Mackinac or Mackinaw

We arrived in Mackinaw City on Wednesday. One might consider this the apex of the great loop journey. But that would also indicate it's all down hill from here, I think not. For us it will be the most northern point of our journey. The Loopers who come through the North Channel are further north than Mackinaw, and a few Loopers take side trips to Lake Superior. But for us N 45.807 degrees latitude is far enough north. After all that's over half way to the North Pole.

Mackinac Bridge

One of the outstanding features of the landscape is the Mackinac Bridge. It was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it opened, at 26,372 feet. It is still the longest span between anchors, at 8,614. But today the bridge is 19th in overall length, and third in the Western Hemisphere. We could see the twin spires of the bridge from about 22 miles away. We could see the span of the bridge from 15 miles away, as we advanced toward Mackinaw City.

In the winter the Mackinac Bridge Authority uses sand to protect drivers from the snow and ice conditions. They avoid using salt for two reasons: the salt will corrode the bridge and the salt will get in the Great Lakes. They’re working hard to keep the Lakes unsalted, because sharks live in salt water (it seems to be working).

So the real question on people’s minds is how do you pronounce Mackinac… Mackina”C” or Mackina”W”? No matter how it’s spelled, it’s pounced Mackina”W”. The French that came to the area spelled the name with a “C” and the British that came to the area spelled it with a “W”. Fun Fact: the unofficial rule is the bridge and above is spelled Mackinac anything below the bridge is spelled Mackinaw.

We went to Mackinac Island today. Since the marina had no open spaces we took the ferry to the island. There was sporadic rain as we boarded the the ferry, I asked Steve if he wanted to ride on the top or the cabin. He said: I worked out in bad weather in my career (he retired from AT&T), and I just don't do bad weather any more, if I can avoid it. We rode in the cabin.

Bicycles lined the streets

We took the tour of the island with the Mackinac Carriage Co. If you are not familiar with the Island, the first thing to know is there are non automobiles on the Island, save an ambulance,fire truck and a police car. By the look of the bicycle rental shops near the harbor, one would guess the primary mode of transportation is bicycle. Walking is probably number one and the horse and carriage is is very popular. You can take a carriage tour with a guide or you can rent a small carriage and drive yourself around. You can also rent a saddle horse.

The island is about 2,500 acres and most of that is a state park. We learned from our tour guide, John who was from Transylvania, the island was actually the second national park, just three years after Yellowstone. The State of Michigan preserved 80% of the Island as a state park. The summer home for the Governor of Michigan is on the Island.

That darn War of 1812 pops up again, there were two battles in that war fought on Mackinac Island. I wish I would not have slept through that part of history class. But it seems more interesting when you are there.

Motor Yacht Bazinga

And last but not least, we may have seen Sheldon Coopers boat.

We learned a lot about the history of Mackinac Island today. Met some more Loopers and even though it rained off and on, we made the best of it.