, Gettysburg, and Normundy France.

A bit creepy we admit, but an annual stop on our visit to Mackinaw Island State Park.
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Edited: September 3rd, 2010

Boat Ride to Mackinaw Island 2010

The Mackinaw bridge connects Michigans lower peninsula with its upper peninsula. Many think it goes to Mackinaw island which is not true and also would be silly since automobiles are not allowed on the island. If you want to go to Mackinaw island you have to take a boat ride over. The price for round trip varies throughout the season but can be as high as $24 per person depending on what time in the season you are visiting. However the boat rides are a blast and James thinks they are the best part of the trip. The boats are fast and they give you a great view of Mackinaw Island and the Mackinaw bridge.

Each year the boat ride is a little different and this year was no exception. High winds created waves 5-8′ high and the boat was bouncing around like a carnival ride. James loved every minute of it, especially the high water splattering on the windows of the boat.
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Edited: September 3rd, 2010

Mackinaw City 2010

With only 2 days of rest since the Nashville trip our vacation continued with our annual visit to Mackinaw. On the way up North we stopped off and visited Aunt Criss at her work (which is about the half way point to Mackinaw). James and Aunt Criss had not seen each other in quite some time but got along great and James came away with some candy to help him on his journey North.

The weather forecast for the next few days called for rain on and off, but we were very lucky because whenever we were inside it seemed to rain, whenever we were outside the weather was fine. Mom found a bunch of good deals on t shirts (Mom no longer fit into her older Mackinaw T shirts so Dad inherited them). As usual we spent a good amount of time at the Mackinaw Crossings which is fast becoming a sort of board walk for tourist with fun houses, movie theatres, and some virtual rides along with about fifty or so souvenir and specialty shops (aka Tourist Traps).

The last night of our trip the winds were so strong they knocked out the power in the hotel and half the city, the final couple pics were taken in gale like winds.
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Edited: September 3rd, 2010