No tour of the UP is complete without a visit to Mackinac Island, formerly a fort and fur trade center, and, from the 19th century on, a resort of some note. Its main distinguishing feature, apart from the fudge factories, is its lack of trucks and autos, which were banned some time in the late Holocene Epoch. (Bicycles, not much older than cars, are permitted; as are (!) snowmobiles.) We overnighted in one of the ferry parking lots in St. Ignace and then embarked early the next morning for the voyage out to the island.
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We arrived in St. Ignace early in the afternoon and enjoyed a
brief walking tour of the port area; above is Mackinac or possibly
some other island
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A Huron long house (reconstructed on its original site); I
theorize that Quonset huts may have descended from this
idea; seriously: the precursor to the Quonset hut was the
Nissen hut, invented by Peter Norman Nissen, an American-
born Canadian engineer serving in Britland in WWI |
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Next morning, we are on board, en route, seated in alternating
rows, masked, etc.; I am wearing my sea captain's cap, of
course; just in case |
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The one mile voyage out to the island includes a detour to see
the underside of the Mackinac Bridge, 8th wonder of the UP
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And now we are on the island, walking around, gawking at
more lighthouses
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More architecture
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The bridge
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Excellent historical signage
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The fort; after this, we uncharacteristically rented bicycles to
explore the more distant bits; actually, tricycles, since neither
of us is steady enough to manage two-wheelers |
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| The cathedral |
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More shoreline erosion; the island stands between lakes
Superior and Michigan
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Natural Bridge (Romanesque)
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Tricycliste
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Traffic sign
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Except in winter (which was fast approaching)
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Where miscreant tourists are sent for punishment
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Ibsen stayed here in 1856
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More architecture
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Ditto
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A WWII landing craft, similar presumably to the one on which
Vicki's father served and was wounded at Guadalcanal
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Evergreen tunnel
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Street scene
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Our ship comes in
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Adieu, Mackinac
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Next time: the Grand Hotel (we didn't fancy riding trikes uphill)
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