Plans change! In late September we were getting ready to go to Iowa for a FROG (Forest River Owners Group) October-fest rally at the Amana Colonies. A call from Mike’s brother, Bob, had us changing the destination in the GPS to 45.8160 degrees north, 84.7270 degrees west – the Mackinac Bridge – where the Straits of Mackinac connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Due to a family situation, we were asked to host the FROG rally in Michigan which Bob and sister-in-law Cindy had planned. We decided to head north a couple of days early to check out the campground and the restaurants and venues that were booked for the rally participants.
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| Checking in at Mackinac Mill Creek Campground on our arrival in Mackinaw City |
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| Our campsite was right on the shore of Lake Huron |
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| The sites were very well screened from one another |
We drove up through Illinois, turned east just before we reached Chicago, cut through the northwest corner of Indiana and entered Michigan. Just north of Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, the leaves had fully turned, and with the sun shining brightly in a cloudless sky, the fall colors were spectacular. The 85 degree, gorgeous fall day certainly held the promise of a spectacular rally week. Well…..within a couple of days, a cold front moved through the area, bringing rain, more rain, still more rain, and a noticeable drop in temperature. Luckily, the rally participants, 54 RV’ers from all over the Midwest, were good sports and didn’t let a few downpours dampen their spirits. Bundled up in new water-repellant coats in a rainbow of colors (Mackinac Outfitters was having a sale!) they very much enjoyed the week.
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| Gorgeous fall colors as we drove north through Michigan |
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| More evidence that "fall" was coming to Michigan |
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| Apparently the State of Michigan thought they had to add more color to Mother Nature's spectacular display, so they added this orange barrel |
The French controlled Fort Michilimackinac until 1761. Following their defeat in the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the French relinquished the fort, along with substantial territory in Canada and in what would later become the United States, to the British. During the American Revolution, the British, feeling the fort was vulnerable to American attack, decided to relocate to nearby Mackinac Island, where they built a new fort. When the new fort was completed, the British burned the old fort.
Almost sixty years of archeological excavation, which continues to this day, has yielded a treasure trove of artifacts and given a nearly complete picture of life in old Fort Michilimackinac. Today the fort is a National Historic Landmark. Visitors can experience life in the mid-eighteenth century by walking through more than a dozen restored buildings, each with a detailed history of the building and the men and women who lived and worked there. Costumed re-enactors demonstrate everything from bread-baking to rapidly loading and firing their muskets. We found Fort Michilimackinac very interesting, but did not take many pictures. It was raining very hard the day we visited, and after ruining one very expensive camera in the spray from Victoria Falls earlier this year, we didn’t want to take any chances with its equally-expensive replacement.
Near the fort is the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, which has helped ships navigate the Straits of Mackinac since 1889. The light operated for 58 years until the lights of the new Mackinac Bridge made it obsolete in 1957. A “Lake Michigan Circle Tour” offers the possibility of viewing over 100 lighthouses, and the Mackinac Light is one of over 30 lighthouses around the Great Lakes that are within 100 miles of Mackinaw City.
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| The Old Mackinac Point Light, used from 1889 to 1957, with the bridge behind it |
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| The light at the entrance to the Mackinac Island Harbor |
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| The Crib Light, built in 1884, at the entrance to the harbor in Cheboygan, MI |
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| The original Cheboygan lighthouse, with light-keeper's home, is now being restored. The orange panels are "day signals" to aid navigation |
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| The "Mighty Mac" as seen from our campground |
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| Southern approach to the bridge, and the first tower. This view is looking north toward St. Ignace |
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| Crossing the bridge, heading to the Upper Peninsula. The outer lanes are paved, the inner two lanes are open metal mesh. |
Construction on the “Mighty Mac” or the “Big Mac”,
as it is popularly known, began in May of 1954 and was completed in
approximately 3 ½ years, at a cost of $95 million dollars. The bridge opened on November 1, 1957. It was formally dedicated one year later as
the “world’s longest suspension bridge between anchorages.” The bridge’s main span is 3,800 feet, which
makes it the third-longest span in the United States and the 16th
longest suspension span worldwide. At
its mid-point, the bridge deck towers some 200 feet above the surface of the
water. The long lead-ups to the anchorages on the Mackinac make its total
shoreline-to-shoreline length five miles. To accommodate changes in temperature, wind
and weight of traffic, the bridge is engineered to sway as much as 35 feet
(east to west) and on windy days, high-profile vehicles including semi-trailers
and RVs have to be escorted across. All
oversized loads must be escorted across the bridge at all times.Upstairs above Mama Mia’s pizza restaurant in Mackinaw City is a museum dedicated to the bridge and the men who built it. Still photographs, short newsreels filmed during the actual construction, and a 30-minute movie tell the story of “The Bridge That Couldn’t Be Built”, including the fact that only four men perished during the construction. (Statistics show that on large construction projects during that time period, on average of one life was lost for every $1 million in construction cost.)
