Mackinac Island at last

When we started out on our trip, it seemed a little daunting. Taking a carful of kids close to 2,000 miles to see Mackinac Island. It took several long days of driving and a couple of hissy fits but we are here. I have to say it is a must see even for the most seasoned traveler. The weather has cooled considerably now we are near the Canadian border. The heat wave of 2012 is still baking the heartland but we are well north of it now. Don't get me wrong, they are complaining of their 90 degree plus days and there is air conditioning, but not all air conditioning is created equal.

We wake up to the sound of rain. Really. We have vacationing to do. We do not have time for rain. Melissa and I decide to sleep in a bit because it is still dark. Since she is a self-proclaimed weather junkie, she has one eye on the iphone weather app watching the bands of green wrap around us. I sense this and decide to get up. We are not terribly optimistic at this point as we try to plan our day in the bathroom so we won't wake up the kids. Melissa and I decide to herd the kids down to the complimentary hot breakfast and wait it out. Well everyone decided to do the same thing. The place is packed, I leave one kid in the make your own waffle line while I get cereal for the rest. My middle child usually gets the job done. Sure enough he heads back to the table with his first waffle. He got a little burned but the nice ladies working the breakfast bar got him a bag of ice. We make it though breakfast and head over to the St. Ignace Chamber of Commerce where I have to pick up my tickets. The very nice lady working the desk tells me I am pronouncing St. Ignace wrong. In my defense, it sounds much prettier when I pronouce it with a French flair. I purchased the Mackinac Island Experience Package in advance for our day on the island. It includes a round trip ferry ticket, all of the transportation on the island and entrance fees to the state park, butterfly conservatory and The Grand Hotel. It is $60 for adults and $28.25 for children 5 to 12. My youngest is free. It sounds a little pricey but not after you add it all up. Mackinac Island is an island, everything has to be brought in by ferry. So just be prepared for higher prices.

Our first stop is Shepler's Ferry. It is right across the street from the Chamber of Commerce office. We arrive at the rather large parking lot, remember no cars allowed on the island. They advertise the fastest, friendliest service for over 50 years. A few minutes later, after the mandatory restroom break, we board

our ferry. I have ridden ferries before and was expecting a slow, leisurely ride to the island. No Way! Shepler's uses twin engine 150 passenger ferries. The captain announces that we will be on the island in 16 minutes. What! Really? Really, it is like riding in a giant speed boat. The kids love it. This is our third boat ride since leaving home. The paddleboat on the Mississippi River fell flat, the schooner on Lake Michigan was a little better. I have to admit this ferry is fast and fun. On schedule, we arrive at the docks on Mackinac Island 15 minutes later.

"Hey, Mom can we ride the ferry again?" chime the carful of kids.

"Yea, sure that's how we get back the mainland. Hey look over there. I see buggies and horses!" I point to Main Street.

The first thing you see is the horse-drawn carriages clopping down the street. The second thing you notice is the evidence of having horse-drawn carriages clopping down the street. The weather has cleared since the showers earlier that morning but the puddles left on the island have a yellow hue to them.

"Hey kids! Don't walk through the puddles!" I try to tell the boys before they walk through one.

"Why not?" as one of the boys steps square into the puddle.

"Because that is not just rain water, buddy. I think it might be horse pee-pee." I try to explain nonchalantly.

Too late, the carful of kids chant, "Gross!"

That is the reality of life before cars. The puddles are more than just rainwater and the road is riddled with horse manure. They are teams of men with push carts and shovels all over the place but they are 400 horses on the streets moving the masses of tourists. Our first stop is the Mackinac Island Carriage Tours to start our fun-filled day on the island. It was started in 1869 and is the world's largest, oldest, and continually operated horse and buggy livery. You can walk the island but we have just one day to experience it all. This is the way to go. We board our carriage and the carful of kids are thrilled as the team pulls out. The carriage drivers are also tour guides and give us a great introduction to the island. There are many stops on our tour and a hill

that the horses have to climb. So the livery uses two and three horse teams, the same horses work together everyday. The interesting thing is that the horses stand in the same order in the corral as they do when they are in the harness working. We arrive at the Surrey Hill Museum and tour the display the historical carriages. I find this some what interesting but the carful of kids are more interested in the gift shop. The next stop will be more the kids speed.

