Mackinac Island - Another Time
It has been quite awhile since I posted. I have been working on two books at the same time. One will be announced soon, and the the other is a new version of my cookbook. I have completed photo shoots of 140 recipes. A yummy, but lengthy undertaking. This next version has become a large project, but will be worth it in the end.
So at the end of all the photo shoots, I took a break and drove up the coast of Lake Michigan with my husband. Upon reaching the top of the state of Michigan, we took a ferry boat ride to Mackinac Island and spent two days and nights there.
I had heard of this magical place all my life. - The Island with horses, carriages, and bicycles. I did not see one car there. People road in taxi carriages, carrying people where they needed to go. They also walked or road bicycles. We rented bikes and road into town. If we saw a store we were interested in, we parked on the side of the road and went in. No locking of the bikes. Beautiful Victorian hotels lined the streets with amazing views of the lake. There was no car noise. Just the clop clop of the horse's hooves. In the morning you could hear the horses coming with their deliveries for the day.
I thought it would take a long time to get anywhere at first, but somehow it did not matter. You just built in extra travel time.
It was a different, slower lifestyle there, which I found very comforting. Like so many who visit the island, I could not help fantasizing what it would be like to live there. The taxi driver told us that there are about 500 horses on the island in the summer high season. Now there are about 200. If you haven't had a dose of being around horses, you will get one here. The horsey odor is strongest in the town, but strangely is less noticeable the second day. When we returned to the mainland, I have to say that I noticed the fumes and exhaust from cars and trucks a lot more and prefer the horses.
Kids road their bikes to school and parked them in the school yard. After school, one little boy with curly blond hair ran out from one of the many fudge shops with a big piece of fudge in his mouth, hopped on his little bike, and rode off. My son did not have that kind of freedom growing up with busy four lane roads, and no real downtown to speak of.
The majority of the island is state park. There is a road that hugs the coastline that we explored with our bikes. We stopped to walk on the rocky beach, and hiked on cedar lined trails. I love the smell of the north woods and the crisp air. Here are a few pictures.
This was one of the most beautiful table settings I have seen in a long time. As we came into the lobby after having dinner at the famous Grand Hotel, they were just lighting the silver candelabras. A flame was keeping the coffee warm in a large antique silver coffee urn, and little demitasse cups were lined up waiting to serve. These cups are smaller than regular coffee cups and used to serve Turkish coffee or espresso. This was different than having coffee after dinner while still at the table. It seemed much more genteel and elegant. It was inviting conversation with others while enjoying your after dinner coffee. I did not see anyone with their noses in their cell phones here. We were all in another time.
So at the end of all the photo shoots, I took a break and drove up the coast of Lake Michigan with my husband. Upon reaching the top of the state of Michigan, we took a ferry boat ride to Mackinac Island and spent two days and nights there.
I had heard of this magical place all my life. - The Island with horses, carriages, and bicycles. I did not see one car there. People road in taxi carriages, carrying people where they needed to go. They also walked or road bicycles. We rented bikes and road into town. If we saw a store we were interested in, we parked on the side of the road and went in. No locking of the bikes. Beautiful Victorian hotels lined the streets with amazing views of the lake. There was no car noise. Just the clop clop of the horse's hooves. In the morning you could hear the horses coming with their deliveries for the day.
I thought it would take a long time to get anywhere at first, but somehow it did not matter. You just built in extra travel time.
It was a different, slower lifestyle there, which I found very comforting. Like so many who visit the island, I could not help fantasizing what it would be like to live there. The taxi driver told us that there are about 500 horses on the island in the summer high season. Now there are about 200. If you haven't had a dose of being around horses, you will get one here. The horsey odor is strongest in the town, but strangely is less noticeable the second day. When we returned to the mainland, I have to say that I noticed the fumes and exhaust from cars and trucks a lot more and prefer the horses.
Kids road their bikes to school and parked them in the school yard. After school, one little boy with curly blond hair ran out from one of the many fudge shops with a big piece of fudge in his mouth, hopped on his little bike, and rode off. My son did not have that kind of freedom growing up with busy four lane roads, and no real downtown to speak of.
The majority of the island is state park. There is a road that hugs the coastline that we explored with our bikes. We stopped to walk on the rocky beach, and hiked on cedar lined trails. I love the smell of the north woods and the crisp air. Here are a few pictures.
This was one of the most beautiful table settings I have seen in a long time. As we came into the lobby after having dinner at the famous Grand Hotel, they were just lighting the silver candelabras. A flame was keeping the coffee warm in a large antique silver coffee urn, and little demitasse cups were lined up waiting to serve. These cups are smaller than regular coffee cups and used to serve Turkish coffee or espresso. This was different than having coffee after dinner while still at the table. It seemed much more genteel and elegant. It was inviting conversation with others while enjoying your after dinner coffee. I did not see anyone with their noses in their cell phones here. We were all in another time.
Sounds like a wonderful time. Brings back memories of being on the island.
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