Another Island, Old Friends, and Home Again

Day 20 of our wonderful trip dawned foggy and rainy. This was not the perfect day we had envisioned for our trip to Mackinac Island, but we got ourselves ready to go. By the time our 9:30 ferry departed from the dock, it was overcast and cool, but not raining. We enjoyed the ferry ride under the bridge and over to the Island. Even though a sunny day would have been nice, I always think that clouds make the scenery more interesting, especially in photographs.

Here we are, on our ferry to Mackinac Island

The bridge, from our ferry

Approaching Mackinac Island

Arriving on the Island, we walked around a bit to decide what we should do first. We had purchased tickets ahead of time for several activities, and we decided to start with the carriage ride around the Island. I am so glad we did that! The tour was wonderful, and the young ladies who drove our two different teams of horses were delightfully informative.

Our driver Chelsey,and our three-horse team

The carriage

 The carriage dropped us off at Fort Mackinac, and we walked around there for a while. We ate some lunch there as well, and enjoyed the great views from the lookout points along the edge of the fort. It was interesting to look inside the rooms as well as to watch the enactments that were going on most of the time. After spending some time exploring the sights at the fort, we decided to walk down the hill to the butterfly house, the final attraction for which we had a ticket.

Protecting the city

Fort Mackinac and the city below

It rained on us at the end of our time at the fort and for most of our walk to the butterfly house. We were glad we had brought the umbrella, and I was wishing I had brought a jacket as well. However, just as we got the butterfly house, the sun came out. Of course, inside the butterfly house was very warm, and THEN I was glad I did not have a jacket. What a difference a few minutes can make! I had so much fun inside that place, following around the butterflies, snapping pictures right and left. There were a few kinds that proved elusive, but for the most part, I just waited a bit and could get a picture of the different varieties that were flying around the garden. The flowers were so beautiful, and the butterflies were everywhere. One even took a ride on my pant leg! That was great! Eventually, it was time to move on. I took a ton of pictures and made some really fun memories.

My friend who took a ride on my leg for a while

We spent a bit more time at Mackinac Island before heading back to the ferry. Our ride back was also foggy and a bit cool, but not as rainy as we feared it might be. We got back to our room and started figuring out supper. We found a local pizza place that had gluten free pizza and would deliver to our room. Now, that sounded perfect! We relaxed for the rest of the evening and started the process of packing things back up again.

Lake Michigan

We were up early and ready to go on Friday, June 28 (Day 21). We left this really cool motel by about 8:00. It was raining as we left – not a good sign for the sailing adventure on our calendar for the day! We set off to meet our friends Keith and Cindy Kendall in Marquette, Michigan. Along the way, we saw Lake Michigan, Great Lake number four. We had already seen it, of course, as we ferried across to Mackinac Island, but we wanted a few pictures that were distinctly Lake Michigan pictures. The first place we stopped for a picture, it was still foggy, but I took a few pictures. Then the sky cleared and R.J. pulled into another roadside pullout. This was great! I walked down to the edge of the water and got some great sand, rocks, water, and sky pictures. Lake Michigan was well and truly checked off, as I emptied its sand out of my Keens back at the van.

Lake Superior, and the ship we did not sail

As we continued to drive, the weather clouded back over and it started to rain again. Boo! After a slight mix-up on the directions to get to the marina for our sailing expedition, we found the place and our friends. We had some fun catching up with them while sitting in side by side parking spots with the windows rolled down, as it sprinkled on us. Eventually, we got out of our cars and headed down to the ship. We waited and waited, but the captain did not show up. It was very disappointing. Our friends finally called to confirm that the excursion had been cancelled due to the potential for thunderstorms. We were all ready to go in the rain, but it was not to be.  Now we know that we are hardier and tougher than that ship’s captain!

We drove back to our friends’ home by way of some land they have purchased as a site for a future home. It was exciting to get in on the beginning of this project of theirs – and it was also a bit wet as we tromped through thigh high ferns in the rain! Back in the car, we drove to Keith and Cindy’s home and unpacked our car. We had so much fun catching up with them and trading stories back and forth. They have traveled a lot and in many of the places we have been, so they could relate to some of our funny experiences and had their own to share as well. They fixed us a delicious supper, and by the time we went to bed, we felt full to the brim with the joy of a friendship revisited.

Keith and Cindy, our wonderful hosts

Day 22 (Saturday, June 29) was the final day of our adventure. We ate a light breakfast, shared a few more laughs with our hosts, and were on the road by a little after 8:00. By the time we hit the road, I had a whomping, stomping headache. I have only had one other headache on this whole trip, which is pretty good for me. I really wanted to enjoy reminiscing about all the fun times, but I just didn’t feel like it at all during the morning. I slept away a good part of it, even as we traveled back in time and lived the same hour a second time (entered the central time zone).

By lunch time, I started feeling a bit better. At least I could communicate and enjoy the passing scenery!  We reentered Minnesota at about 2:30 and were home before 3:30. What a joyful journey it has been! I think I’ll need another blog for reflection on the whole trip, so stay tuned….

Minnesota welcomed us back home!