MLive says: “Mackinac Island is a major tourist destination. There is plenty to see here, including Arch Rock, a limestone arch formed long ago when high Lake Huron water levels allowed waves to shape the rock over thousands of years. This is said to be one of the most photographed spots in the area, and with good reason. It's a lovely attraction right on the island's main path that lines the water. The view of the water is fantastic from this elevated spot. Plus, the breccia limestone here is rare for the region.”
September 25, 2020
I hadn’t been to Mackinac Island since I was a child, and we approached this experience with an abundance of caution - not only due to the ongoing pandemic, but due to various stories we’d heard from friends about the living and working conditions of immigrant labor on the island. These things, in addition to the absolute erasure of the significance of the island in indigenous culture - Turtle Island is the land’s first name, after all. All of these things in mind, we scheduled our trip, booked the ferry tickets, and set our intentions for our visit. We boarded Sheppler’s Ferry with our bikes at 9:00 am with high hopes.
We started our loop around the island by hopping on our bikes and heading east toward Arch Rock. We fell into the rhythm of getting on and off our bikes to hike and check out the scenery pretty quickly, and kept a relaxing pace. Arch Rock itself was beautiful: the fog from the morning was still present, but the sun was shining just enough to turn Lake Huron turquoise as can be, and to make the leftover moisture in the air look like glitter.
As we continued our ride around the island, we appreciated the lake, wildflowers, and other features of the island. We stopped for nature paths and beautiful views whenever they presented themselves (which was often). The Lost Lake Nature trail had some spectacular mushrooms to admire, and we debated swimming in Lake Huron more than a few times (our bathing suits were in my backpack). The fog continued to clear as the afternoon drew nearer, and the sun kept us warm despite cool winds coming in off the lake.
Somewhere around Friendship Alter/British Landing Beach, Bill’s shoe broke (he wears clip-ins for his bike). Without anything on hand to fix it, we located a bathroom and stole some used duct tape off of a drinking fountain to hold it together. When we affirmed that Bill’s shoe was intact, we turned inland instead of riding the rest of the way around the island, as we were curious about the interior. Let me tell you, the interior of the island is much hillier than 185 - my thighs were burning something fierce! We rode through gorgeous forest, wetlands, and passed by historic cemeteries and gardens. We hopped off of our bikes periodically to walk and explore, but took a lot of pleasure in coasting through the shady interior. We rode to a peak (Point Lookout) to capture an amazing view of Sugar Loaf. From our perspective, we could see some of the trees tempting fall with the slightest color change, in perfect contrast against the bluest September sky.
We rode back toward the exterior of the island from there, passing by the governor’s residence and finding ourselves speeding down the impeccably steep hill in front of the Grand Hotel - what an insanely HUGE place! There are signs all over the road warning of speeding tickets (on an island with no cars - mind you), but I took advantage of gravity and let my weary legs rest as I coasted by pedestrians and carriages.
Bill and I found lunch at Great Turtle Brewing - they had a housemade veggie burger for me, and fish tacos for Bill; of course, great beer. We got a table outside on the patio, where we felt most comfortable dining during COVID times, and gorged ourselves after a long morning on our bikes and our feet.
After lunch, we hopped back on our bikes to finish circumnavigating the island. We rode to the Devil’s Kitchen (yet another rock formation!), and thought we were quite funny for renaming it the Devil’s attic, chimney, loft, butthole, etc. A little ways down the path from there, we decided to finally succumb to our instincts and hop into the Straits for a swim. While I usually enjoy the lakes in late September, the Straits remain quite cold year-round, and they were definitely chilly even on this sunny day. Bill bravely dove in, while I found myself quite happy wading in shallow water and finding a large rock to bask on while massive waves crashed over and around me. It was a perfect way to round out our time on the island.
Before hopping on the ferry back to the mainland, we grabbed some fudge from Ryba’s. When we were back on the docks, we were immediately thinking of dinner. After a quick cleanup and change of clothes in our hotel room, we grabbed carryout from Taste of di Island, an amazing Jamaican restaurant in town, and ate outside on the patio of our hotel room. Fudge for dessert and local beer rounded out our meal, and we spent the rest of the evening soaking in our in-suite jacuzzi tub to relax our muscles from a whole day on our bikes. All and all, it was a perfect visit and very on-brand for Bill and I.