Our next stop-over in the U.P. was the town of St. Ignace on the shores of Lake Huron. We crossed the beautiful Mackinaw Bridge to Mackinaw City. The bridge is almost 5 miles long and is the longest suspension bridge in the U. S. It connects Upper and Lower Michigan as well as spanning the straits of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.
Saturday, we took the ferry from St. Ignace to Mackinac Island. Now you may be confused, as I was, about Mackinaw and Mackinac and how to pronounce those two words. Well, this is their story and they're sticking to it: both words are pronounced MackiNAW, but the French spelled it Mackinac and the British spelled it Mackinaw. There was also confusion about mail being delivered to Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island, so they distinguish the two places by the spelling.
Mackinac Island is a step back to the early 1900's and is full of flowers, gorgeous Victorian homes and hotels, bicycles and horses. There are numerous fudge shops and other tourist gift shops. Stepping off the ferry, our noses picked up the smells of horse manure and fudge...an interesting combination.
The only means of transportation on the Island is by walking, horse, or bicycle. We took a carriage tour through part of the town and State Park, while the carriage drivers provided commentary on the history of the Island. After the tour, we walked to the Grand Hotel for the grand buffet lunch. This hotel is elegant inside and out! A couple of movies have been filmed here, the latest being "Somewhere In Time".
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