Monday, October 2, 2023

Last night, our family stayed at the KOA Campground in St. Ignace, Michigan. St. Ignace is located on the northern side of the Mackinac Bridge which connects the upper peninsula of Michigan to the lower portion of the state. When we arrived to the area yesterday, it was dreary and rainy. Thankfully, today’s weather forecast did a complete turn around and was a sunny, 70 degrees. We couldn’t have planned for better weather if we tried!

The reason we came to St. Ignace, Michigan was to visit Mackinac Island — a destination that’s been on our “must see” travel list for years. Mackinac Island is located in Lake Huron near the port towns of St. Ignace, MI and Mackinaw City. Ferry services frequently shuttle visitors from both cities to Mackinac Island. We purchased our ferry tickets to Mackinac Island directly from KOA Campground when we checked into our campsite which was super convenient.

Mackinac Island is known for its many fudge shops and, more uniquely, its ban on all motor vehicles. Visiting the island feels like stepping back in time as the only way to get around is by riding in a horse-drawn carriage, walking, or traveling by bicycle. Over one million people visit Mackinac Island every year to experience this feeling of nostalgia, but the large crowds are what kept us from coming here until now. Andi and I hoped that visiting Mackinac Island in October would prove to be less busy.

When Andi purchased our ferry tickets from the front desk employee at KOA, the employee let us know that the first few ferry boats of the day travel underneath the Mackinac Bridge. Andi and I thought this would be a good way to see the bridge since we didn’t end up driving over it yesterday in our car. Due to construction and busy weekend traffic, people waited in line for over 5 hours yesterday to cross the bridge connecting the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to its lower portion of the state.

Because no motor vehicles are allowed on Mackinac Island, we had to find a place to park our RV today while we visited the island. Fortunately, KOA Campground in St. Ignace was kind enough to let us keep our RV parked at our campsite until we returned. This was so great because it took away the hassle of moving the RV to somewhere else in town. I’m not sure if they always allow campers to leave their rigs parked there after check-out or if it was because the campground wasn’t very full, but it sure made our life easier. We loaded up the Jeep with snacks, waters, and the kids’ two bikes and drove to the Star Line Ferry terminal a few blocks away from the campground in St. Ignace. Alternatively, we could have taken a shuttle from the campground to the ferry if we didn’t want to drive our own vehicle.

The Star Line Ferry departs from St. Ignace to Mackinac Island every half hour but only the first few shuttles of the day travel under the Mackinac Bridge, so we picked one that did. It couldn’t have been a simpler process to get onto the ferry — we simply parked in the ferry parking lot, handed off the kids’ bikes to the ferry workers, and got in line to board the shuttle. The ferry departed promptly at 9:30am and we were on our way to Mackinac Island.

It was neat to see the Mackinac Bridge from this viewpoint on the water. During the 30-minute ride, the ferry boat cruised underneath the bridge and back again, navigating in a big U-shape. We were able to see the bridge looking out of the big windows on each side of the ferry boat and also snap a few photos from the outside deck.

The Mackinac Bridge spans the Straits of Mackinac which is the body of water that connects Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, two of the Great Lakes. It is the fifth longest suspension bridge in the world and the only way to get from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the lower portion of the state. An estimated 11,600 vehicles cross the bridge everyday. Bridges like this one are a marvel to see in person, thinking about the smart engineering it would take to make this structure operational over the water.

Aden was smitten with a little puppy that another couple brought with them on the ferry ride today. Eventually, Aden approached the woman and asked if he could pet her dog. She was very kind and talked to Aden for a few minutes while he pet the puppy. He was in heaven loving on the animal with such soft fur.

Not a fan of dogs, Tory was perfectly content sitting on the other side of the ferry with Andi and I.

Soon enough, Mackinac Island came into view. There are several houses and museums on the island as well as boutiques, fudge shops, and art galleries. The ferry boat parked at the dock and quickly unloaded. We brought Tory and Aden’s bikes along with us, but decided to rent bikes on the island for Andi and I. There are several places to do this as biking around the island is one of the only ways to get around. A quick stop by Mackinac Cycle and soon all four of us were on bikes, ready to explore.

Going on a bike ride together was top of Aden’s bucket list for this road trip. We couldn’t think of a better place to make this wish a reality than Mackinac Island!

