Mom Trip Wrap Up - Part Two

Monday, October 6 - Today we got up and took the ferry over to Mackinac Island, but before we headed to the ferry station and while I packed our luggage into the car, mom ran back over to the restaurant where we had dinner and left a little bit of dad there (did I mention that we had some of his ashes with us with the intention of leaving some at various places?). Well, there was a small hand-made, wooden boat in front of the restaurant that on a different trip dad ended up getting into a long discussion with the guy that built the boat, so mom and I thought it would be appropriate to leave dad there.

The ferry ride was a pretty decent trip although a little chilly. For these Texas gals, those morning temps of upper 30s and low 40s were quite bracing. The first thing that we did after arriving at the island was to stop in this little store and I promptly purchased a stocking cap and the cutest matching fingerless gloves (had to be fingerless so that I could still use my phone camera). We then started touring the island. For those of you unfamiliar with Mackinac Island (pronounced like Mackinaw), this is a quaint, exclusive island with beautiful homes and a fort and The Grand Hotel (and it is so fancy that if you aren't staying there you can only go so far onto the grounds without them shooing you away...no gawkers here and if you ARE staying there, in the evening women have to wear dresses and men have to wear suit jackets). There are also no motorized vehicles on the island. All transportation is via bicycle, horse-drawn carriage, or your own two feet...we opted for the last. It really is a beautiful place and I think it would be lovely to go and stay at one of the (not The Grand) hotels or B&Bs that are located all over the place and really take some time to explore the island, but that wasn't our option for today so we just did our sight seeing and then caught a late afternoon ferry back to the mainland then drove down to Traverse City, where our next overnight stop was. 

Here is a shot of the Main Street on the island. 

This is The Grand Hotel from a distance.

This is as close as we could get to the hotel before we were yelled at. The porch there where the yellow awnings are contains the longest porch with a ton of rockers that people who are guests have the privilege of sitting on all day and staring off across the water of Lake Michigan. 

A view from down at the water level. 

Another of the hotels that might be a little more affordable and closer to the actual water. 

A shot across the port as we waited for the ferry to take us back. 

I did get to see a HUGE flock of Canadian geese sitting up near the fort preparing for their migration south as well as a family of otters frolicking in the lake as we ate lunch.

It was a really nice, peaceful day spent doing nothing more than walking around and breathing really fresh air and just taking in a local that provides a peak into a bygone era.

The drive down to Traverse City was pretty uneventful. We got to the hotel and were really too tired, and too lazy, to want to go and find a place to sit down for dinner, so we opted to just order some pizza and have it delivered to the room....and then it was off to sleep as we had lots planned for the next day and many miles to cover....