Sometimes I seem to regress in my memory to the fun we have had with family and friends…today is one of those times.
Last July (2010) we took a trip to the Upper Michigan area with our dear friends Bob and Connie Roberts.
The Upper Michigan area and Mackinaw Island have been on my personal “bucket list” for a very very long time, and we decided to do something about it. We packed up our RV’s, loaded the motorcycles and bicycles and off we went.
For the trip up we decided to go up through Wisconsin and come across the Mackinaw Bridge. The first day was a beautiful warm and sunny drive. We parked for the night in the lot of a Sam’s/Walmart (after getting permission), in Green Bay and went out to eat at a nearby restaurant. There was a casino close by so why not go there to kill a little time before turning in for the evening. It was such a nice evening and the drive had been good so we weren’t really that tired. Well Connie and I weren’t anyway. We eventually went back to the RV’s and sat out in lawn chairs for while and chatted before turning in.
Since it was such a hot evening, and we were parked with our doors next to an unoccupied semi (which is a no no in this parking lot), we opted to not use the generator and just leave the door open. Pat hit the bed first and instantly fell asleep…I on the other hand wasn’t so lucky. I wanted him to get his rest since he was the driver so I went back down to the living room.
I first tried stretching out in my recliner, but that didn’t seem to relax me either, then I went to the floor with a pillow…no luck there either. It was around 2 a.m. and still no shut eye for me.
I heard some laughing and looked out the window to see some young people zipping around on motorized Wal-Mart carts near Roberts’ RV and heading towards ours. They had no idea I was standing at the screen door in my jammies. When they came between us and the semi one of them happened to look up and there I was…to say they were startled is an understatement. It gave me a real giggle, even though they had on Wal-Mart “staff” shirts and shouldn’t have been doing what they were doing. They immediately flew on by and headed back to the store. Shortly after that I was able to get some much needed sleep.
The next day started out cloudy but dry. That didn’t last long. By the time we got to the bridge going in to Mackinaw City we had been driving in rain for the better part of the day.
Here is our first view of the bridge. Even through the rain I was SO excited!
Here we are following Roberts and it is almost our turn to go over the bridge. Even with the rain, and being a Sunday there was a lot of traffic going in and coming out.
More random bridge shots…
and finally we were on the bridge…
…and viewing Machinaw City, Michigan
for the first time!
We had reservations at Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground which was only about 3 miles from the other end of the bridge and just a couple of miles from downtown Machinaw City. It is a huge campground (600 sites) that runs along the shores of Lake Huron. The bridge in all of its glory is viewable from the campground.
One evening I wanted to try and get a night shot of the bridge lit up. So with plenty of “Off” slathered on, long sleeved hoodie, (more for protection from skeeters than temps), tripod and camera, I walked to the end of our row and setup waiting for sunset.
I must admit I did a lot of dancing around to avoid being bitten by the mosquitoes, while trying to capture my dream image. I took many shots, but this is the one I finally decided I loved the most. Not perfect by any standards, but I took it anyway, and one of these days I might get around to framing it.
Also at the top of my “bucket list” was a trip over to Mackinaw Island by ferry. You either walk, ride horse drawn wagons and carriages or ride a bicycle on the island. No motorized vehicles are allowed except for one emergency vehicle that stays there and possibly one other vehicle that are a part of the island. This day we walked and walked and walked some more. It was hot, but we took our time and meandered up and down many streets.
Ferry Ride was on one just like this one. I loved that spray of water!
Bob really was enjoying himself
more than his look conveys…lol!
Famous “Grand Hotel” view from ferry
Viewed up close and personal!
It was beautiful inside and out.
Look closely, there’s Bobby again, looking pretty relaxed on front porch of hotel.
One of the horse drawn carriage to take you around the island and up to the hotel.
Other modes of transportation on
and around the island.
One of the island workers that helps in keeping the island so pristine!
Guess what he’s scooping up?
There were flowers everywhere you looked.
Now this looks relaxing.
At the top of the picture you can see the yellow umbrellas that are at a restaurant which is run by the Grand Hotel even though it is a distance from the actual hotel. We had to hike up this huge hill that looked down on the marina just to get there. But the food and view was worth it!
There are a few permanent residents on the island, and they live in lovely homes.
Along with a scattering of hotels and B & B’s.
These lighthouses are all still operational.
The first two are between
Mackinaw City and the island
Round Island Lighthouse 
Round Island Passage Light
McGulpin Point Lighthouse
Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse
Located in Mackinaw City,
notice bridge in background
Presque Isle Light House
at St. Ignace, MI 
This trip showed us another beautiful spot in our Country that was relaxing and fun to visit. We met many friendly, nice people that live and work in the area, even though the winters are long and brutal they stick it out. And the scenery during the spring and summer are nothing if not intoxicatingly beautiful.
This trip was everything I had hoped it would be and a whole lot more!
See you in my next posted memories and here’s hoping you are making some great memories of your own!
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