Had a little rain overnight, but nothing too significant and we were nice and dry in our cozy tent (thank you Steve!) One of our campsite neighbors mentioned that her parents had the exact same tent and had major problems with leaks. Fortunately, we didn't have the same problem.
After breakfast, we drove about 25-30 minutes to Mackinaw City to board Shepler's Ferry to take us across Lake Michigan to Mackinac Island. The ferry left every 30 minutes or so and despite the surprisingly long line of people waiting to board the ferry, we didn't have to wait very long.
Shepler's Ferry Entrance (this picture was taken on a different day, but on this particular morning it was just as overcast)
In just a few minutes, the sunshine starting breaking through the clouds.
Shepler's Ferry has an upper and lower deck, and of course Amaya wanted to sit up on top!
And she loved every minute on the boat!
It was only a 40-45 minute ride to the island. We had spectacular views of the lake as well as the Mackinac Bridge. As we got closer to the island, we got a good view of the Round Island Lighthouse. I found a painting of this lighthouse in an art gallery on the island as a souvenier.
We were full of awe and excitement as we caught the first view of the island.
Once we got off the ferry, our first reaction was, "Man, there are A LOT of people here!" And our second reaction was, "Man, it smells like horse poop!"
Transportation on the island boils down to walking, riding horse led carriages, or biking. There are about 500 people who live on the island and among them are only one doctor and two vets. I can't remember if they mentioned how many horses were on the island, but it's gotta be more than 500, right?
I absolutely fell in love with the homes, hotels, and bed and breakfasts!
The Lilac Tree Hotel
A Floral Shop
Another Bed and Breakfast
Since it was approaching lunch time, we ate at the Seabiscuit Cafe - delicious! We also had a coupon for some free fudge, so we went to Joann's Fudge shop and had their peanut butter chocolate fudge. It was pretty good, but I still think my fudge is better.
We were planning on spending two days on the island. The first day to sightsee and shop, and the second day to bike around the island and catch what we didn't see the first time. Our first day included a horse led "carriage" ride that toured the major scenic areas of the island.
Our carriage
The ride overall was great to get an overview of the island. It was a little long though - over 2 hours with breaks in between. The ride took us through the Mackinac State Park. We enjoyed getting to see the the beautiful flowers and trees. There isn't a lot of wildlife on the island - mostly small animals. At one point, they tried bringing deer over, but once the winter hit and the ice froze, all the deer left the island. I particularly enjoyed the various flowers.
One of our stops was at The Arch Rock with an overlook of Lake Huron.
The water was so clear and so blue!
Steve and Amaya at the overlook.
Happy Little Girl!
There was another stop at Fort Mackinac - a fully functioning fort that unfortunately was another steep fee to tour - we figured a picture was good enough.
Gorgeous landscaping and flowers...
Once our carriage ride was over, we walked downtown to do a little shopping. I was a little disappointed in the shopping. After nine fudge shops and ten t-shirt/souvenier shops, I was about done. I was hoping for more gift/antique/art gallery shops - something different than the typical touristy shop. Oh, well... that didn't stop us from finding a few treasures!
We ate dinner at Mary's Bistro overlooking the water. Gorgeous evening to enjoy dinner with your family and an overall good end to the day.
We headed back to Shepler's Ferry and you guessed it, we sat on top. This time it was much, much, much more windy!
And we caught a better view of the Mackinac Bridge.
As usual, we were exhausted by the time we got back to the campsite at 9:30pm. Instead of going to the movies at the campground, we had hoped to go straight to bed. Unfortunately, our days of being by ourselves was over. Two additional pop-up campers had moved in right next to us and unfortunately, they were VERY, VERY loud! It didn't stop Amaya from going to bed, but Steve and I were up past midnight. So much for falling asleep to nature's noises...
In just a few minutes, the sunshine starting breaking through the clouds.
Shepler's Ferry has an upper and lower deck, and of course Amaya wanted to sit up on top!
And she loved every minute on the boat!
It was only a 40-45 minute ride to the island. We had spectacular views of the lake as well as the Mackinac Bridge. As we got closer to the island, we got a good view of the Round Island Lighthouse. I found a painting of this lighthouse in an art gallery on the island as a souvenier.
We were full of awe and excitement as we caught the first view of the island.
Once we got off the ferry, our first reaction was, "Man, there are A LOT of people here!" And our second reaction was, "Man, it smells like horse poop!"
Transportation on the island boils down to walking, riding horse led carriages, or biking. There are about 500 people who live on the island and among them are only one doctor and two vets. I can't remember if they mentioned how many horses were on the island, but it's gotta be more than 500, right?I absolutely fell in love with the homes, hotels, and bed and breakfasts!
The Lilac Tree Hotel
A Floral Shop
Another Bed and Breakfast
Since it was approaching lunch time, we ate at the Seabiscuit Cafe - delicious! We also had a coupon for some free fudge, so we went to Joann's Fudge shop and had their peanut butter chocolate fudge. It was pretty good, but I still think my fudge is better.
We were planning on spending two days on the island. The first day to sightsee and shop, and the second day to bike around the island and catch what we didn't see the first time. Our first day included a horse led "carriage" ride that toured the major scenic areas of the island.Our carriage
The ride overall was great to get an overview of the island. It was a little long though - over 2 hours with breaks in between. The ride took us through the Mackinac State Park. We enjoyed getting to see the the beautiful flowers and trees. There isn't a lot of wildlife on the island - mostly small animals. At one point, they tried bringing deer over, but once the winter hit and the ice froze, all the deer left the island. I particularly enjoyed the various flowers.
One of our stops was at The Arch Rock with an overlook of Lake Huron.
The water was so clear and so blue!
Steve and Amaya at the overlook.
Happy Little Girl!
There was another stop at Fort Mackinac - a fully functioning fort that unfortunately was another steep fee to tour - we figured a picture was good enough.
Gorgeous landscaping and flowers...
Once our carriage ride was over, we walked downtown to do a little shopping. I was a little disappointed in the shopping. After nine fudge shops and ten t-shirt/souvenier shops, I was about done. I was hoping for more gift/antique/art gallery shops - something different than the typical touristy shop. Oh, well... that didn't stop us from finding a few treasures!We ate dinner at Mary's Bistro overlooking the water. Gorgeous evening to enjoy dinner with your family and an overall good end to the day.
We headed back to Shepler's Ferry and you guessed it, we sat on top. This time it was much, much, much more windy!
And we caught a better view of the Mackinac Bridge.
As usual, we were exhausted by the time we got back to the campsite at 9:30pm. Instead of going to the movies at the campground, we had hoped to go straight to bed. Unfortunately, our days of being by ourselves was over. Two additional pop-up campers had moved in right next to us and unfortunately, they were VERY, VERY loud! It didn't stop Amaya from going to bed, but Steve and I were up past midnight. So much for falling asleep to nature's noises...