What's new

Another Mackinac Island visit (1 Viewer)

John Dirk

Premium
Ambassador
HW Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 7, 2000
Messages
6,720
Location
ATL
Real Name
JOHN
Looks like you made the most of your one night stay on the island, @John Dirk. It looks like you had sunny weather. May can be a roll of the dice up there, and the fish flies come out for a week or so - - they cover everything!
Ah yes, the "Mayflies" as we were instructed to call them. According to an island resident they only live a couple of weeks but boy do they make the most of them.
 

TonyD

Who do we think I am?
Ambassador
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 1, 1999
Messages
24,242
Location
Gulf Coast
Real Name
Tony D.
Hopefully we’ll get back up there next year.
Do we have an easy way to post a bunch of photos on here?
 

Scott Merryfield

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 16, 1998
Messages
18,865
Location
Mich. & S. Carolina
Real Name
Scott Merryfield
Hopefully we’ll get back up there next year.
Do we have an easy way to post a bunch of photos on here?
Not sure how easy it is, but I simply use the IMG ubcode to link to my photos which are stored on a photo sharing website -- Smugmug, in my case. All you need to do is the following, without the spaces between the brackets and the IMG code:

[ IMG ] link to photo [ /IMG ]

I believe you can upload photos directly to the HTF server, too, but I think there are limitations on the number of photos you can store and the image sizes -- I have never actually tried it. Using an external photo sharing site works better, and saves resources on the HTF servers.
 
Last edited:

Scott Merryfield

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 16, 1998
Messages
18,865
Location
Mich. & S. Carolina
Real Name
Scott Merryfield
Ah yes, the "Mayflies" as we were instructed to call them. According to an island resident they only live a couple of weeks but boy do they make the most of them.
Yes, they are short lived, but a real nuisance. We only visited the island once in May, and the flies were so bad we could not ride our bikes around the island -- we ended up getting plastered with bugs. They also swarmed all over us in the parking lot on the dock, getting into the car. Yuck.

We are going earlier in June than we normally do this year, so I hope the flies are gone by the time we get there.
 

TonyD

Who do we think I am?
Ambassador
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 1, 1999
Messages
24,242
Location
Gulf Coast
Real Name
Tony D.
Ah yes. This I already know
Should have been more specific.

If I wanted to post a bunch of photos here is there a good free hosting sight that I could link to.

Maybe I’m not asking the right question.
 

Scott Merryfield

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 16, 1998
Messages
18,865
Location
Mich. & S. Carolina
Real Name
Scott Merryfield
Ah yes. This I already know
Should have been more specific.

If I wanted to post a bunch of photos here is there a good free hosting sight that I could link to.

Maybe I’m not asking the right question.
I use Smugmug, but there is an annual fee. Flickr is free and Amazon provides photo sharing if you are a Prime member. There is also Google Drive and One Drive. If you Google "photo sharing websites" you should find even more.

The downside to the free sites is you usually only get a limited amount of storage space.
 

Scott Merryfield

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 16, 1998
Messages
18,865
Location
Mich. & S. Carolina
Real Name
Scott Merryfield
We just got home yesterday after a three night stay on the island. Arriving just after the Memorial Day holiday worked well. The place was packed on the weekend, according to the employees and business owners we talked with, but was very quiet and uncrowded for our stay.

The sad part was that the private home Brigadoon, which is only separated from the Island House hotel we stay at by one other building, caught fire over the holiday weekend. The historic Victorian-style house lost its entire third floor and suffered over one million dollars in damage. The community did respod quickly to prevent the fire from spreading, and even helped save a couple's wedding.

IMG_3383-X4.jpg


IMG_3385-X4.jpg


The lilacs were blooming. The annual two week Lilac Festival was beginning just as we were leaving.

IMG_3389-X4.jpg


Not even Mackinac Island is immune from summer road construction and closures this year. A 1.5 mile stretch of the road that circles the island was closed. The road on the east side of the island has suffered a lot of damage over the past two years due to high lake levels. Fortunately, there is a small detour we could take around the closure (Scott's Shore Road), so we were still able to take our normal 8 mile ride around the island each day.

