6/18 - Petoskey to Mackinac Island
 |
| QE II Not Quantitative Easing as we first suspected But rather Queen Elizabeth II With crew Larry & Elizabeth(the 1st) |
We did not rush off this morning because we were pretty sure we might be waiting for a slip if we could even get one once we arrived at Mackinac Island. We took off a little after 9am and headed north. We kept a pretty good pace most of the trip and while we traveled Renee reached out to a boater on Nebo that was docked at the Island marina that we thought was closed. We had heard rumors they were allowing a few boats to dock there without electric or water (they are rebuilding the shower house). Colby, aboard C-Traveler, was happy to help us out and not only did he let us know what docks were available he frequently updated us on what was open throughout the day. Renee also noticed on Nebo there was another looper boat headed the same direction we were headed (which is weird because most loopers are going the other way 😂🤣). We messaged and radioed “QE II” to find out if they were headed the same direction and might be interested in swapping pictures of each other in front of the Mackinac Bridge. They were very excited at this prospect so we slowed to their speed, they are a 38 foot Catalina sailboat. Since we were not in any hurry and the water was perfect…..for us, we hung with them to take pictures. While waiting Renee looked them up on the AGLCA directory to find out it was Larry and Elizabeth Hunter-Blank and read up on their blog while we cruised. On reading their blog, we read “ with the great hope that we will be able to fly our spinnaker beneath the Mackinac Bridge on our way to Mackinac City.” So the great smooth water we were enjoying is not the friend of sailors 🤣😂🤣. Nonetheless, Erik radioed and suggested they put the spinnaker up. The result was beautiful for us to watch and Erik got some great pictures, and even played some Styx “Come SailAway” and Cristopher Cross “Sailing” while shooting some really cool videos. We will expect sailing lessons in return! We made arrangements to meet up on Mackinac Island the next day!
 |
| Big Mac |
 |
| Thanks for the fabulous shots Larry and Elizabeth As we conclude our Lake Michigan portion and move into Lake Huron |
One of the videos we shot of QE II
Video Larry shot of Happy DestinyAfter pictures and crossing under the Big Mac bridge we headed toward the island. Fairly sure we might have to anchor out for a while as we waited for a slip to open up, we headed towards the marina just to see if something was open. Not exactly sure which slips they were allowing people to use, we followed a sailboat in that pulled into an empty spot. A few slips down there appeared to be another empty spot so Erik pulled in. A young man came and grabbed our lines and said “check in when you are tied up”. So assuming we were ok to tie up and settle in we did just that. We headed over to the office and another gentleman said “just for the day?” We said we were hoping to stay overnight and he just said “ok, we will just charge you the day docking fee, $20, because there is no electric and no bathrooms. We almost paid $3 a foot to dock at the ferry dock with no amenities. We were just happy to be able to dock right on the island! Renee had heard there was a parade happening at 4 so we walked up to the road, already with people lined up to watch the parade. What an amazing parade it was to celebrate the end of the Lilac Festival. Lots of horse drawn carriages, bikes, people marching, and dancing etc. There are no cars on the island so lots of horses and bicycles.
 |
| A splendid parade |
 |
| We thought this was a humorous oxymoron Mackinac ‘STRAITS’ PRIDE 🌈 |
 |
| REPRESENTING |
After the parade we spent a couple hours walking through town and up the boardwalk out of town a half mile or so. This is yet another Michigan town with many beautiful, old “cottages”. Interesting what some folks idea of a cottage is given that most are sprawling incredible homes. Riva got dropped off back at the boat before we headed to a nice little restaurant for a light, late dinner. We split an entree of delicious Mac and cheese with smoked pork. Since the dinner was split afterwards we felt obliged to partake in Mackinaw Island peanut butter fudge ice cream cones that were delightful.
 |
| Sites of Mackinac Bottom pic is C-Traveler Captain, Colby gave us the intel on the great dockage on the island |
Erik also enjoyed phone calls throughout the day offering Fathers Day wishes from all six of the kids 🤗. We are blessed beyond measure to have the clan and dream of someday having more of them (or maybe even grandchildren) aboard to experience travels with us! As we headed to bed the sound of Taps being played from up high above us at the historical fort signaled the end of another great day!