First things first — Andi suggested we stop by a fudge shop to sample the local speciality. We were visiting “Fudge Island,” as the kids nicknamed Mackinac Island, so eating fudge was a must-do. Personally, I couldn’t stomach the idea of eating fudge first thing in the morning, but Tory, Aden, and Andi were game to try it. Ryba’s Fudge Shop was fantastic with lots of different flavors to choose from. Andi, Aden, and Tory picked a large piece of sea salt caramel to share. They definitely don’t give fudge away on Fudge Island though! One slice of fudge cost $11.

Now that we’d eaten some fudge, Andi suggested we stop by Doud’s Market to get some real food to eat for breakfast. There are several sit-down restaurant options on the island, but nothing as far as “fast” food goes — Doud’s Market proved to be our best bet. This is more of a small grocery store than a cafe or a restaurant, and the four of us struggled to find something grab-n-go. After circling the small, tightly-packed aisles of the grocery store a few times, we eventually settled on two chicken caesar wraps to share between Andi, Tory, and I and a chicken sandwich for Aden. The chicken sandwich had cheese on it (which Aden won’t eat), but it was the best option we could find. When Andi tried to pick the slice of American cheese off the sandwich for Aden, he accidentally dropped the whole sandwich into the trash can! It was a bit of a process getting the chicken sandwich from the deli worker behind the prep counter in the first place, so Andi quickly picked the sandwich out of the trash can and gave it to Aden. The look on Aden’s face was priceless — poor Aden, forced to eat a trash can chicken sandwich for breakfast! Andi, Tory, and I concluded that the dry, flavorless chicken caesar wrap wasn’t much of a better option.

Now with a mediocre breakfast in our bellies, we headed off on our bikes to see the island. The entire paved walking/biking loop around Mackinac Island is 8.2 miles. Most visitors we saw were either walking (or running) the path or riding bicycles. It was a gorgeous day with spectacular scenery of Lake Huron. The four of us took our time pedaling along the shoreline.

Tory is not a strong bike rider, so traveling 8.2 miles around the island was a bit of a push goal for her. Andi and I reassured her that we’d take our time and stop as much as she needed along the way. Andi also brought along the brick of fudge for extra pedaling power, as needed.

The first two miles were great — we were all having such a fun time together! Andi and I remarked how beautiful the scenery was in and around town. It felt like we were riding our bikes through a postcard setting.

By Mile 4, Tory started to complain that her legs were getting tired and that her bike seat was uncomfortable. The bike path around Mackinac Island is relatively flat, so Andi and I knew that the ride wasn’t too strenuous for her, but nevertheless we stopped for a rest and a fudge break alongside the road.

Aden, on the other hand, was chomping at the bit to keep riding. He literally rode circles around us as he waited for Tory to hop back on her bike again.

Tory kept complaining about how uncomfortable her bike was to ride, so somewhere around Mile 5 Aden offered to switch bikes with her. He rode Tory’s bike with the “uncomfortable seat” while Tory rode Aden’s bike — a bike he rides for hours a day at home. Still, Aden’s bike did not suit Tory. She continued to ask “how much longer?” pedaling slower and slower by the minute.

By Mile 6, Tory had enough. She pulled over to the side of the path and refused to travel any farther. “I’m done!,” she shouted through tears. “I’m not having fun! I don’t want to do this anymore.” Unfortunately, we still had two miles left to ride and there was no other option but to continued cycling back to town.

Aden continued riding circles around Tory as she stood crying beside her bike on the side of the road. Eventually, I told Andi to take Aden and ride ahead — I’d wait with Tory until she gained her composure and was ready to bike again.

No matter what activity we’re doing together, there’s always one family member who doesn’t enjoy it. I felt bad for Aden because he’s been talking about bike riding on Mackinac Island for weeks. All summer he’s wanted to go on a family bike ride together. Unfortunately, biking just isn’t Tory’s thing.

Andi and Aden rode on while I stood next to Tory on the side of the road. She sniffled and muttered various phrases of “I’m done” and “I don’t want to do this anymore” before finally pulling herself together to say, “let’s go.” She and I slowly pedaled back to town without much conversation. There, we saw Andi and Aden waiting for us by the ferry terminal.

“Should we just go?” Andi asked me, out of earshot of the kids. I thought that was probably smart. The wind had been sucked out of our appetite to explore Mackinac Island. Now, no one seemed interested in touring Fort Mackinac or hiking around Mackinac Island State Park. Aden wanted to keep biking, but that was obviously not in the cards. Andi and I returned our bikes to Mackinac Cycle and paid the hourly fee incurred.

