Thursday, June 21, 2018 Pictured Rocks Sunset Cruise

We met a nice couple, Darlene and Bill, through RVillage who were also staying in Bay Furnace.  They were from Florida and new to full-timing, on the road just one month. Still, a bit overwhelmed, hopefully, we didn't steer them wrong with any of our answers or advice.

No trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula would be complete without exploring the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The colorful sandstone cliffs are best seen from the water, so it was either a cruise or we could rent kayaks and paddle the 25+ miles ourselves. I had serious doubts about surviving a kayak trip, so we chose the sunset cruise. When I told our new friends about our cruise plans they decided to join us.

I took 790 pictures on the trip while Joani took nearly 500 pictures of her own. It was difficult narrowing down the pictures to a reasonable number for today's post. 

7:48:  We sat on the upper deck to get the best view of the shoreline.

 8:29:  "Miner's Castle" was the first named feature we cruised by, but it was somewhat underwhelming.  We had seen it yesterday from a different perspective and it was resplendent!


This was taken at noon yesterday from the "Miner's Castle" observation deck on shore at high noon.

8:31:  Can you tell David and Bill are freezing!

The name "Pictured Rocks" is due to streaks of mineral stains that adorn the face of the sandstone. Colors occur when groundwater oozes out of cracks and trickles down the rock face. Iron (red and orange), copper (blue and green), manganese (brown and black), and limonite (white) are among the most common color-producing minerals.

8:33:  "Painted Coves" is on the left and "Bridal Veil Falls" is on the far right.

*9:31:  The colors of "Painted Coves" (on the return trip) were much richer just one hour later and the reflections in the water looked like Lake Superior was turning to wine.

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8:40:  "Lover's Leap"

8:41:  "Coves of all Colors"

8:44:  Part of "Rainbow Cave"

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8:56:  The opening of Grand Portal" is 100 feet high by 160 feet broad at the water level.  Before the ceiling of "Grand Portal" collapsed in 2000, you could travel through it in a kayak.

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9:00:  "Chapel Rock" has a large tree perched on top, but there is not enough dirt on the rock to feed the tree...

...so the roots traveled into the forest on top of the rock arch that supported the lone tree.

(Picture of a photo in the rangers station that shows what it looked like before the arch fell.)

9:00:  The arch collapsed in the 1940s, but the thick roots have managed to keep the tree alive.

(Another picture of a photo in the rangers station.  It's a perspective from the shore looking out toward Lake Superior of the roots draping from rock to shore after the arch fell.)

9:03

Spray Falls was the finale of our tour. At this point, we circled back to experience the cliffs again in the changing light. It was strange having the sunset at such a late hour!

9:06:  Spray Creek shoots roughly 70 feet over the Pictured Rock cliffs directly into Lake Superior creating "Spray Falls"

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9:16:  Back to "Rainbow Cave"

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9:17:  "Indian Head" (Do you see it?)

9:20:  (Note the gull in mid flight.)

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9:25:  The sun was so low at this point, our boat's shadow followed us back to port.

9:31

9:41:  The tour is winding down and high-tailing it back to Munising at about 30-35 mph.  I'm shivering drastically, but having a ball!!!

9:42:  The sun is finally setting behind Grand Island, which is less than a mile from Munising Bay.

9:43:  "East Channel Lighthouse," constructed in 1868, sits on Grand Island facing Munising Bay.

9:45

We are already planning to return to Michigan's Upper Peninsula in a couple years. Next time we will visit in the fall to experience the changing leaves.

Monday, June 11, 2018, Mackinac Island

We made our long anticipated visit to Mackinac Island today. It certainly was a beautiful day, sunny and mid-60s. We took the 9:30 ferry called the "Mighty Mac" departure (25 minutes instead of the standard 16 minute trip time).

The "Mighty Mac" tour does not cost any more, you just need to pick the right departure time.

