Great Loop Day 019 Sept 16, 2016, Part 1-2 Mackinac Island, Michigan
Cheboygan to Mackinac Island to Mackinaw Straits State Harbor, MI.
“There were tales that only the island knew. Ones that had never been told. I knew because I was one of them.”
~ Adrienne Young, Spells for Forgetting
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Day 19 Friday, Sept 16, 2016. Part 1/2. The plan is to go from Cheboygan to Mackinac Island, spend the night, and then to Mackinaw Straights State Harbor. 24 miles of boating. Well, that was the plan.
I'm sitting here in Mackinaw Straights State Harbor in the cockpit of the Sea Marie with a gentle rain falling overhead. Still so warm in my short sleeve shirt. Should cool down soon.
Did I make it to Mackinac Island? Oh yes. But that plan to spend the night washed out with the rough waves. Did get to bike the entire outer area of the island's 8-mile road and the town and the Fort and walked to the Grand Hotel in just 4 hours. 4 hours which felt like 2 days.
Still trying to catch my breath and I haven't absorbed all I have seen and done.
Here is my account of arriving and visit at Mackinac Island.
The day was just gorgeously beautiful. Blue skies, warm temps, the breeze from the East. Oh yea, that breeze from the East is not the best for approaching the harbor in Mackinac Island in a small sailboat. I called ahead to the marina to make a reservation and for someone on the dock to catch my lines. Sara answered the phone and assigned me to dock 26 on my starboard. She will have 2 dock hands ready to catch my lines. Great! Sound like I am not going to have any problems.
The lake approach was choppy but nothing I nor the Sea Marie couldn't handle. Getting closer I locate the dock. I didn't see any other boats on any of the docks. I made my approach. Easy does it; extra slow. Damn! It was too slow the wind catches my bow and moves me to the other dock alongside. Now she wants to go on the port side. The dock hands rushed to the other dock and Sara grabbed my bowlines. I hand over the stern line to Katy. Looking good. But these are high docks for big boats. The top of the dock was 3 feet higher than the gunnel I use to step off the boat. Add to that the rough wakes from the wind and the boat wake from those ferries weren't to my liking. Poor Sea Marie didn't like it either. I asked Sara if I could move to the north side of the dock. Agreed. I back out and make the turn-in and slide in like a pro. All my lines are attached to the dock. Fenders were in a position to cushion the boat against the wooden posts as the waves continued their restless ways.
Not at all a good place to spend a night. All the dock cleats were 3 feet higher than my boat. Sea Marie likes to have a lateral pull, not an upward one. You see each wave raises the boat and the lines go slack. As the wave passes under the boat she drops and produces a hard upward tug. My boat cleats are not designed to take that kind of stress. This was going to be a short stay.
Mickey was hunkered down near the companionway. The center of any boat where the rise and fall are minimized. I could sense he wasn't happy, no one could be. I made sure he had food. water and fresh kitty litter but I'm sure he wasn't going to eat or drink till it got much calmer.
I had some serious misgivings yesterday. Heck, I was bummed out. The waters were so calm I could have continued to motor out to Mack island and stayed at the island overnight instead of Cheboygan. Those are the decisions I have to make every day and live with the consequences of my choices. The weather will always make my final decision for me.
Well, I'm here on the island now and will make the best of what this day brings. I thought of digging out my folding bike, but when the 3-foot dock was within sight I quickly changed my mind. It would have taken me a good hour to dig out and return the bike back to the cabin. Good time wasted. The rental was the better solution. Now many of you know me as a roadie. Fast on a light bike with skinny tires, Tour de France style. The next best thing would be mountain bikes. Heavy but with adequate gearing for fast travel.
But I notice something is different than what the tourist brochure stated. It was also construction season. Dump trucks, backhoes, and cement trucks are all thru the center of town laying in sections of new curbs and sidewalks. Making tourists jam up at the corners avoiding the taped-off open sections ready for the cement pour. Dozens of people walking both ways in front of the sidewalk storefronts were herded by the yellow caution tape.
And the town was packed with tourists. Even the Amish Miller family all with Miller name tags were everywhere. God, please don't make me say out loud, It's Miller Time! The ferry boats just keep bringing them in and not taking any away. This was Friday, I simply can't imagine what it must be like during the really busy summer weekends.
Sara led me to a bike rental that only had mountain bikes next to the marina. At 9 bucks an hour, the price was right. 8 miles an hour anybody can do and cover the distance around this island. Little did I know of all the attractions there were to see. Ah, the joy of discovery!
Comments from 2016:
Scott Stanley Sikorski Glad you made it. if you can check out the Grand Hotel, it has a beautiful view from its 600 ft. long porch overlooking Lake Huron. I also posted a few pictures of when Brenda and I were there with our boat....looks like beautiful skies..our next docking nite was at Beaver Island, not much there, kind of like Pee Lee island north of Kelly's Island. looking forward to more photos.
