I finished a fun, light mystery this week. It was Geared for the Grave by Duffy Brown. It is set on Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Island which is up north from us about five hours car ride. I've been there a couple of times and might go in a couple of weeks when we are on holiday up that way. It's an interesting place to visit so I thought I'd share.
Five Fun Facts
1. There are no cars on Mackinac Island.
2. Tourists (and there are a LOT of them) are called Fudgies.
3. Nearly 1 million people visit a year but there are only about 600 year round residents.
4. The 1980 film Somewhere in Time staring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour and Christopher Plummer was filmed at The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.
5. In the winter there is an 'ice bridge' from St. Ignace over to the Island - basically the water in Lake Huron freezes solid and the residents use it to travel back and forth.
You can get to the island by ferry or by plane. The ferries run quite regularly in the summertime and the views are quite spectacular.
Our ferry took us close to Mackinac bridge and underneath it!
You can see the cars traveling over it to the Upper Peninsula.
I wouldn't want to be that man working on the bridge!
Grand Hotel from the boat. The front porch is 660 feet (201metres) the world's largest.
People get around on the island on bikes, horse and carriage or on foot. The book I mentioned above is set in a bike shop. We opted to use our feet. The town is quite touristy and well worth a visit but I find it's always the out-of-the way things that are more interesting.
As you walk around there are lots of small piles of rocks on the side of the roads and beaches that are called Mackinac Cairns. They are small piles of stones that visitors are supposed to add a stone to mark your journey.
There is a fort on the island called Fort Mackinac. It was built by the British during the American Revolution. It's quite a walk up that hill!
There's also a beautiful rock formation on the island called Arch Rock that's well worth a visit.
It's well worth the steps when you reach the top. The view is spectacular!
There is a reason why the tourists are called 'Fudgies'. Mackinac Island is known for its fudge. There are lots of places that sell it and the tourists come away with it in bagfuls. It IS really nice!
It's a great place to visit - better to stay away from the tourist town and go exploring whether it be by foot or by bike but be sure to take some of the fudge back home with you!
Looks like a great place to visit. Enjoy your trip when you go in a couple of weeks. I wouldn't want to be that man on the bridge either.
ReplyDeleteI did not know this place even existed. goodness me though 1 million visitors and 600 residents, that's quite some odds. Love the arch rock too x
ReplyDeleteIt looks like fascinating place to visit. I love the little cairns, which is a lovely way to mark you have been there. One of the Channel Islands, Sark, here in the UK does not have any cars and the atmosphere is so much more relaxed and calm.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating place, the views from Arch rock are breathtakingly. Enjoy your visit next month.
ReplyDeleteA book set in a place that you know is always interesting and Mackinac Island certainly looks a fascinating place to visit. That's quite a climb up to the Arch Rock formation, but the views must be wonderful. I'm sure you're looking forward to a return visit when up that way.
ReplyDeleteIt looks a great place to visit. Nice to see the cairns like in the hills over here. :-)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful!!! My mother in law was born and raised in this area. Such wonderful images you share...and yes, I remember the movie. I think I'd opt for foot work around the island too.
ReplyDeleteFascinating!! It sounds like a very interesting place to visit. The hotel looks spectacular and I adore all the little cairns! Thank you for joining Five On Friday, hope you have a great weekend! xx
ReplyDeleteSounds an interesting place, I like that there are no cars. I spent some of my childhood in Ipswich xx
ReplyDeleteBe sure to have lunch at the hotel. Absolutely amazing. Impeccable service and the buffet looks to be a city block long. I could sit in one of the rocking chairs on that long front porch for hours.
ReplyDeleteLooks an interesting place to visit. I love the little cairns. xx
ReplyDeleteIt certainly looks like a neat place to visit - enjoy your time there :)
ReplyDeleteDiana
What a lovely post of a lovely place. How interesting. The arch rock is beautiful. Yes I would definitely be sampling some fudge and bringing extra for the ferry ride home.
ReplyDeleteLike the idea of no cars. Had no idea that movie was filmed there, thought it was Maine. Looks beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWhat a truly spectacular post!! I'm seriously in love with the first photo. May I pin some of your photos?
ReplyDeleteHave a happy Sunday and a lovely new week!
Thanks so much for asking! I don't mind though I would appreciate if you link back to my blog too.
DeleteThank you, Sharon! Pinterest creates automatically the link back to the page from where the image has been saved. I always try to reach the original source (sometimes it's difficult).
DeleteEven though I have heard of the island, I did not know anything about it, and I enjoyed viewing your fun facts and photos. Thanks! I am visiting you thanks to Amy's link up and I publish my blog, "One Saylor's Log" from near Portland, Oregon. I hope you have been having a good weekend!
ReplyDelete