I am writing this post entirely out of order, but I am in Michigan now in July, 2021, and even though it will be sometime before I get to my 48th post, I am so enjoying Michigan, specifically the Upper Peninsula and Mackinac Island, that I thought I would write the post now and store it away until the time is right. Based on my chronological outline I am still trapped somewhere in the 1970’s, but for this rainy morning I will be living very much in the present. If you want to understand how Mackinac Island truly can cause one to time travel, watch the Christopher Reeve/Jane Seymour movie Somewhere in Time. Somewhere in Time (film) – Wikipedia It will explain, in a small way, the magic of the week I have spent here.
My first three days in Michigan were spent exploring the Upper Peninsula around St. Ignace, a community of about 2400 hardy people who struggle with harsh winters and summertime hordes of tourists. St. Ignace reminded me of Bar Harbor in the late 1970’s. The downtown had family restaurants, parks on the water, a laundromat, a hardware store. The only bow to modernity was the Dollar General store which turned out to be a life saver when I had my “accident” and hit a deer. I met a Michigander, living rough out of a late model van for the last 2 years, who would only identify himself as MacGyver and who sent me to Dollar General for supplies to fix my broken driver’s side mirror. The repair was wonderful and saved me a lot of anguish about the upcoming return trip to Bangor, Maine. The local garage where I had stopped to try to get it repaired was 100 miles from the nearest Subaru dealer and could not get the necessary parts for a week, by which time I would be long gone. The chief mechanic there, a delightful fellow, introduced me to everyone as the “lady from Maine who is molesting our deer.” I received a lot of good-natured ribbing.
The drive around the Upper Peninsula gave me an opportunity to take a photo of 3 great lakes – Superior, Michigan, and Huron. I also visited Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) , a little known but absolutely breathtaking national lakeshore that was not crowded and absolutely delightful to drive through. I will return when I next visit Lake Superior, I hope.
The true reason for my trip to Pure Michigan, in addition to satisfying my 48th state of the 50 state quest, was to complete an item on my personal Bucket List of at least 50 memorable adventures, one for each state. (I refuse to count the many hours spent in the Detroit airport, including overnight at nearby motels, as memorable trips to Michigan). I don’t really have a bucket list, but I have for years wanted to sit on a rocker on the porch of the Grand Hotel. My husband would never countenance a summer vacation to northern Michigan when we lived in northern Maine and had a summer home on Campobello. Why leave home ? But the closure of the Canadian border and the conditions of the pandemic made the time right for me and Wallie, our Scottish terrier, to visit Michigan. You can read some more about Wallie’s travels here in my husband’s earlier blog. Travels With Wallie
I finally made it to the Grand Hotel, sat in rocker, and had a Grizzly Pear, a local Michigan hard cider made with pears, not bears. Additionally I found the most enchanting place I have ever visited. An island surrounded by a gorgeous lake only a 15 minute ferry ride from the mainland, but a hundred years away. The only, and I mean only, (with the exception of a few riding lawn mowers which are not allowed on the road,) means of transportation would be by horse and carriage, bicycle, or on foot. I brought my bicycle across on the ferry and spent four rainy foggy days exploring the island. I absolutely loved it and I loved the resort where we actually stayed, Mackinac Island Hotels | Official Website | Mission Point Resort by purchasing the “pooch on the point” four day package. Wallie liked it too, except for the horses and dogs. He does not care for either.
I quickly learned that the Grand Hotel was far from the highlight of Mackinac Island. Our own lovely resort at Mission Point, with its helpful and professional Jamaican staff that return each summer, was one of nicest and most dog friendly places we (Wallie included) have ever stayed. The island itself is a nature and history lover’s paradise. Since I enjoy both I was in heaven taking my daily bike rides hither and yon. I found the Michigan Botanical Trail which was heaven – biking through the woods on a paved bike trail with plaques explaining the flora as I progressed – was like riding through the pages of a very good, well written field guide to local vegetation. I didn’t make quick progress because I had to stop every few hundred feet to read the signs and look at the beautiful plants. Horace Greeley, the educator, got it correct as did Henry David Thoreau as you can see if you read the photos below.
The people who live on the U.P. are often known by the nickname Yoopers. There is an interesting history behind the name. YOOPER / YOOPERS / YOOPERLAND / UPPER MICHIGAN / U.P. /Upper Peninsula (yooper-michigan.com) I found the folks there to be friendly, if a bit reserved. The landscape was rugged, but contained the easily recognizable flora of the northern forest. The dialect had it own unique accent, ya betcha’ being heard more than once. The UP even has its own version of lobster, freshwater whitefish caught locally in the lakes. In other words much about the Upper Peninsula reminds one of northern and eastern Maine. I guess it is no coincidence that Michigan has chosen the white pine as its state tree, just like Maine. Pure Michigan, like Maine, is the way life should be in my book. I hope some day my travels will bring me back to Lake Superior and the U.P., hopefully when the Canadian border has reopened and I can travel a more direct route to get here.
Memories - A Second Chance at Happiness 