Instead of going directly to the island it diverted under the bridge into Lake Michigan before swinging back into Lake Huron and on to Mackinac Island. I wore a light jacket which was good because I would have been miserable without it. The boat races along at nearly 30 knots and there was a hefty early morning breeze. Of course, we sat on the open upper deck for the view.

The ferry drops you right onto Lake Shore Drive. Mackinac Island is known as the fudge capital of the world. They craft 10,000 pounds of fudge daily - yes daily! - during the peak tourist season. While sampling fudge is a favorite pastime for visitors, I managed to keep my dignity intact and never gave in to the temptation.

While there are no cars on the island, there are plenty of bicycles and horse-drawn vehicles, so you have to watch your step.

Dowd's Market, opened in 1884, is the oldest continuously operating family owned grocery store in the United States. Surprisingly, their prices, at least what we saw, were not too outrageous! I suppose a picnic could be an option if you were not in the mood for any of the island's other dining options. 

The Grand Hotel, when built in 1887, offered rooms between $3 and $5 per night. Today the 393 rooms start at $319 per night and their finest suite is a mere $2,415 per night. Of course, breakfast and dinner are complimentary.

No need to stay the night, for $10 you can wander to your heart's content. If you lunch at the Main Dining Buffet, your $10 will be applied toward the bill.

We opted for the buffet in the Grand Hotel main dining room. The room was huge and it was packed. We sampled a little bit of everything including roasted duck and pate. The smoked whitefish paired well with the ham and asparagus for me. Each time I wandered down the serving line loading up new and different entrees I was surprised how far it was back to our table.

When we could not possibly eat another bite, we moved out to the porch where we found a pair of empty rocking chairs. It felt really comfortable soaking up the warm sunshine while we let our meals settle a bit.

We watched the movie Somewhere in Time last night (filmed in the Grand Hotel in 1980, starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour) so it was fresh in my mind. I thought that we should visit room 416 where Richard Collier stayed.

There was no fanfare or indication at all that the room, or at least its number, had any connection with the movie.

Meanwhile, down at Jane's room, I mean Elise's room, the walls were covered with memorabilia.

As we wandered the halls Joani managed to peek in one of the suites as it was being cleaned up. I'm pretty sure it was larger than our entire motorhome.

From the two-story Cupola Bar, above the fourth floor, we enjoyed a beautiful panoramic view of the island and a very unique chandelier.

A beautiful Venetian glass chandelier spans the two-story Cupola Bar.

I thought the Round Island lighthouse was picturesque. We had a difficult time narrowing the dozen or so pictures down to just one. 

If the Grand Hotel seems a little cramped and you have some extra cash, maybe one of these summer cottages would be the way to wile away a few months each summer. We never saw anything actually for sale, but I'm sure you could make someone an offer they couldn't refuse.

Mackinac Island is known for its lilac bushes, first planted in 1870. The island is home to all 23 lilac species, some 400 varieties and thousands of individual plants. They were everywhere and they were in various stages of blooming.

The largest lilacs on the Island have a stem diameter of more than 27 inches, making them the largest lilacs in the country, but not the oldest.

It seemed like most of the cottages on Lake Shore Drive had been converted into Inns or B and B's, but I didn't see any indication on the home below to indicate it was other than a private residence. I think I would get lost in there. I can imagine the owner rediscovering a room after years saying "oh yeah, I remember this one now".

Neither one of us thought we should spend our first trip to the island exploring Fort Mackinac - maybe on our next visit.

Everywhere the flowers, bushes and trees were bursting with color!

I don't know, but I'm guessing if you have a room key at the Grand Hotel this fellow would give you a lift.

We took the 5:30 ferry home. This time we sat inside where it was much more comfortable without the chilly wind in our faces. It was a long day and we were tired. I felt a little guilty about leaving Sam, but who knows, maybe he enjoys a little time alone. He certainly was happy to see us when we opened the door and I was ready to just relax and scratch his ears for a while - what a nice day!