Mackinac Island Trip

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Hey Guys! Wow I had a great time on Mackinac Island! It's so beautiful there. This was the second time I've been there and I still haven't seen it all. There is just so much to see. It really has something for everyone.

If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life... then this is the place to go. No motorized vehicles of any kind except snow mobiles in winter, and emergency vehicles like ambulances. The main mode of transportation is bicycle, foot or horse. Imagine waking up in the morning to the sound of birds chirping, and the clip clop of horses hooves. No honking, no revving of engines, no squealing of tires, no car alarms accidentally going off. the loudest sound is the tink tink of  bicycle bells.

If you love nature, you would love the island. Flowers of every kind and color decorate the Victorian style homes along the boardwalk, lilacs in bloom between May and June... the lilac festival held the 2nd week of June. Bunnies come out early morning and allow you to get close enough to watch them play in the dew sparkling grass. There are so many places to sit and view the crystal clear blue Lake Huron, a beautiful view of the sun setting behind the Mackinac Bridge, the moon shimmering in the water on a clear night.

If you love visiting places of history, this is also the place for you. Mackinac Island was originally sacred land to the Native American people indigenous to the area. When their loved ones would pass away, they would be sent to the island for burial. It is where the "Great Spirit" lived. As the island was built up by explorers who settled there... many remains were unearthed during construction, and reburied in a place where they wouldn't be disturbed. Even in modern times, most recently, this last winter - remains were unearthed during renovations. Even today the people of Mackinac, with a great respect for the island's history, will bury the remains in an undisturbed place, send the remains to Native American Elders for proper burial, or to the state of Michigan's government for them to properly handle the precious remains.

The island was home to a missionary who built Mission House to house and teach Native American children. He also founded Mission church, and thus the southeast end of the island became known as Mission Point. It was next home to a well known evangelist. He used the area as a religious retreat center, which only lasted 2 years. It next became a college, which only lasted 4 years. Not long enough for most people get get a degree.

Eventually it became a resort. It's important to note, the main lodge is made of tresses that weigh 9 tons each... in the shape of a giant tepee. The reason this is notable, legend has it that there was a Native American prophecy that said "Some day, a great tepee will be erected in the east, under which all nations will come together to learn about peace."

And they do. While there, I've met people from Jamaica, Cuba, England, Japan, China, Korea, Finland, the U.S., Canada, Australia, and one said he and his wife were from Italy. When on the island, everyone are friends. They talk, they smile, they laugh together. I've never heard an unkind word while there. Everyone is ready to greet you with a smile. The people who work there are amazingly nice and helpful.

If you're into movies... Visit Mackinac Island, take a horse by the Grand Hotel, visit the Mission Point Resort Theater... walk by the Orpheum theater, get some fudge from Murdick's Fudge shop... then watch "A Moment in Time"... the 1980 movie with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour.

Speaking of Fudge... there are so many shops downtown where you can buy clothes, gifts, souvenirs, rent bikes, and of course fudge. I bought a shoe, completely made of chocolate. All handmade from the chocolate itself to the shape of the shoe. It was solid chocolate. I cracked a few corners off the night I bought it and it just melted in your mouth. it was the most delicious, pure chocolate I've ever eaten. When leaving the island, my mom was in charge of the shoe and suitcases. I was in charge of the dogs and stroller. My mom put the suitcase on the sidewalk, the shoe in a small box tied to the top... it was top heavy because of that and fell... right in horse pee. Shoe had to go bye bye. *sniff* I was going to share that with my brother and his family who were coming to visit when we got home. saved me calories I guess. lol

and of course, for those who like a thrill, there are many haunts. From the scary Orpheum theater which is now a haunted house... to real life haunts. go to Mission Point Resort and visit "Haunts of Mackinac". get tickets for the various tours. One tour takes you on a tour of the whole downtown telling you about all the ghosts that still roam the various taverns and bed and breakfasts, and what they do to scare and tease guests. One tour takes you just around the Mission Point resort where the ghost history flourishes. Mission house, where many children died from illnesses they didn't have the medical advancements to cure, can still be heard the sound of children's feet running through the halls despite no children living there. The straights lodge is haunted by a heart broken man dubbed "Harvey" who committed suicide after being rejected by his girlfriend, on the cliff behind what was once his college dorm. he still haunts the lodge as well as the theater. The theater has many ghosts, Harvey and a little girl named Lucy being the most famous.

You can also buy tickets to investigate the theater. A paranormal investigation. because I'm doing research for the book, the owner of Haunts of Mackinac set me up with a free investigation. So many things happened that night. being touched, being told to get out, the light stick incident that no matter what theories I tried, I could not replicate or explain the incident... If you do not believe in ghosts, you will leave an investigation believing.

So definitely visit Mackinac Island. It is a great time! I got a lot of exercise, lost a little weight, the dogs were quite famous (which I explain in the video so watch the video.) you won't regret going. It is quite expensive... I have to save up an entire year to go... but it's worth it in the end. (Click on images to enlarge)