20210603_101633-X4.jpg
 
Last edited:

Scott Merryfield

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 16, 1998
Messages
18,865
Location
Mich. & S. Carolina
Real Name
Scott Merryfield
We were on Mackinac Island again last week. Here are a few shots from the visit.

The Scottsville Clown Band performing at the annual Lilac Festival
IMG_3455-X3.jpg


Bagpipe brigade at the Lilac Festival Parade, as it passed by our hotel (The Island House)
IMG_3484-X3.jpg


Freighter passing by the harbor in front of our hotel.
IMG_3514-X3.jpg


The rebuilt road on the east side of the island. This was closed all last year to repair the washed out road. The large boulders are new, to help prevent future erosion.
IMG_3515-X3.jpg


The canon and Mackinac Bridge, at British Landing on the backside of the island.
IMG_3519-X3.jpg


Some of the blooming lilacs, and a view of the town, from our hotel.
IMG_3520-X3.jpg
 

Jeff Whitford

Screenwriter
Joined
Dec 31, 1998
Messages
1,296
I had heard about the Island all my life but had never been there before. My wife had when she was little. I have to say it was one of the biggest disapointments and biggest tourists traps i've ever been to. They charge for everything and the island has horse shit everywhere. We included our stop there on our Covid 2020 trip around Lake Michigan and along the shores of Lake Superior for fall color and waterfalls (which was breathtaking). We had planned to spend the whole day there and were so disgusted with the money grabbing that we left at noon and headed to our next destination. This photo was my commentary on the island.
EYJPE1224[1].JPG
 

Bryan^H

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2005
Messages
9,515
I had heard about the Island all my life but had never been there before. My wife had when she was little. I have to say it was one of the biggest disapointments and biggest tourists traps i've ever been to. They charge for everything and the island has horse shit everywhere. We included our stop there on our Covid 2020 trip around Lake Michigan and along the shores of Lake Superior for fall color and waterfalls (which was breathtaking). We had planned to spend the whole day there and were so disgusted with the money grabbing that we left at noon and headed to our next destination. This photo was my commentary on the island.
View attachment 176807
Charge for everything...I'm not sure what you mean.
Hotels, food, bike rental? What did you not like paying for? Did you stay at the Grand Hotel? Because that is expensive.
 

Jeff Whitford

Screenwriter
Joined
Dec 31, 1998
Messages
1,296
"Hotels, food, bike rental?" No I expected to pay for that and that the prices would be at a premium. Didn't stay on the island. They evidently didnt use to charge to go in the main Fort and now they do. Which I understand with modern times but I thought paying close to $16 per person to walk thru was a little ridculous. Then they wanted to charge me $10 to take a picture of the Grand Hotel from the street that runs along the side of it. We walked back into town bought our fudge ( the wife wanted to say she bought it on the island) and got on the ferry back to Mackinac City.
 
Last edited:

Scott Merryfield

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 16, 1998
Messages
18,865
Location
Mich. & S. Carolina
Real Name
Scott Merryfield
I had heard about the Island all my life but had never been there before. My wife had when she was little. I have to say it was one of the biggest disapointments and biggest tourists traps i've ever been to. They charge for everything and the island has horse shit everywhere. We included our stop there on our Covid 2020 trip around Lake Michigan and along the shores of Lake Superior for fall color and waterfalls (which was breathtaking). We had planned to spend the whole day there and were so disgusted with the money grabbing that we left at noon and headed to our next destination. This photo was my commentary on the island.
View attachment 176807
It is certainly not cheap to stay on the island -- and prices keep going up, just like everywhere else during these times of runaway inflation. Not sure what you expected with the horse manure, either, as the animals are used for so many things and they have to "do their business" somewhere. There are people paid to go around cleaning up the manure, and they do a decent job of keeping it cleared, but you will encounter some manure.

If you only spent a couple of hours on the island, then you probably never left the town where all the shops and restaurants are located -- just like most people who visit the island for such a short amount of time. The restaurants are not cheap -- you are on an island with businesses that must survive during a short tourist season, and they must make all their money from May through October. There is so much more to the island if you have the time. My wife and I hike through trails on the interior, and bike around the perimeter (or the interior, if we feel like climbing the hills on our bicycles). We also bring our own food for breakfast and just pick up some milk at Doud's grocery store, plus pack our own beer for when we hang out relaxing on the porch of the Island House hotel where we stay. This helps keep the cost down a little.

