It had been a while after Yercaud trip that me and my
hubby didn't go anywhere for sightseeing. It had been more than a month that we
were in US and having not been anywhere to explore an unknown place went quite
contrary to our nature. We both have itchy feet and exploit every chance thrown
our way to discover new places. Needless to say, a major portion of our pennies
saved through our painstaking effort are spent in fulfilling our desire and thirst
for knowing the unknown. With that thought we planned a sudden trip to Mackinac
Island during the Easter break.
 |
| Mackinac Bridge |
Located in Michigan State, the island offers a
breathtaking view of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. St. Ignace and Mackinaw City
are the nearest two cities by the Mackinac Island. You may avail lodging and
food facilities in both. However, we chose to stay in St. Ignace because St.
Ignace is bigger than the Mackinaw City with better options for hotels, food
chains and ferry services. Also, it is home to another attraction called
"Mystery Spot' or what is popularly known as "G-spot' which is
operational only during summer months. St. Ignace is located in Upper Peninsula
of Michigan whereas Mackinaw City is in Lower Peninsula, both separated by Huron
and Michigan Lakes and joined by the 3rd longest suspension bridge in the world
and the longest in USA called "Mackinac Bridge." Driving down the
bridge with both lakes on either side is an experience to be cherished. The
vast expanse of the azure reflecting on the water of the lakes is bewitching.
The magnitude of that natural beauty can never be captured in the frame of any
man made camera.
 |
| A close shot of Mackinac Bridge |
It took us about 6 hours to reach St.Ignace from
Perrysburg, Ohio. We started late around 1 O'clock in the afternoon and reached
there by 7 in the evening. Before checking into our hotel while there was still
sunlight shining on us, we decided to take a round along the shore drive of
St.Ignace city overlooking the Michigan Lake. The return journey along the same
offered us one of the most beautiful sights of twilight with the Sun setting
below the lake igniting the surrounding ambience ablaze with stunning shades of
red, yellow and flaming orange contrasted perfectly with the backdrop of Blue
Ocean. The view was just amazing !
Since St.Ignace is scarcely populated with hardly 1500
occupants, once the sun is set, darkness engulfs the entire city with hardly
any choice of recreation remaining open. So before the city sank into darkness,
we quickly bought takeaways and shot off to our hotel. The 6 hours long drive
left us pretty knocked out and we retired to bed before our usual time. After
all, a long day was awaiting us the next day.
Quite a few ferry service providers namely, Sheplers,
Star Line and Arnold Transit safely carry passangers to the centre of Mackinac
Island from St. Ignace and Mackinaw City. So if you plan the trip in advance,
make sure to check out the schedules and timing for the shuttle and book your
seats beforehand. We made a huge blunder of assuming that the ferry service
will be operational throughout the day and didn't note down the schedules for
the same. Consequently, we had to idle some precious hours away waiting for the
next ferry, missing the previous ferry just by few minutes. Due to wasting time
awaiting a ferry, we were left with only 3 hours to complete exploring the
island before boarding on to the last available return ferry at 5 p.m.
We purchased our seats in Shepler. The indoor of the
ferry was precious, furnished with comfortable wide seats and transparent glass
panels providing a crystal clear vision of outside beauty. For people looking
for outdoor seating, the deck was properly arranged with seats, with an open
air roof directly under the sunlight. Though most of our co-passengers
initially occupied the deck but once the ferry set sail, the chilly wind
outside coupled with the cool water sprayed by the wave ripples created by the
ferry in motion caused much discomfort and within minutes, more than half of
the deck was empty. I basically like the comfort of indoor seating, but giving
in to the demands of my hubby, I sat outdoor on the deck. Once the ferry began
to move, I could not raise my head due to the heavy wind thrashing my open hair
all over my face. Before long, I went downstairs and found myself a seat near
the window. My hubby followed soon along with rest of the other passengers.
 |
| Mackinac Island State Park with Fort Mackinac in the background |
Mackinac Island is home to 500 residents throughout the
year. During the peak season, however, the population skyrockets owing to the
surge of oncoming tourists. Besides ferry, the island can be reached via
private boats, small aircrafts and in the winter by snowmobiles. The downtown
of Mackinac Island is dotted with a string of hotels, restaurants, apparel
stores and candy shops. Motorized vehicles being prohibited within the island,
bicycles and horse drawn carriages are the only modes of transport available.
You may bring your own bicycle or you may hire the same from one of the many
bike rental services available in the island. All the ferry services allow
passengers to bring bikes on board for a fee. The charge of the bike on rental
is made by the hour. We shelled out around $ 50 for 2 hours. Since I don't know
cycling, we were forced to hire a double bike whereupon my hubby performed the
act of balancing and I merely put my legs in motion to maintain coordination.
It was indeed a joy ride along the trail around the island enjoying the
breathtaking sceneries popping fast in and out of sight.
About 8 miles in circumference, it usually takes about
2-3 hours to fully bike about the island, depending on the time spent in
viewing each of the interesting spots met along the way. Since we frittered
away some crucial hours waiting for a ferry, we fell short of time to fully
circumambulate the island once in our bike. Due to limited time in our hands, we
missed out on some of the important landmarks including the Grand Hotel and Michigan
Governor's Summer Residence.
The points covered by us include the State Park,
Fort Mackinac (which unfortunately was closed in April), Devil's Kitchen and
the Arch Rock. Historically significant, Fort Mackinac bears witness to a host
of battles fought over American Independence in the 19th century. Now housed as
a museum on the grounds of Mackinac Island State Park, Fort Mackinac is a
popular tourist destination.
The Arch Rock is one of the must see points in the
island. Nearly 150 feet above the ground, it is a natural lime formation. The
sun on top brought about a fascinating beauty by setting the arch aglow and I
just adore the pic below captured by my hubby.
 |
| The Arch Rock aglow by the sunlight |
Devil's Kitchen is another hallmark tourist point in
Mackinac Island. The cavern, naturally formed into the shape of a human face
with open mouth ostensibly fortifies the folk tale of cannibals, possessed by
evil spirits, capturing and eating people, who came too close to this
ill-omened location, alive.
Regardless of our erroneous planning, we succeeded to savor
the magnificence of nature the island is blessed with. The bike trail around
the island offers you the scope to witness one of the most enchanting panoramic
views of nature in its glorious form. The iconic scenic beauty will definitely
remain etched in my memory forever. Hopefully, I will visit there again in not
so distant future.
