trip across the Straits of Mackinaw to the Island and back to a different time. You see, there are no cars allowed on the island. You realize that when you hear the clip-clop of the horse hooves. The other way to see the island is to rent a bike. At the weather was rainy we decided to take the Carriage Tour. Top sights to see include fort Mackinac, Arch Rock and the world-famous Grand Hotel (fee of $10 for non-guests).With the rain in the forecast the horse carriage was the best way to go. The horses are brought over to the island every spring and most of them are taken off the island in October. Everything on the island is recycled and the horse manure is not different. The manure is taken to the far side
of the island and put in a compost pile. When it is ready, most of the compost is used for the flower beds at the Grand Hotel.The most popular item to buy on the island is FUDGE... there are 17 fudge shops on the island. Yes, we did buy some fudge. We did discover that one of the shops is Kilwins... a shop that is also found in St. Augustine, so we did not have to come this far to buy sweets....oh well. There are also 18 pubs on the island so they do have their priorities!
The Grand Hotel opened in 1887, and is world-famous for the magnificence of the stately bearing, regal service and beautifully appointed accommodations. It offers its guests lovely, landscaped grounds with an elegant, serpentine-shaped swimming pool. It had an unsurpassed view of the Straits of Mackinac. We did not go to the Hotel, just enjoyed the view from afar.
As it was a cool rainy day we did not spend the entire day on the island. We did go back to the RV and enjoyed some fudge!!!
More on the Island below.
Candy and Johnny