Day 19. Friday. Sept. 16, 2016. Part 2/2. With the rented mountain bike under my butt, I headed west out of town. The crowds in the street thinned out and I was alone... for a few seconds. At some point, all those people who were walking and shopping and dining rented bikes and were riding alongside, in front and in back of me. We were all playing Dodgems and no one to shut off the electricity to stop the ride. The only thing to do was to pour on the jets and cut them loose behind me. That's much better. In the distance over the straights, I got a good look at the Mackinaw Bridge. She is long alright. Settled in for a nice long ride around the island. Then I noticed road signs off the side with other bikers stopped to take pictures. A few feet down another sign and another. I stopped and quickly read the sign and they were telling us about the life on the island in the past, the flora and fauna, and the rock formations. I could be here all day if I stop and read all that there is to read. So I made a conscious effort to photograph all the signs and read them later. Bike, Stop, Shoot, and repeat. I stopped long enough at 2 nature trails that were less than 1000 feet into the heart of the island. More signs about the birds and tamarack trees. Snap, snap, got it! This trail has a boardwalk. On the bike and a stop at the well-known Arch Rock. Quite a number of bikes here, must be something good to see. A sign at the bottom of the steps declared there are 207 steps to the top. I was game. Passing some of the slower people going up and dodging those coming down I make it to the top. And a few more stairs I make it to the main attraction. The Arch Rock. A natural formation where the wind had blown away the soft rock under the hard rock to form an arch with a big hole in the middle. People stood in awe as it was the most righteous thing to do. Everyone came equipped with cell phones and doing what tourists do are getting selfies with this big hole in the rock behind them. Fortunately for me, I came equipped with a Canon Eos Rebel T4i DLSR camera, and having the bigger camera people would apologize and quickly step out of my frame. My reputation must have proceeded ahead of me. I thanked them kindly and got my shot. Rode the rest of the way back to the bike rental and returned to the boat for a quick bite, and check on Mickey, all within one hour and thirty minutes. Time to get ready for the walk through the town and Grand Hotel and the Fort tour. And that will be in the next part… Fair Winds…
Comments from 2016:
Tim Hagan I am exhausted. I am going to take a nap.
Henry Krzemien RN Take an extra-long one for me. It'll take me days to absorb all I have seen in these few short hours I had on this incredible island paradise.
Tim Hagan Henry Krzemien, your energy makes me feel so old. Am enjoying your post. Thank you.
Henry Krzemien RN You're welcome Tim thanks to my ibuprofen I can push it a little farther.
Anne Schnatterly Henry, great adventure you are on! The island is a great place and I have friends who manage a few places around town. You should stop by the Pink Pony! Is it open Brian Bailey?
Henry Krzemien RN Wow, Anne, I'm so sorry. I wish I had known earlier. Did a wild wind tour of this incredible island! A photographer's paradise!!! Everywhere I looked had to be photographed. I'm sitting in my boat as cramped as it is viewing the pics on my computer. So many. It was Walt Disney's vision when he created Main Street for his parks. But with huge hotels. Amazing! People are getting off the ferries with suitcases. Many are lugging them up to the Grand Hotel. I walked up there but was not permitted to even photograph the grounds unless I was a registered guest. The golf course looked immaculate! The little churches were spectacular. This was the highlight of my trip. However, staying the night on the Sea Marie would not have been comfortable. Winds out of the east made the harbor very choppy and add the ferry traffic waves made it worse. Rented a mountain bike and rode the 8 miles around stopping at every sign to photograph and read later. 2 small nature trails like our Metropark. One with a babbling brook made me homesick. It was crowded with people bikes and horses. So much to say can take days to absorb what I witnessed in a few short hours. Took 800mg ibuprofen knowing I'm going to be sore tomorrow. Haven't done this much since doing triathlon training in the 80s. Later...
Brian Bailey, Open and waiting for Henry!
Anne Schnatterly Thank you - he took off earlier in the day! Would have sent him to you if I had known he was going over to the island! Hope all is well and keeping busy this fall.
Victor Steve McDowell, Where are you?
Henry Krzemien RN If I told you Victor Steve McDowell you wouldn't believe me.
Dan Sheridan Someone told me last week "The 8-mile trip around Mackinac Island is the most dangerous ride I have ever done." (Too many unpredictable cyclists)
Henry Krzemien RN The people, the bikes, and the horses were everywhere in town. And on the roads around this photographer's paradise. I shot every interpretative sign they had so I could read them later. A tornado tour the likes of which I have never done before. And I only covered the outside fringe. The interior of this wonderland still needs to be explored.
Henry Krzemien RN I saw very few road bikes. Mostly comfort bikes and a few mountain bikes as I rented and all the bike saddles on the rentals were the same for people with big butts. Many kiddy trailers and tag along. Tandems were everywhere also.
Camille Sandrock, I am enjoying your travel posts!! Beautiful scenery!