As luck (or it’s opposite) would have it, our arrival at Mackinac Island turned out to be on Labor Day weekend. We had been cautioned that the only marina would likely be full and that the complete closing of the 7 mile long Mackinac Bridge so that some 60,000 folks can do the annual “bridge walk” would create additional crowding on the island but despite our best efforts, the weather window to make the crossing of Lake Huron to the island and a secured reservation for a transient slip at the state run marina sealed the deal.
The crossing started out mild enough, but less than halfway across the swells grew to 4 ft. Luckily the waves were coming directly at us so other than a lot of spray and bouncing, we did not have to deal with the sideways rolling that comes with beam seas.
Our arrival at the island came at peak docktail hour and with 5-6 ferries coming and going a couple hundred feet away at the state ferry docks. After tying up we joined the madness of the holiday crush in town on Main Street (on the car-less island) with the parade of horse drawn carriages and bikes, wow tons of bikes. Still it was a fun experience (who would want to be in Times Square when it’s empty)!
The 40 mile run across the northern part of Lake Huron was an introduction to the open waters of the Great Lakes.
There are no cars on Mackinac. Transportation on the island is limited to horses and bikes!
There are no shortages of fudge shops on main street!
There are a dozen ferry boats that bring folks to the island on a daily basis.
The Grand Hotel boasts the longest front porch (+600 ft) for sitting and looking out over the Straits of Mackinac.
The Mackinac Bridge, at the time, the longest suspension bridge in the world at 7 something miles across.
