We headed east the next day and dropped down to ride along the northern coast of Lake Michigan. This rest stop was about a mile from the northernmost tip of the lake. We got into St. Ignace (ig-nace) and parked in a remote parking lot of the local casino where they had free 110v hookups. Not very scenic, but the price was right. And we weren't alone. As I mentioned earlier, St. Ignace is on the north end of the big bridge that connects to lower Michigan. The main attraction here is Mackinac (mack-in-naw) Island which is a 15 minute boat ride away. The claim to fame here is the fact that there are no motor vehicles on the island. Well, I did spot an ambulance parked in a garage, and I'll bet the Fire Department has a truck. But everything is done by horse drawn buggy or wagon. There are around 700 horses on the island, and maybe 1500 bicycles. The place was crawling with tourists and bicycle rentals were abundant. Carriage rides, taxis, delivery, trash pickup were all drawn by horses. Notice the bicycle with the high handlebars in the forground of the photo below. This was to stack luggage against so the guy could deliver it to the ferry. Many people overnighted in the local hotels. The most prominent hotel on the island is the Grand Hotel, built in the late 1800's. It's so exclusive they charge admission just to come in and look around the lobby. Flowers and other plant life seem to thrive in this cooler climate. Another main staple of this place appears to be fudge. There must have been 2-3 fudge stores in every block. (that's fresh fudge on the table below) This island was a major hub in the fur trade and the British established a fort there in 1790 to protect that trade. It was taken over by the Americans and back by the British. The US had it again in the 1880's and the garrison was mainly used to build and maintain National Park facilities. This was the second National Park after Yellowstone. The fort has been restored to that era and was interesting to visit. Below are views from below and from the fort overlooking the town. A couple of building were open with very knowledgeable young ladies dressed in period costumes answering all questions. Below is a kitchen in actual use and they had cooked some dishes including bread which we could sample. And a Blacksmith shop. This was the last stop on the island, so we got on the boat and came home, dead tired. We revived overnight and went paddling in Lake Huron before moving on down the road. That makes the third Great Lake we have paddled on/in, so we've set a goal to do all five on this trip. Stay tuned. Chuck
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Who We Are
Chuck and Mary Lou have been traveling in their RV since 2002 and have lately been taking longer, extended trips. This is our way to share our experiences. Trip Reports
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