Mackinac Island, MI
Population: 492
Mackinac Island is very similar to Put-in-Bay, OH. Both are accessed via ferry rides. Both are extremely popular tourist destinations during the summer. Both offer an escape from the boardwalk jam-packed with tourists via state parks and forests. This lead me to expect similar things from the two islands. By the time I took the last ferry out I had been proven very wrong.
Downtown Strip
This is the street where most of the seasonal tourists, or "Fudgies," congregate enmasse. The Islanders who live here year round can be found at 1 of the 2 shops that remain open throughout the calander year. The rest of the stores: fudge shops, diners, coffee shops, book stores, galleries, museums, a small theatre...they all close after labor day. The remaining few buildings dedicated to maintenance and ferry management closes a month or two later and the Island hunkers down for the winter months. The Downtown area is definitely fun and worth checking out, but you should head up to the Mackinac Island trails and parks for great views. Since you can't drive cars, not even golf-carts here, rent a bike or get a carriage ride around the Island.
The Other Side of Mackinac Island
After spending the first few hours of my day exploring the Downtown of Mackinac Island I filled my water bottle and went on a hike that lasted me the rest of the day. I ran into a few other hikers and bikers, but for the most part I was alone in the wilderness around me. The nature and wildlife of Mackinac Island was a complete surprise for me. What was more surprising, however, was the fact that so few people were taking advantage of it. As I returned to the Downtown for dinner that night I wondered, how many of the Fudgies had been to the Island's top?
Mustang Lounge - Volunteer Firefighters (left)
As I mentioned before, only 2 restaurants remain open year round. The Mustang Lounge is one of them. The night before I arrived to the Island there was a storm that started a fire in one of the Islands homes. Thanks to the efforts of Mackinac Island's Volunteer Firefighters no one was hurt, the house still stands, and it wont have to be completely destroyed before fixing it. When I walked into the Mustang the place seemed rather busy for an 11am on Tuesday. A few of the firefighters were hear drinking and telling the story of last night. Matt, the bartender in the far left of the picture, is one of the couple dozen volunteers that make up the MIFD. He was working the bar during the fire and was just about to end his shift when I arrived.
I spoke with another patron at the Mustang who had a lot to say about Mackinac and its firemen. He used to live on the island for 30 years before he retired to travel, but he still returns from time to time. He said, "normally you don't know the folks that are coming to pull your ass out of the fire. Here though, you eat dinner with them. You see them buying groceries. You share drinks with them at the bar. You really get to know the S.O.B. who is gonna save your skin someday, and that makes you trust them even more"
Cawthorne's Village Inn - Fish and Chips (right)
Fish Dinner - Luke Johnson
The fish was fresh caught the morning I arrived to the Island. Was it waiting there all this time in the Lake just for me? The bell above the door swings constantly as patrons move in and out, while the thin fishermen watch the bobber. They wait for it to dip below the surface, just once. Just this one time, I'll spoil myself with a meal over $10. The house tartar sauce is sure to be worth it. The summertime waitress, fishnets criss cross her legs as the pen zig zags the note pad, asked me if I want to know the secret ingredient. Apparently they use the tears of dads who dare look at their bank statements on the ferry ride home - or lime, you want fries?
Mackinac Bridge - There and Back
The reason for the inclusion of this foggy, out of focus, and just generally unappealing photo of Mackinac Bridge is so you can compare it to the one on the right. I took both of these photos on the same day 9 hours apart. The one on the left is in the am as I headed to Mackinac Island under rainy and foggy skies. The right photo was taken after the sun had cleared away most of the clouds and had made way for a beautiful day. So while every boat ride can't be full of sunshine and puffy clouds, those foggy ones make you appreciate the clear skies all the more.
Mackinac Island, MI
I thoroughly enjoyed my time on Mackinac Island. It has a lot to offer to tourists of all ages. I loved chatting with the locals at the Mustang Lounge, or hiking for hours through the miles of trails. Before I left, Mackinac was one of the destinations on my trip that I categorized as a "tourist trap," but the Island can be a great place to go with families, friends or by yourself. It's almost like a choose your own adventure novel. Everybody arrives and leaves on the same boat, but what you do in between that time is whatever you make of it.