I think family trips are simply the best. I know my brother would disagree because he feels like he gets dragged everywhere against his will. I will admit, at a younger age, most of us dreaded sitting in the car for hours on end. Sibling rivalry really came into effect when you were joined by the hip for hours. We were quite literally in each other’s faces and sometimes fights would break.
I think part of any sibling relationship there are quarrels, sometimes serious ones, and there are moments of “I guess we just have to get along.” It’s one of those relationships you can’t really get out of unless things are truly, really bad – which for the most part, they’re not, especially if you live together.
My dad loves traveling and he came across this place called Mackinac Island (pronounced Mackinaw Island, hence the two different spellings) and he got really excited about it. The reason for his excitement was his curiosity to see a place where there are no cars allowed. This idea excited us too and we all jumped aboard months before we could find time to go.
The real challenge, at least from my dad’s point-of-view, was finding a decently priced place. He came across fully booked places when he was looking at the beginning of May. For places like Mackinaw Island and the likes, you really have to book almost a year in advance if you want a good place for a decent price. Eventually, my dad found an availability at a place called Mission Point Resort, on Labour Day weekend and he booked it immediately, even though it was super expensive.
Getting There
After our five hour drive through North Michigan, we loaded our bags and ourselves onto the ferry which took us to the island. The captain was very excited about sharing the history of the bridge. Around the time it was being built, people thought it could never be done, but it was completed and at one point in time it was one of the longest suspension bridges! It’s no Golden Gate, but it was still pretty impressive – and almost golden 😉 !
First Stop: Breakfast at the Pancake House
Having been up since 4a.m., as soon as we stepped off the ferry, pulled out Google Maps and searched up breakfast places within three feet of us. We settled so quickly on the Pancake House. I think breakfast is one of those meals that doesn’t need a lot and probably is the least likely of the three meals that you can mess up really bad. Also, who doesn’t like pancakes?
There was obviously a large variety of other breakfast options as well, at the Pancake House. Half of us got pancakes and the other half got veggie omelettes, which were absolutely scrumptious! See, I told you it’s hard to mess this up!
My younger sister got a waffle with ice cream and the waitress asked her what flavour of ice cream she would prefer. We looked over at the options in the ice cream parlour and I exclaimed, “Moose Tracks!” But she didn’t get it. I sadly turned away.
When the waitress brought out our food, she gave me a HUGE scoop of Moose Tracks ice cream, which made my sweet-tooth very happy. It was so sweet of her to just offer it like that with no charge. It’s moments like these which really stand out and make the experience of traveling a real treat! (literally, **wink**
After breakfast we walked over to our hotel, which was about a 15 minute walk. The island is just beautiful, so much to look at! So many photo ops locations! It was a little crowded in the “downtown” area. People were everywhere!
The biggest thing was that there were no cars of any sort on the island. You just saw mostly horse buggies and carriages, which was kind of cool – except when they released their bodily floods.
But if you can look past the smell and really watch where you step, (just stay on the sidewalks) it’s a slowed down, colourful place to be.
Also, watch out for the bikers! We didn’t end up renting out bikes cause we were there for such a short time, but maybe next time. Then we will explore the entire island!
Hotel Views
Our hotel was obviously over-priced, as was a lot of the stuff on the island. I think that’s very “normal,” because people will pay for the things they really want and most touristy places take full advantage of the needs of tourists. But it was really a beautiful location and if we had a lot more time, we would have explored it to its fullest. The hotel itself looked super old, with cabin feels and just a lot of patterns, victorian-style furniture and a ton of flowery wallpaper – and not to mention carpet everywhere!
Thank God for Pizza
The kids and parents split because my dad wanted to explore the island right away and we were being a lazy bunch. So my dad went out for a walk of the island as we slowly “got into the mood.”
We roamed the island as well and on our way back, stopped to order some over-priced cheese pizza. We didn’t want to risk getting the extra toppings, considering everyone’s pickiness. We would later have another opportunity to try pizza from the same place, now with delicious toppings!
Besides biking, swimming, hiking, and the likes, there were a lot of mom-and-pop shops on the island. We especially popped our heads into the apparel and souvenir stores. My sister is obsessed with getting a sweater from every place she goes and I bet you she has about a million sweaters from different places already.
We all got some sort of apparel that would remind us of the trip. Besides numerous apparel shops, there was a fudge shop every second or third shop! It must be something this area specializes in because we started noticing them more on the mainland on our way back as well.
Still Being Lazy
I think the least tired person among all of us was my dad and he was the one who did all the driving in the morning. So after roaming the island, getting some grub, and watching hotel TV, my sisters and I went for a swim in the hotel swimming pool.
We spent quite some time in the pool, challenging each other to see who could hold their breath the longest. After some time, we cleaned up and went for a walk back downtown. We picked up some things from the market and got more pizza for everyone!
Before hitting the sheets, we watched part of the Harry Potter movie that was playing on TV, cackling at jokes we’d made about the movie growing up – true sibling exclusive moments.
Breakfast Views: Day 2
It was just easier to eat at the hotel that we were staying at. They offered a buffet-style breakfast, with numerous places to lounge and enjoy the views. The staff and other tourists were all so friendly.
When we were about to leave, this old couple came up to my mom and congratulated her on having such a beautiful family. We all laughed but it was the sweetest thing to say and it came as a complete surprise to us!
Generally, everyone was super friendly and accommodating. Life kind of slowed down for the two days that we were here which was nice. It’s one of those places you go to, to forget about the everyday craziness we are always so caught up in at home.
Arch Rock
After breakfast, we went for a walk toward Arch Rock and hiked up to the lookout – worth the climb. There were so many old people climbing up the stairs. One of the elder women took a picture for us. She managed to get her finger in it, but hey, at least she got the picture! We appreciated it.
Our last trip to the downtown area of the island before we got on the ferry and headed to the mainland. We finally purchased fudge from one of the shops and it was absolutely phenomenal. I highly recommend it!
Because of our limited time on the island and our sheer laziness, we didn’t get to explore the historical aspects of the island. There were many historical sites and the rest of the island to explore further from the core. My parents did wander off to the fort but my siblings and I stayed closer to the waters. Next time, we hope to spend more time and venture off a little further on the island!
Thanks for reading!