Summer Road Trip 2010: Sault Ste. Marie

This is another stop a friend of my Mom's suggested (over half our trip was planned via good advice from friends). Less than an hour north of Mackinaw City are the Soo Locks in the city of Sault Ste. Marie, along the Canadian Border (which will be a brief, but necessary post I'll throw up here in a little while, you have to acknowledge a border crossing, especially when they let you back across the border despite a less than stellar criminal record....fine I'm just discussing traffic tickets, but still, the US border patrol could read this blog and think I'd be better off as Canada's problem.) Anyway....about the Locks...
This little town (full of more 'stuff' to do than just this experience I'm about to describe) borders not only Canada, but also two of the Great Lakes. Strange, but true, the two lakes have different water levels. This area used to be rapids because the level of Lake Superior is 21 feet higher than the lower lakes. I didn't really wrap my mind around what this all meant. I guess I thought the boats passed through, and I didn't know why that was exciting, but my life is filled with things I think are exciting other people might pass by, so it was on my list of 'must do's.' You can go read all about it in better detail on their links, BUT we saw a freighter that was over 1,000 feet in length, and more than 100 feet wide enter the locks, the doors shut, and once the boat was secured they slowly raised the water level so what looked like a flat boat soon loomed above the locks.



The gate on the opposite side opened up, and the boat, and it's crew drifted away.

There are also tours you can take (which I'd do next time around) where you can ride a much smaller boat. It moved a lot more swiftly, but made it that much more evident what happened. This tour group was secured to the side, and lowered down to go back into the lower lakes from Lake Superior.




Trust me (or don't), it was fascinating. Not one person left disappointed. It did take awhile to watch the freighter rise, but it's OK to relax and just enjoy on vacation, at least that's what people keep telling me. ;o) Bring binoculars! ...and spend some time in the city...and then report back b/c I just got to quickly breeze through, and I need suggestions for my 'next trip up north.'

Summer Road Trip 2010: Crossing Borders

Before I leave Mackinaw City-we did make a stop at some of their stores (about the same price as the island, which surprised me-in a good way). The hotels in Mackinaw City were affordable, but I guess I expected the island to be pricier. They also have a lighthouse we visited. I'll pause and say-I love taking pictures of light houses. I love windmills too. And barns. And churches. Living in what (used to be) a prairie, granted, it's suburbanized, windmills aren't completely extinct, though they may be more ornamental, but I still want to photograph each one I pass, which is difficult, because I'm usually driving. The great thing about light houses is there is usually a parking lot nearby. Mackinaw City has a light house that overlooks their scary bridge. We walked around the (closed at the hour we went, but usually open during the day) lighthouse, and stuck our feet in the water.

Let me pause again and say-I don't love bridges. I don't like being driven over them, and I would rather eat bugs than have to be the one TO drive over one. Ironically, I am perfectly FINE walking across one, it's just moving vehicles that freak me out (I also don't like ramps, but that's for another session...on a couch....at an hourly rate.) I avoid it when possible, it's not always possible. It wasn't possible the following day, which brings me to....
OH! Canada! My cousin has never exited the country, and it was time she crossed the border. We were within minutes, and though trying to explain to customs that we were going over to Canada b/c we wanted to say we 'left the country' caused us to have to go in and get our license pulled, and records run on the way there, and our car searched on the way back, it's still important. It's important to nobody but us, but that counts on my blog. Unfortunately, we just ran across to the industrial city right across the border. I don't read kilometers, so it's a good thing we didn't go further b/c the legal mess of that ticket would have been difficult for me to maneuver, despite my expertise in such matters. We went to where the locks on the Canadian side WOULD be if they were working, but they aren't. There is a little island you can walk over the locks too see,

and evidence of some pretty busy beavers around this wet land area that leads to the lakes.

I haven't given a lot of time to the 'traveling' portion of this trip, though it took up a huge amount of time...there is just so much to say, but I will say the upper peninsula is pretty in a relaxing sort of way....sort of flat, lots of fur trees, and I kinda, sorta, am in the Christmas spirit.....that can't be good....for everyone, but me. I did select the tree I want, and I thought about just leaving a little tag with my name and address so they could ship it directly to me, save time and money without the middleman I usually go through at the tree lot in early December. ;o)

We also made a(nother) very important stop before leaving Michigan for Wisconsin at Big Boy. It was our second stop at a Big Boy in three days.