6/19 - Mackinac Island “Big Turtle”
Soon after the ferry boats to the mainland stopped running, around 10pm, the waters in the marina flattened out to glass allowing for a restful nights sleep. Erik awoke during his typical pre dawn hour and quickly after Riva decided she too wanted to be up rather than to continue sleeping with mom. While the island was still calm and quiet Erik took her on a nice long walk. Yesterdays crowds at the festival, horses, cannon fires and other activities had her a bit anxious. Shortly after 6am though the island started to come to life already with folks getting up for morning walks, a few large boats pulling into port delivering supplies to the many businesses, and even two large cruise ships lumbered into port carrying hundreds of passengers. Watching the island awaken to another sunrise and come back to life was a pleasant reminder of what we all have…just today!
 |
| Morning meditations |
We fed our tummy’s with a light breakfast of yogurt and granola before departing Happy Destiny to explore. First stop was at a coffee shop to enjoy a sweet treat of Mackinac Fudge Coffee while we waited for the island carriage tour ticket window to open. The carriage tour was a great way to make our way around a good portion of the island and have the guide share some of the history (complete with multiple bad yet humorous jokes). We had been wondering about the population of both full time residents as well as horses on the island and were informed of the numbers; there are approximately 500 year round residents and 600 horses although even the horses are warm blooded enough that most spend the winters on the mainland. The tour made several stops where we debarked to walk around and see sites up close.
 |
| Sites from carriage tour stops Photo editor wouldn’t allow us to add the smell of the horses flatulence while pulling the carriage |
After the carriage ride tour we brought Riva back aboard and had a light lunch, finishing off our salmon pate, cheese and smoked trout and then relaxed for a short while before heading out on our bikes. We had made plans with our new boating friends to meet on the porch of The Grand Hotel at 3pm to actually shake hands and meet in person while enjoying beverages. We had a nice visit sharing stories of our past adventures as well as future plans. Comparing fuel consumption rates between our thirsty cruiser and their efficient sailboat we are quite certain that we would like to exchange credit card bills at the end of the trip! Although Larry and Elizabeth are members of the AGLCA (American Great Loop Cruisers Association), they are not currently planning to do the complete loop but rather they are planning for explorations of the Great Lakes and the “Downeast Loop”, a circumnavigation of the northeast US and Canada ( https://www.trawlercygnus.com/the-downeast-loop/ ). Certain members of the Happy Destiny crew have been intrigued by this route and also have aspirations of completing it after we close our loop and head back north.
 |
| Larry and Elizabeth and us at The Grand Hotel |
 |
| The Grand Hotel is certainly that! |
After our pleasant visit with new found friends and walking around The Grand Hotel a bit more we continued on our bike trek. There is a road that stays low and follows along the coastline of the entire island (about 8 miles total) that we set off on. It was a nice, relaxing ride that we stopped multiple times on to read the many signs and placards detailing the history of the Island. Enjoying the many varied views of the island was a good way complete our visit.
 |
| Saw ‘arched rock’ earlier from above while on the carriage tour And Now from below |
Back aboard we grilled up a delightful dinner of a tender local beef ribeye that we had picked up at a market in Petoskey accompanied by grilled potatoes, mushrooms and garlic bread. After dinner we brought Riva up on the sweeping hillside of grass that sits just above the marina and below the fort perched upon the hill to enjoy the sunsetting in another day while throwing a stick with her to get her some needed activity.
We’ve truly enjoyed our visit here at Mackinac Island (AKA “Big Turtle” 🐢) and will be departing in the morning for our next destination with the usual mixed emotions.
No comments:
Post a Comment