Wanderers in Wonder

Mackinac Island can only be accessed by ferry, boat and small plane for most of the year. In winter an ice bridge forms between the island and the town of St. Ignace on the Upper Peninsula (UP). The islands year-round resident relish this opportunity to travel easily to the mainland by foot, cross country skis and snowmobiles.

Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park (1890) is considered to be the second National Park in the US after Yellowstone. However…

In 1875 the U.S. Army no longer needed Fort Mackinac as part of the nation’s defense. Our peaceful neighbors to the north, Canadians, were not viewed as a threat. The beauty of Mackinac Island was such that many rallied for the Fort and Island to be turned into a National Park just like Yellowstone three years earlier. Mackinac Island was officially designated as a National Park by the US Congress in 1875. The Fort Commander became the ‘Park Superintendent’ and the garrison became the ‘Park Rangers’.

By 1895 the US Army no longer wanted to spend $40,000 per annum running a park. The Fort was decommissioned and the soldiers, ‘park rangers’ were scheduled to depart. The state of Michigan

 (MI) lobbied vigorously to have the federal lands on Mackinac Island turned over to the state. In return the state guaranteed that these lands would become a MI state park and would remain so in perpetuity. Mackinac Island State Park opened in 1896.

The first horseless carriages arrived on Mackinac Island in the late 1890’’s. The Carriage Drivers, Teamsters and some residents protested these noisy, smelly vehicles. Horseless carriages were banned from the Island by the city council in 1898. The ban is still in place today making bicycling on the Island a true pleasure, as long as one can start early and dodge the piles of horse dung as they pedal. 

We brought our bikes over on the ferry and set out early before the crowds formed. And are there crowds.

As we pedal the eight miles around the island we are treated to some stunning visual delights.

Lake Huron through the trees.

Arch Rock from above.

Arch Rock from below.

Tree Arch.

At the recommendation of our Alvin, Texas friends, Mike and Mary Lou who vacation in Michigan often, lunch was at the Iroquois Hotel Carriage House Restaurant. Such a beautiful spot.

We toured old Fort Mackinac after a wonderful lunch.

Mackinac Bridge where Lakes Huron and Michigan meet is the longest single span suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere.

Peace…Wanderers in Wonder.