Down the hill from the carriage museum is the Wings of Mackinac Butterfly Conservatory. The carful of kids love catch butterflies. They have contests it see who can get the most butterflies to land on them. We spend quite a few minutes playing with the butterflies. I try in vain to catch one of the beautiful blue butterflies on my camera. I have a personal writing project about a beautiful blue butterfly that is caught. I really want a photo of one to help inspire me. The butterfly will not be caught on camera.

The carful of kids board another carriage, this time a three horse team to tour the state park and see Arch Rock. It is 146 feet above Lake Huron. Made of limestone, it is rare occurrence to have natural bridge form. The Native Americans gave the sight reverence, the Europeans saw it as a curiosity to visit. We unload from the carriage and climb the stairs to Arch Rock. We don't have a ton of time here, I wanted to spend some more time and the view is unbelievable. I look down to the beach below and wish I could spend some time relaxing in a chair but that will have to wait for another day. In my world

with three active kids, I rarely get moments of total relaxation. The carful of kids load back on the carriage to see the next stop on our tour, Fort Mackinac. Two battles were fought here in the war of 1812. After the war, fur trading was centered here which eventually gave way to commericial fishing. Fort Mackinac was built in

1780 and decommisioned in 1895. It now features daily court martial reenactments among its restored building and costumed tour guides. The reenactment is a little dull for the carful of kids and Melissa and I head for the gift shop. The crowd is snapped out of their doldrums when the cannon is fired. The boys really love the cannon.  While watching the reenactment,  my daughter spots a fellow Girl Scout.  Fort Mackinac is home to Michigan's Honor Scouts. They are part of the Governor's Honor Guard and act as tour guides, perform flag cermonies and stay in the scout barracks that is behind the fort.  The carful of kids decide to move on to the next destination but first we have to wait for the next carriage.

The next must do on Mackinac Island is a visit to The Grand Hotel. It has been on my must see list for years, so I am giddy with anticipation. The Grand Hotel is a Queen Anne Victorian built in 1887 by the Michigan Central Railroad, the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad and the Detroit and Cleveland Steamship Navigation Company. It was designed by architects Mason and Rice. It took just over a year to complete. There are several places in the hotel that reflect the rushed construction. The main staircase slopes and can be disorienting if you are not paying attention. When The Grand Hotel opened, it advertised room rates from $3 to $5 a night. Not the case today, the hotel is on the American plan--meaning that all meals are included in the nightly rate. The facilities include individually decorated rooms and classically designed common rooms. The main attraction is the front porch, which measures 660 feet long. It is lovely and if I didn't have a carful of kids, I would stop and have a cocktail. I respect the guests enjoying their afternoon drinks on the porch and I keep my herd moving. The

property is idyllic with impeccably landscaped grounds and planter boxes. The array of red germaniums is unbelievable. The activities include golf, tennis and the Ester Williams swimming pool. The Grand Hotel tops the lists of one of the best places to stay in the world. Definitely worth the $10 they charge to enter the hotel if you are not a registered guest.

We take the short walk back to Main Street in hopes to find a family friendly restaurant. After having locally caught fish and chips for dinner, we get serious about the souvenir shopping. I find a lovely miniature original watercolor by Mary Lou Peters at the Lilacs and Lace shop. I collect tiny originals

from the special places that I visit. I love the small size because they are easy to pack in your luggage and quite a value for original art. Melissa picks herself up some fudge. The boys each want a boat in a bottle that we found at the cheap tshirt place on Main Street. My daughter wanted a hoodie and we got a t-shirt for the Dad at home. We are cutting it close and decide to run back to the ferry dock. At this time of day, there is only one ferry every hour back to St. Ignace. Sure enough, we made it just in time. In a flash, Shepler's have us back on the mainland. We get back to the hotel and decide that we need to take a swim. Sleeping will be easy tonight.