Mackinaw City

The upper peninsula and the mainland of Michigan are connected by the Mackinac Bridge, which is the only way across if you are driving a vehicle. The Mackinac Bridge is a toll bridge and can back up on both sides during busy weekends and holidays. We were lucky and had only a few minute delay when we came in on Sunday.

“Mackinaw City is the perfect vacation destination at the base of the Mackinac Bridge where the Great Lakes Huron and Michigan meet.” – Mackinaw City Chamber of Commerce

“Opened in 1957, the 26,372-foot-long (4.995 mi; 8.038 km) bridge (familiarly known as “Big Mac” and “Mighty Mac“) is the world’s 24th-longest main span and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the Western Hemisphere.” – Wikipedia

We spent two days exploring Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island.

We met up with our friends Dan and Paige, who live nearby, when we got into town. They were gracious enough to drive us around to explore some of the area and help us find some great food and fudge, which is a big deal up here. “Fudge is the fuel of Mackinac Island and Mackinaw City. The sweet smell of cocoa and butter wafts through Main Street…” – Mackinaw City Chamber of Commerce

Near the base of the Mackinac Bridge is Fort Michilimackinac and the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse. We had a chance to walk around the park for a bit. It was beautiful to see the bridge we had just crossed.

“In 1761 the French relinquished Fort Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City to the British who had assumed control of Canada as a result of their victory in the French and Indian War. Under the British, the fort continued to serve as a major fur trade facility in Mackinaw City. The Ottawa and Chippewa in the Straits area, however, found British policies harsh compared to those of the French and they resented the British takeover in the Mackinac Island In 1763 as part of Pontiac’s Rebellion, a group of Chippewa staged a ball game outside the stockade to create a diversion and gain entrance to the post and then attacked and killed most of the British occupants.”- Mackinaw City Chamber of Commerce

When we first pulled up to the state park we saw two black squirrels. We had never seen squirrels like this but Dan and Paige told us they were normal up here around the Great Lakes. I’ve done a bit of research and learned, “The phenomenon occurs with several species of squirrels, although it is most frequent with the eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and the fox squirrel (Sciurus niger). Black morphs of the eastern gray and fox squirrels are the result of an abnormal pigment gene. Several theories have surfaced as to why the black morph occurs, with some suggesting that the black morph is a selective advantage for squirrels inhabiting the northern ranges of the species, with the black-fur providing a thermal advantage over its non-melanistic counterpart.” – Wikipedia

As we learned at Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, McGulpin’s Point Lighthouse, two miles to the west, was the original lighthouse in the area but its light was not visible in all directions. We drove over to see McGulpin’s Point Lighthouse and take a short walk down to the shore.

“The Straits has a well-deserved reputation as a dangerous area to navigate. The region is populated with rocky shoals and shallows that place ships in peril. Perhaps even worse are the storms that can enter the narrow Straits and quickly magnify wind and waves. Over the years large numbers of ships have foundered in the Straits. Many have yet to be discovered.” – Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve

At McGulpin’s Point Lighthouse there were quite a few signs about shipwrecks that have occurred over the years. (Also, you’ll notice from the pictures that it began raining while we were there)

We walked the short Chi-Sin Trail to the shoreline. It was an easy walk and the view at the end was well worth it.

As the sign above says, Chi-Sin means “Big Rock”. We were expecting to see a huge rock sticking out of the water, but, well, see for yourself.

The rock wasn’t quite as big as we expected it to be. However the water and views of the bridge were beautiful. I also discovered while editing my pictures that my phone picked up a small hitchhiker. I didn’t notice the but on my lens that day but you can clearly see it in this picture.

As I said earlier, we spend two days in the area. Our second day we took a ferry out to Mackinac Island. There is quite a bit to see and do on the island and I’ll save that for my next post.