September 24 - Mackinac Island

Although it’s a gray day with the possibility of rain, we still decided to take the ferry across to Mackinac Island. Since there are no cars allowed on the island, we had hoped to take our e-bikes but at this time no bikes with a throttle are allowed so we just planned to walk around the island. 

The ferry boat was a little rocky over the water but no one got sick 😁. Water would splash up on the side of the boat from time to time. It’s about a 20-minute ride to the Shepler Docks. 

Once we arrived, we got our bearings and decided to see the fort first, following Ashley Cummings’ recommendations. 

Once we climbed to the top of the fort, the view of Lake Huron and Mackinac was impressive. 

The fort is an 18th-century fort and fur trading village, reconstructed based on historic maps. We walked around the fort and through the buildings, reading about the history. 

From the fort, we hiked to Arch Rock, another recommendation from Ashley. It was a nice walk through woods and the botanical garden. 

Arch Rock was formed over thousands of years by wind and water. It rises 146’ above the water and spans 50’ at its widest. 

Walking back towards town, it started to rain a little. We passed beautiful large houses, hotels and bed and breakfasts. 

We decided to eat at Michigan’s most historic  tavern, the Mustang Lounge. We ate soup on the porch and had a few beers. We met a young couple from Chicago and enjoyed talking about where we and they have traveled. 

Since it was still raining, we decided to take the ferry back to our RV. 

Tomorrow we drive to the Upper Peninsula.