Mackinac Island – September 2 – 5, 2011
Visiting Mackinac Island over Labor Day weekend for a late anniversary trip.
Leaving Mackinaw City on the Arnold Line Ferry.
The view of the Round Island Light from the ferry. The ride over was breezy and a little foggy.
By the time we were settled into our room at The Mission Point Resort the sky cleared and the sun came out. We decided to take a bike ride into town for a snack. We ended up at Horn’s Gaslight Bar for some appetizers.
Our appetizers ended up being our dinner so later that night we went to the deck of The Pink Pony for desert. It is a great spot to watch the boats coming into the marina and the ferries unload.
The next morning we woke up to a light rain. After a relaxing breakfast at Mission Point Resort we put on our rain coats and walked into town.
By the time Kim checked out all the shops and found gifts for the kids the rain let up.
Since the rain stopped we decided to walk the long way back to the hotel.
For dinner we took the carriage ride into the middle of the island to the The Woods Restaurant.
The dinning room at the Woods Restaurant. The Woods is operated by the Grand Hotel and both the food and the service is excellent. Remember to try the pecan ball for desert. The Grand Hotel serves over 50,000 of them each season.
We learned about taking the carriage up to the Woods Restaurant in: Michigan Off the Beaten Path®: A Guide To Unique Places (Off the Beaten Path Series)
The Grand Hotel carriage waiting in front of Doud’s Market on Main Street.
Taking a quiet early morning walk around town.
Chris Craft boat tied up near the ferry docks.
The morning sun on the round island lighthouse.
After breakfast we for a bike ride. We split up and Kim took Lakeshore Dive around the outside of the island and Brian mountain biked the Tranquil Bluff Trail. The first part of the Tranquil Bluff Trial near window rock is a very technical. On this morning the rain from the night before made the roots and the rocks very slick and almost could not be ridden in spots. The above photo is our favorite from the trip and taken from Robinson’s Folly overlook on the way to the trail from Mission Point Resort.
We met each other at British Landing and rode the second half of the Lakeshore Drive loop around the island together.
The Mackinac Island Yacht Club.
The Island House Hotel. Established in 1852 this is the oldest hotel on Mackinac Island.
We decided to continue the 10th anniversary celebration with the lunch buffet at the Grand Hotel.
To just visit the Grand Hotel the admission is $10 per person. But if you eat at the $40 lunch buffet they refund your admission. It is such a great deal we could not pass it up. The food was all very good, probably not worth $40, but at least we were so full that we only needed an appetizer for dinner later. We figured you have to at least do this ounce.
One more shot from the Grand Dinning Room.
After lunch we spent part of our last afternoon relaxing on the Grand porch overlooking the Straits of Mackinaw and The Bridge.
The porch of the Grand Hotel is 660 feet long and is said to be the longest in the world.
Looking down Grand Ave from the porch.
Looking up West Bluff Road to some of the historic cottages.
West Bluff Road in front of the Grand. Each year 2,500 geraniums are planted along the front porch.
Downtown was packed on what ended up being the only really nice day of the weekend.
The last night on the island. This shot was taken from up on Huron Road behind Mission Point Resort.
I am often asked about the camera that I use for the photos on this site. We are starting to use our cells phone cameras more because of the convenience and improved quality. However, when I want to good quality photo it is still hard to beat my old Cannon DSLR camera.
I have been using a relatively inexpensive Canon Rebel XS with the 18-55mm lens for several years now. This trusty old camera only has a 10MP sensor, but the photos still look better than our 16MP point-and-shoot. For outdoor shots I often use a Circular Polarizer Filter
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