Mackinac Day 2

Horses making deliveries from the docks to the stores

 I need to stay on top of this--my vacation is feeling more and more like a distant memory.  Day 2 of our Mackinac Island vacation was a physical one--according to my Fit Bit we walked almost 18 miles!

 After breakfast we headed up the hill for a hike at the state park.  There are over 70 miles of trails and they are very well maintained.  Since bike riding is so popular on the island, most of the hiking trails are paved and all are very well marked.  We picked up a map from downtown and made our way through the woods.  The weather, the air, and the scenery were all phenomenal.

Sugar Loaf Rock

 After getting up the big hill the terrain was mostly flat and we hiked 5 miles by 10 AM.  It was a great morning.  Rick wanted to see Sugar Loaf Rock and we went by the Arch Rock again.  We then walked down the eastern bluff of the island to take in the multi-million dollar homes.  I took a picture of almost every one.  They were so beautiful.

According to the sign, the island doctor lived here

A view of downtown from the east bluff

The garbage collectors

 We finished our morning hike at Fort Mackinac.  The fort itself is relatively small but very well maintained.  While I don't love military history, this was pretty well done and nicely laid out.  I was very impressed with the raising of the garrison flag.

 The Boy Scouts have a special relationship with the island and maintaining its history; a troop is selected each week to live in the barracks and present the colors at the fort as well as provide historical information to the visitors both at the fort and at the other historical sites around town.  You could tell they were very proud to be there.

 Historical interpreters fired off cannons and rifles several times during the day.  Rick was very interested in watching the demonstrations.  They have reduced the loads on the cannons so as not to scare the horses, but they were still very loud!

The Fort

The park below the Fort

 After the Fort we continued our walk down the hill and swung by the Grand Hotel.  If you are not a guest, there is a $10 fee to walk on the grounds.  We paid it and wandered around the lobby and large porch, but didn't venture much in the gardens.  It certainly was an ornate hotel, but also very expensive and seemed to have an older guest clientele.  The ice cream parlor was delicious!

 Working our way further down the hill, we stopped at a livery and rented a horse carriage.  I have always wanted to learn to drive a horse and cart, and there was a place where you could rent one by the hour!  I was amazed that with the little background information I had provided they handed me the reins and said, "Have fun!"  Our horse, Frieda, was a little lazy on the route out, but picked up her pace when she realized she was headed home.  I'd like to think I was a good driver given my horse background and I gathered her quickly after she was startled by a golfer.  We took her on a route around the island that we had not seen yet and then back through the woods, near the airport, and through the village where there were more sensible homes.  We definitely saw things we hadn't seen in our other adventures around the island, but it did get a little long.  But it was fun and I checked that off my bucket list.  Thanks to Rick for trusting me and riding along!

Our hotel- Main Street Inn

After all that walking and sight-seeing, we took a little nap, had a nice meal, and went out for drinks.  Once the last ferry leaves for the day at 6 PM, it felt like we had the island to ourselves and we found ourselves talking to locals in the evenings.  It was so relaxing.  Despite all that we did that second day, I still felt relaxed.  Such a magical place.