Day 44 -Mackinac Island

Day 44 - St. Ignace to Mackinaw City by way of Mackinac Island - 12 miles - and two ferry rides

This was kind of a rest day, but one where we had to move locations. If we had been able to pedal fast enough to propel ourselves over water, then we would have biked across Lake Huron. But alas we didn’t have access to amphibious bikes, so the ferry was the next best option to get from the upper peninsula to the main land. The Mackinac Bridge does not allow pedestrians, but the van could go that way to get to our next hotel in Mackinaw City. The ferry allowed us to take our bikes to the island. Since Mackinac Island is a bike-only island (no cars) having a bike is necessary, well unless you want to pay for a horse drawn carriage ride. And in case you are wondering, yes there are horse droppings on the road.

We rolled down less than a mile from our hotel for the ferry entrance. The website said we should arrive an hour before our intended departure time, so we left the hotel at 7:35am. We hoped to take the 9am ferry, but when we arrived there was hardly anyone there. We decided to take the next available ferry instead of waiting for the 9am time slot (which offered an extra tour under the Mackinac Bridge). So we skipped the bridge buzz-by and took the 8:30am ferry.

One the island we headed right off of the ferry and took the Main Street through town, which was lined with bike rentals, shops, and restaurants. As we rounded the coastline we came to the first point of interest, Arch Rock. It was 207 steps to the top for the lookout. Once at the top we realized it was possible to bike up from the road and save 194 steps. Now my calves feel the steps, but it’s all good strength training. Al was our bike guard while the rest of us went exploring the steps. After Arch Rock the road around the island was closed for 4 miles for repair work. So we turned around and biked back to town, but instead of biking through the crowd we took a road into the residential area. Which meant we biked up a hill, and most of us chose to just wear sneakers instead of our bike shoes with cleats. If you haven’t used clipless pedals, then the difference won’t be as obvious, let’s just say I don’t ride without clipping into my pedals very often. On the up and over “shortcut” we stopped a Skull Cave (a rock with a hole and some overgrowth - the end). Then Micah C. said let’s stop at “Crack in the Island.” So we turned off of the paved road and onto a gravel road and then into the woods on a dirt, root, and rock path. Most of us carried our bikes the .25 miles back the trail. The boys jumped into the crack which was just a line between two rock ledges, maybe they cracked apart at one time. Instead of backtracking, some of the boys decided to exit along the fence line for the airport. I’m not convinced it was the better way to go, but we eventually got back to the paved road. The road took us to British Landing, where you’ll never guess what the boys did. We had a pebble skipping contest and then a “how far can you throw it” contest. We stayed in that spot for a while before taking the shoreline road back to the busy town-ish section. There were so many bikes on the road, and not everyone is used to riding. I was nearly taken out by a little girl who wanted to turn in front of me. We lunched on the lawn in front of the fort, before everyone dispersed to explore the shops. We took the 1pm ferry to our next destination, Mackinaw City.

Once the ferry docked we biked to our hotel to check in and then went for ice cream. The rest of the afternoon was free time for the pool or whatever. We dined at 6pm, where I spilled my almost full water glass on my lap in a rush of excitement over a game of hangman. And I was sitting at the adult table, so you can only imagine how wild that game on the back of the placemat had gotten.

Back at the hotel we had devotions and a discussion about the ride tomorrow. The current prediction is 100% chance of rain for our 94 mile ride! Talk about a grit tester!