The UP - part 3

Michigan's Upper Peninsula - Part 3

(Sightseeing and genealogical research)

August 4, 2017 - August 25, 2017

From the Soo we drove to St. Ignace which lies at the north end of the bridge linking the upper and lower peninsula's of Michigan. From here we were in good position to visit Mackinac (pronounced Mac-in-naw) Island. Why visit Mackinac island?  Here's what it says on their website (www.mackinacisland.org):

"You have an Island where the automobile never replaced the horse and carriage. You have lodging properties where corporations never replaced family ownership. You have a Revolutionary era Fort where the British couldn’t permanently replace Americans. You have Fudge Stores where box recipes never replaced our 19th Century recipes. You have a place to leave your routine, discover the rhythm of waves and horse-clops and a place that getting to is half the fun."

It begins with a boat ride from either St. Ignace in the UP or Mackinac City in the lower peninsula.  They run frequently and the ride takes about 25 minutes.  We specifically took the time slot that takes a bit longer because it veers off and goes under the Mackinac Bridge which gives you a unique view of this huge structure. 

The Mackinac Bridge in the distance.
It is 5 miles long from end to end and at mid-span it is 199 feet above the water.
It ranks as the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere.
For those to nervous to drive it themselves, there are people available to drive it for you.

Looking at it from this angle, I have to say the roadway appears to be pretty thin.  I expected something beefier. 

Gads, you can see right through it!

Now we're circling back to head for Mackinac Island.

This picture came the next day when we crossed the bridge.  The grating is the part you can see through from below.

From the perspective of sitting high in a motor home, the side rails seem a bit on the low side!!! 

One of the main ways to get around the island.
There are numerous bike rental shops all along the pier.
They have bicycles for any age and condition. 

As you can see - bicycling is very popular.

More bikes and another popular stop - one of the many fudge shops along the main drag.
We were looking for a place for lunch and it seemed to us that every other store sold nothing but fudge!
Don't know how they all stay in business.

We chose to do a carriage tour of the island.

Here we are approaching the Grand Hotel - one of the premier places to stay on the island.

Everything moves around the island by carriage or bicycle or foot.

This is what a traffic jam looks like on the island.

This was the second part of the tour on a much larger carriage pulled by 3 draft horses.
Our driver was a medical student from Romania doing her second summer on Mackinac Island.

You see lots of beautiful gardens on the tour.

Arch Rock looking down at Lake Huron.

View of the beach from near Arch Rock.
You can just see the road the circles the island through the trees.

Fort Mackinac sits high on a hill on the island.
It was built by the British during the Revolutionary War to control the Straits of Mackinac between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.  It was maintained by the British for 15 years after our independence!

Costumed re-en-actors demonstrate military maneuvers off an on during the day.

One of the old buildings at the fort.

As you can see the fort had a commanding view.

Great view of the town below.

Another view of town.

View of the private harbor on the island.

View of the end of the town and the commercial boat harbor from the fort.

While in St. Ignace we visited the Marquette Mission Park and Museum of Ojibwa Culture.  It proved to be a fascinating look into Native American life.  It is located in a building that was moved to it's current site, on the grounds where Father Marquette lived and worked with the Huron Indians over 300 years ago.  In spite of the museum's name, the artifacts are not limited to Ojibwa culture.

The sculpture representing the Fisherman.

The sculpture representing the Drying Rack

The sculpture representing Woman.

The sculpture representing Medicine Man.

The sculpture representing Garden.

Information about the Ojibwa Clans.

The Crane Clan.

The Bird and Eagle Clans

The Loon Clan

The Fish and Turtle Clans.

The Bear Clan.

The Martin Clan.

We loved visiting this museum.  Their indoor exhibits were also educational and interesting including a film showing how a birch bark canoe is constructed from stripping the bark from the tree to it's first paddle on a lake. A true labor of love.  If you are ever in St. Ignace - stop and see this wonderful little museum!