I stopped in Mackinaw City for a week in the middle of June. I have always liked going over to Mackinac Island and planned on going over at least once (I ended up going twice). Also there were other places I hoped to visit while there.
My favorite thing I did while there was to visit the island. The only way to get to the island is to take a ferry and since cars are not allowed I took my bike. Both times I rode my bike around the island 4 times for a 32 mile bike ride (plus the 1.5 miles to and from the campground to the ferry for a total of 35 miles!). I thought about going inland, but decided to stick to the perimeter road. I have been to the interior before and should have gone again, but I didn’t want to have to bike the hills!!!
A busy day on M-185 – Michigans only public road where cars are not allowed --
Another shot from M-185--
The downtown part of Mackinac Island can get a bit busy with pedestrians, buggies and cyclist. Below is a shot taken before 10:00 before it got too crowded.
On my first trip over to the island, I waited an hour to go on a Mighty Mac trip. This is where the ferry goes under Mackinac Bridge. To get to the island, they don’t need to go under the bridge but once or twice a day they take this special trip. In the picture below you can see 2 cars crossing the bridge.
The only time they allow pedestrians on the bridge is during the labor day bridge walk. I have done that 3 times in the past 25 years and it was always interesting looking through the grates at the lake below. Well this was different. Looking up at the bridge, through the grates at the cars and sky.
In the picture above, you can just make out two people just to the left of the platform that is attached to the wires in the upper right. They are painters. On the ferry ride, we learned that it takes their crew 7 years to paint the whole bridge. By the time they finish, they start all over again!
I missed the lilac festival by a week, but they were blooming.
A close up of another lilac--
There was some type of bug near the water in Mackinaw City that was driving me and others crazy. They didn’t bite, but they were annoying. When I got on the ferry, of course I headed up top and they were all over the seats and sides of the boat.
Mackinac point light house with the bridge in the background—
Mackinac Bridge -
I had planned on going to Petoskey and biking on the Little Traverse Wheelway, but I had biked so much on the island that I just walked a few miles while there.
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