Tory brought her own money along and wanted to buy something on the island, so we popped into a store called Mackinac Kids. My goodness, was the merchandise expensive! She decided to wait on buying something after all.

Since the Star Line Ferry departs every half hour, it was easy to get a ride back to St. Ignace. The four of us walked right up to the ferry boat, presented our return tickets, and boarded the ferry. Tory and Aden’s bikes were safely stored onboard as well. It was a shorter ferry ride back to St. Ignace since we did not cruise under the Mackinac Bridge on our return. At the ferry terminal, we collected our bikes and found our Jeep waiting for us in the parking lot.

Tory was upset because Andi promised “we’d eat lots of fudge on Fudge Island” (aka: Mackinac Island). I wasn’t a big fan of her poor attitude the past hour and wasn’t sure we should reward her, but Andi showed mercy towards her. He drove to Mackinac Fudge Company in St. Ignace and bought two more pieces of fudge to eat. This time, Tory and Aden picked mint chocolate chip and white chocolate flavors.

I was hungry for actual food — half of a sub-par chicken caesar wrap from Doud’s Market had long wore off— so I suggested we eat lunch at a restaurant. Andi drove into the parking lot of the first place we saw called Mackinac Grille & Patio Bar. The restaurant was fairly busy for a Monday afternoon at 2:00pm, but we were able to get a table outside on the patio overlooking Lake Huron. It was perfect.

Andi ordered one of Upper Michigan’s famous pasties for his entree, Tory chose mac and cheese, Aden ordered his usual chicken tenders, and I had a cobb salad. Our service was prompt and our food really hit the spot. I think we were all hungry. Mackinac Island Grille was a great place for lunch. Also, now that Tory had some food in her belly, her demeanor began to lighten. She purchased a sticker for her water bottle from the restaurant’s gift shop, and then the four of us made our way back to our RV parked at the KOA campground.

Our RV was already packed up and ready to go, so Andi and I hooked the Jeep to the back of the RV and started our drive toward home in Wisconsin. By now, it was already 3:00pm so we knew we wouldn’t make it all the way to Wisconsin tonight but our goal was to get as far as we could until we didn’t feel like driving any longer.

I reminded Andi that we still needed dip our toes in Lake Michigan — our 5th and final Great Lake — before we left this area. I found a highway rest stop on Google Maps near the town of Naubinway, MI that advertised access to a public beach, so we navigated there next. This proved to be the perfect place to stop and see Lake Michigan with ample parking for the RV and a beautiful, deserted sandy beach to enjoy.

Tory quickly took to playing in the sand while Andi and Aden went for a dip in Lake Michigan. Surprisingly, the water wasn’t that cold for a fall day in October.

Aden loves the water; we practically had to drag him away from the lake. It think he could have stayed and swam the remainder of the afternoon. Unfortunately, we had some driving to do yet. Back in the RV, Andi and Aden changed into dry clothes and then we continued driving west along Michigan’s Highway 2. Around 6:00pm, we decided to stop in a town called Gladstone, MI for the night.

Gladstone seemed like a nice, Midwestern town. With a population of 5,000 people, the city sits along the shores of Lake Michigan in Little Bay de Noc. We didn’t have a camping reservation for the night, but were able to find a spot at the Gladstone Bay Campground. There were only a few other campers there.

Andi saw a Chinese restaurant on the way into town and suggested we eat there for dinner, but that didn’t sound very appetizing to Tory and I. Still stuck on the idea, Andi suggested he and Aden ride the kids’ bikes there to pick-up some take-out while Tory and I had leftovers from the fridge. Aden thought it was the coolest thing to ride bikes with Andi! The boys returned about 30 minutes later with sesame chicken, lo mein noodles, egg rolls, and crab rangoons.

Andi even found a take-out slice of pizza for Tory along the way. Everyone happily ate their meals seated around the RV dinette.

Our last night in the RV during this road trip — hard to believe it! We enjoyed a wonderful trip visiting all the Great Lakes and traveling through Ontario, Quebec, and the northeast states of the USA.

Aden’s favorite memory — fishing in Ontario, Canada

Tory’s favorite memory — visiting Niagara Falls

Andi’s favorite memory — swimming in Lake Superior at Brimley State Park, then having dinner at Pickles Bar

Heather’s favorite memory — seeing the coast of Maine and visiting Acadia National Park

Until next time!