Sunday, July 27, 2014

Mackinac Island Michigan Travelogue


Welcome to the J.Q. Rose blog travelogue today! Come and sail away with me to the majestic Mackinac Island in Lake Huron, one of the five Great Lakes. (Can you name all five lakes?) 
Our entire family spent a few days in upper Michigan. We camped at the Tee Pee Campground in Mackinaw City, Michigan. (I loved the name of the bath house--WeeWee TeePee) Weather was perfect, but then again, I have visited Mackinac Island several times and the weather has always been perfect.
You probably noticed the two spellings of the city and the island are different, but both are pronounced Mackin AW--the ac is a French spelling as I understand it.
 We boarded the ferry filled with tourists to cross the Straits to the island in about thirteen minutes on the catamaran beauty. We took the early morning Star Line cruise because they make a detour to sail visitors under the Mackinac bridge, a five mile bridge connecting the lower peninsula of Michigan to the upper peninsula.
 The  bridge was constructed in 1954 and completed in 1957. It has certainly changed the economics of the area for the good.
The underside of the bridge is a work of art as well as of engineering.  How strong this must be to hold all the traffic going along it. On windy days, the bridge will close to traffic. I'm glad we camped on the south side so we didn't have to drive our camper across this monstrosity.


You can see the Grand Hotel, a famous landmark from the ferry. If you saw the movie, Somewhere in Time, you saw the Grand Hotel. It was filmed here with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour as the main characters. So romantic.


Arch rock is another famous landmark about a mile's ride from the commercial area. Oh yes, I forgot to mention there are no motorized vehicles allowed on the island (except emergency vehicles like a fire truck.) So we rode our bikes around the eight mile perimeter of the lovely island. Enjoyed taking our time to see amazing views of water and skies and wild flowers.

These draft horses are huge! They have to be strong to haul 24 passengers in their specially built Jayco carriages (drays?) Yes, Jayco is a well-known name in the camper industry. When you set foot on the island, there is no gasoline smell from motorized vehicles, but a distinct odor of horses. 


The front entrance to the Grand Hotel.  I wish we had more time to take in the hotel, but with young boys and a five year old granddaughter, it's probably best not to get too close to the elegant surroundings.

I wish my photos could do justice to the landscapes and sea surrounding the island. Breathtaking. We are standing in the old fort looking out over Father Marquette park. 

Hope you enjoyed the tour. If you ever get a chance to go to Mackinac Island, do it! And take me with you to my most favorite place on earth.

What is your favorite place to visit? 

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a fabulous place, JQ. The hotel is amazing. Hard to say where my favourite place to visit is, but it would have to be somewhere near the sea. An island is ideal!

Unknown said...

So fun to share the island with you last weekend Mom! Good times, great memories! xoxoxo

Tess Grant said...

Mackinac Island is great fun. My niece drove carriages there for a summer. I need to get the girls back for a visit.

Unknown said...

Great pics, JQ - thanks for sharing! I have lots of favorite places, too many to name them all. In just a few weeks we'll be headed to one of our favorite-est faves: Disney World. Can't wait!

J.Q. Rose said...

Helena, then this island is just your cup of tea!!

J.Q. Rose said...

Helena, then this island is just your cup of tea!!

J.Q. Rose said...

Sara--thanks. Loved it too. Hugs!!

J.Q. Rose said...

Tess, I would not want to wrangle those huge horses! Wow. But they are so beautiful and so are the carriages. Your girls would love the island.

J.Q. Rose said...

Heather, I knew Disney World would come up as one of your faves!! Have a wonderful time and enjoy the magic.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

Your photos are fabulous, Janet. It's the next best thing to being there. I'm loving your holiday.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing the photos. It's been quite sometime since I've been to Mackinac City. Would really like to go back one day.

Loni Townsend said...

That looks like a gorgeous place to visit. Lovely!

J.Q. Rose said...

Joylene, glad you enjoyed the photos. But not even close to being there!! You might be close enough to actually visit the area, eh?

J.Q. Rose said...

Susanne, the downtown has become very commercialized--lots of fudge and t shirt shops. I just enjoy the rest of the island and the carriage ride around and through it.

J.Q. Rose said...

Thanks, Loni, for stopping in and taking a peek. I just had to share my favorite place in the world with my online friends.

emaginette said...

Years ago I went to Vancouver Island off the Pacific Coast. It was beautiful and I'd love to go again. :-)

Anna from Shout with Emaginette

J.Q. Rose said...

Anna, yes we visited Vancouver Island too. What a gorgeous place. I remember the flowers were brilliant and plentiful. Thanks for stopping in.

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