Fri Sept 12 Mackinac Island, MI

Mackinac or Mackinaw, same.  Either spelling is fine.

We took a ferry to Mackinac Island, it was ~15 min ride to the island.  Along the way we saw some lighthouses, the cutest one is the Roundhouse Lighthouse.  It looks like a regular little house.  It was restored in the 70's after it was almost complete destroyed. 

Our visit started at Fort Mackinac, almost an extension from yesterday's fort. Again they have period buildings and tell the story of life at the fort. Some of the pictures are: firing a cannon by dressed-in-period-clothing military, archeological dig ongoing at the fort, burnt floor from when the fort was abandon, McGulpin Lighthouse and the gazebo from the movie Somewhere in Time. 

After the fort we walked around and went up to the other fort at the highest point of the island.  During the War of 1812, the British captured it from the US.  But we got it back.

After lunch we rented bikes, which is a very popular thing to do here.  As you may know, there are no motorized vehicles on the island.  There are many horses (which poop on the streets) and lots of bikes, including e-bikes.  The road around the island is 8.2 miles, mostly flat.  They gave us a pretty good map and there's a spot for your phone to navigate but it's not necessary.

We visited the Grand Hotel, (the big white one with the huge porch).  Supposedly the hotel was built in 1887 in just 93 days.  The logs were brought across the Straits of Mackinac on sleds over the ice.  But the hotel opened in July, so I'm not sure about the log transportation.

The picture link is the same as yesterday's link.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/98h6v639Pc  

Our legs are jello tonight because it's been ages since we rode bikes.