We used to have this restaurant back home, and my Mom insist on me telling 'whoever' I tell this to that the reason we went is for those memories and not because she has strange culinary taste. Let me repeat-my Mom made me put that. I have differing opinions, and I'm pulling up the paperwork now to see if I can get things rolling on adoptions for a 30....almost 31 year old who feels she'd probably best be cared for in a different family environment.

Summer Road Trip 2010: Mackinac Island, Michigan

We made our way from Illinois, through Indiana, and up into the blue spruce lined highways of Michigan (with one quick stop at Big Boy's...once upon a childhood we had our own franchise in Texas :O().
Tree farms with baby Christmas trees (don't tell me they grow, that takes the fun out of it)? Yes, please! I'm now in the Christmas spirit.

We spent the evening in Mackinaw City, where I soon learned it stays light until 10 pm during the summer, and gets light early.

This is not 'normal' for me, but it worked out well for our vacation plans! They had just said goodbye to several days of rain, and things were clearing off, and getting ready for a sunny day with sunshine, cool breezes, and enough warmth to require shorts.
We headed out to the island at about 9 in the morning via one of the three ferry companies. I'm going to include a little more detail here for a friend who will be traveling this way soon. There are coupons throughout the town for the ferries. I was surprised they cost 24 dollars a person, on average. We ended up taking the Starline, it beat out competitor's coupons (of 3 dollars off). So our ride to and from on the 20 minute ferry ride was 20 dollars a person (I hate it when I find something cheaper, so here is too much detail for people like me, or...me in the future!).
It was a pretty ride past two light houses, but chilly above deck.

Mackinac Island is famous for it's lack of cars. Everything is transported around the island (luggage, people, mail, you name it-it's not being moved by motor) by bikes,...

basket carts, foot, or horse drawn carriages.

It is a slower, safer pace to life, though I can't deny I saw a few mini bike rage incidents....I'm sure they were tourist, and some locals who were not happy about the wheels of a carriage being over the line on the road. There is also a horse dropping hazard I was not used to, but the city provides maintanance that is constantly taking care of this smelly problem. I've smelled worse in other cities!

The shops hug the island shoreline when you hop off the ferry.

There is a collection of souvenir shops here, and the next street back. (Let me pause and say, like most towns, you see the same thing over...and over....and over again, but the difference in prices from store to store is amazing. The same hat may have a range of 6 dollars. Fudge deals, coupons, etc should be paid attention to. Items like books varied in prices as well as much as 3 dollars. Considering how many repeating trends we saw....the price range for the same product had little rhyme or reason.  My favorite shop was on the 'main street' when you exit the ferry: Little Luxuries of Mackinac Island.).
The island is also filled with bed and breakfast locations, hotels, and restaurants.

(This is a picture of the Grand Hotel from the ferry.)
The thing it's most famous for (OK...other than the lack of cars, which is sort of a big deal, but you are about to learn my priorities)...is fudge....there are lots, and lots, and lots of fudge shops (I just broke every writing rule I teach fourth graders with that list of 'lots,' but it seemed important at the time, and schools not in session.).

There are also functional buildings for the people that live, and work here. This library is filled with a little collection of books, and the back porch has a rocking chair you can occupy while gazing at the water.

Most people ride bikes, or take carriages to get around the island, but we opted to walk it. We walked awhile in both directions from the ferry landing, past impressive residential homes.

We found some quieter shoreline.

We also made our way up a steep climb to see Arch Rock, which provided a great window view of the shore, and the lake below.

I believe there are other ways up....and it was a steep climb, with steps that are partially made of wood, and partially (washing away) dirt, so it was a little travel weary, but worth the view from the top. You can also see this rock from down below.
We ate lunch at the Pink Pony with good food and a clear view of the incoming boats.

After lunch we headed the opposite direction towards the Grand Hotel. It cost money to go on the grounds, so we didn't make it as far as the hotel, but we enjoyed the shoreline as we walked.

There is so much to see and do, but the overall idea is that it's relaxing. The hotels are a little pricey (think New York City, though I have not investigated the Bed and Breakfast rates), but everything else was affordable, just expect some additional fees to get in/on some grounds and locations. I'd definitely come back and stay on the island next time. Too often I go on 'doing' vacations, and this would be a 'relaxing' way to spend a vacation. No cars to hop into when you 'think' you need to go just one more place. There are beautiful flowers overflowing from the yards, and shoreline.

You also get to enjoy horses, lots of dogs, and a great view of the world passing you by.

Mackinac really is 'that great.'