We did book our two trips for this year again (June and September). However, with prices continuing to rise, my wife and I decided that next year we will go down to a single trip per year and go somewhere else less expensive for a few days in place of that 2nd annual visit.
 

Scott Merryfield

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 16, 1998
Messages
18,865
Location
Mich. & S. Carolina
Real Name
Scott Merryfield
"Hotels, food, bike rental?" No I expected to pay for that and that the prices would be at a premium. They evidently didnt use to charge to go in the main Fort and now they do. Which I understand with modern times but I thought paying close to $16 per person to walk thru was a little ridculous. Then they wanted to charge me $10 to take a picture of the Grand Hotel from the street that runs along the side of it. We walked back into town bought our fudge ( the wife wanted to say she bought it on the island) and got on the ferry back to Mackinac City.
There has been a charge for entry to Fort Mackinac as long as I can remember, and I have been going to the island since I was a kid. As for the Grand Hotel, there is no reason that you could not take a photo for free from the main road. Plus, if you know the back way into the property from the West Bluff, you can walk right by the front porch without paying a cent (see the photo of my wife and I below).

IMG_3450-XL.jpg


Here is a shot of the Grand Hotel from the main public road. Doesn't cost anything -- it's a public road.

IMG_3410-XL.jpg



BTW, you can go to the island's other fort -- restored Fort Holmes -- for free. It's a bit of a hike to the highest point on the island, but it's worth the effort if you have the time.

451A4571-XL.jpg
 
Last edited:

Jeff Whitford

Screenwriter
Joined
Dec 31, 1998
Messages
1,296
We did go thru Fort Holmes, Arch Rock, past a couple cemetaries. We spent very little time in town. I understand the biology of horses, animals and humans. We never saw anyone picking up the horse poop. It was eveywhere. We only planned to spend the day there and then drive to Frankfort at night. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I would rather spend a couple days in Munising for a third of the price and enjoy the dozen or so waterfalls around it and Pictured Rocks national Lakeshore
 
Last edited:

Scott Merryfield

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 16, 1998
Messages
18,865
Location
Mich. & S. Carolina
Real Name
Scott Merryfield
We did go thru Fort Holmes, Arch Rock, past a couple cemetaries. We spent very little time in town. I understand the biology of horses, animals and humans. We never saw anyone picking up the horse poop. It was eveywhere. We only planned to spend the day there and then drive to Frankfort at night. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I would rather spend a couple days in Munising for a third of the price and enjoy the dozen or so waterfalls around it and Pictured Rocks national Lakeshore


There should have been workers walking around sweeping up the manure -- we certainly saw them during our two visits there last year. Everything is definitely more expensive on the island, though. We stopped for lunch at a local place in Roscommon where my parents had lived for 31 years (about an hour south of Mackinac) on our drive home, and I pointed out to my wife that our lunch was less than half the price it would have cost on the island.

Munising and the Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore is certainly a beautiful area. There are lots of great places to visit in Michigan's Upper Peninsula -- Whitefish Point, Tahquamenon Falls, Copper Harbor, Lake in the Clouds, Isle Royale, etc.

We also love the Frankfort area that you visited. Our niece's family has a wonderful piece of property (9 acres) on a bluff just south of town with a great view of the water.
 
Last edited:

Scott Merryfield

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 16, 1998
Messages
18,865
Location
Mich. & S. Carolina
Real Name
Scott Merryfield
We were on Mackinac Island once again earlier this week for three nights. The weather was pretty lousy (lots of rain and temps in the 50's). It felt more like October than June. The lilacs were in full bloom, though. I didn't get many nice photos, but this was the first trip using my new Canon R10 + RF-S 18-150mm lens as my small travel kit.

IMG_1000-X4.jpg


IMG_1007-X4.jpg


IMG_1034-X4.jpg


IMG_1030-X4.jpg


IMG_1018-X4.jpg


Kayaks along the eastern shore

IMG_1021-X4.jpg


If you are looking for a summer cottage, maybe this. It's only $5.1M. :D

IMG_1047-X4.jpg
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Forum statistics

Threads
356,814
Messages
5,123,726
Members
144,184
Latest member
H-508
Recent bookmarks
0
Top