Though the bridge has been operating for more than fifty years, linking the upper and lower peninsulas of the state, travelers still rely on ferries to carry them across the straits to step back into a more serene time as they visit Mackinac Island. No motorized vehicles are permitted on the island; travel is on foot, by bicycle or by horse and carriage (or horse and wagon, for commercial enterprises.) During the peak tourist seasons, more than 500 horses are stabled and used on the island; in late fall, most are taken off the island by ferry to St. Ignace and stabled in the U.P. for the winter.
A 20-minute ride on the “fast ferry” from Mackinaw City and the vessel glides gracefully into port on the island. Glance up above the bustle of Main Street and your eye is immediately drawn to two large edifices that dominate the horizon: Fort Mackinac and the Grand Hotel.
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| The "fast ferry", for passengers only, makes the crossing to the island in 20 minutes. |
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| The ferry enters the harbor, passing the Mackinac Island light |
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| Ft. Mackinac dominates the skyline above the village as the ferry docks |
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| To the left of the fort stands the imposing Grand Hotel |
Fort Mackinac was established by the British during the American Revolutionary War to control the Straits of Mackinac. The British did not relinquish the fort until fifteen years after the war. During the 19th century it was an outpost for the U.S. Army. Today it is a museum on the grounds of Mackinac State Park. Informative historical information can be gleaned from annotated tableaus in the various buildings comprising the fort. One can enjoy beautiful vistas from the fort walls, and can imagine the commanding position that the fort provided over vessels traversing the strait.
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| View of the harbor from Ft. Mackinac with Round Island and Lake Huron in the distance, |
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| Some of the restored building in Ft. Mackinac |
The other major edifice dominating the island is the Grand Hotel. The Grand Hotel opened its doors to eager vacationers in 1887. The 660 foot porch that stretches across the entire front façade is the world’s largest front porch. The hotel boasts 386 guest rooms, and no two rooms are identical. The Grand Hotel has been the setting for two films. In 1947 Jimmy Durante and Esther Williams starred in “This Time for Keeps” and the hotel’s indoor pool was constructed for this film, to showcase Esther Williams’ synchronous swimming. The popular film “Somewhere in Time”, produced in 1980 and starring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Plummer, became a cult classic spawning its own fan club that still meets at the Grand Hotel each year. If you aren’t a guest you can still enjoy a sumptuous buffet lunch, high tea, or an elegant dinner. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named the Grand Hotel as one of a Dozen Distinctive Destinations.
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| The Grand Hotel as you approach it by carriage |
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| Portico and front steps of the Grand Hotel |
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| The world's longest front porch, at 660 feet long |
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| During the high season, approximately 500 horses work on the island. In late September most are taken off the island by ferry to a farm near St. Ignace where they spend the winter. |
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| The lobby of the Grand Hotel |
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| The lobby with hallway leading to the dining room |
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| The theatre in the Grand Hotel |
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| The theater lobby just outside of the theatre |
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| The porch as seen from the street |
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| Horses and carriage on a rainy day with the Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum in the background. |
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| Since travel is only by carriage, on foot or by bike, there are many bicycle rental businesses on the island. This one is right on the pier where the ferrys dock |
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| St. Anne Catholic Church serves the nearly 600 permanent residents of Mackinac Island |
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| A horse-drawn wagon carrying supplies passes a bed and breakfast near the harbor |
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| Main Street almost deserted in the rain. During the peak tourist season this street is very crowded as a million visitors a year crowd Mackinac Island |
Whether viewing the brilliant color of fall leaves, admiring the engineering feat that is the Mackinac Bridge, or enjoying a carriage ride on the island, upper Michigan has lots to offer.
Plans change, and each change brings with it new and exciting Road Stories.
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