Memories Of Mackinac Island

Little did we know when we checked in, but there was so much more to love about our Bay View accommodations than the warm, 3 o'clock cookies! Homemade desserts served on the sun porch at 8 PM (ice cream portions that even my husband had to admit were adequate-- that's a LOT!). And the breakfasts... oh, the breakfasts: peach French toast served with fresh fruit and sausages. Broccoli and cheddar quiche served with incredibly light, baked-from-scratch, cinnamon rolls, bacon and fruit. I'm getting hungry all over again just in the reporting! The staff were friendly and fun. Our first morning there we were serenaded after breakfast by our singing waitress with a rendition of Anne Murray's "Snowbird" that I daresay even Simon Cowell would have cheered.

Mackinaw Island is 8.2 miles around, we walked that (we needed to... see above!) when there was a break in the rain. It is such an interesting place beyond the touristy shops and carriage rides. The island completely shuts down at the end of October (excepting the locals) and doesn't reopen until the end of April. Every shop, restaurant and hotel close and lock their doors for six months! The ferries stop running and the Straits of Mackinac freeze. There are approximately 500 local folks who stay year-round on the island, snowmobiles provide transportation back and forth to St. Ignace for supplies once the ice proves worthy. There are 80 children enrolled in the public Mackinaw Island school, which never sees a snow day; sleds and snowmobiles, replace yellow school buses in this environment! The local community is a close one, everyone looks out for each another. Our chef at the Bay View, Rosie, told us that she had stayed over the winter a few times in past years. A large Christmas tree and nativity are constructed and illuminated on the ferry dock at Mackinaw Island in December. She described how this becomes a navigational tool for the snowmobiles returning across the ice from the U.P. I can only imagine how welcoming those lights are after traveling miles across a frozen surface on a frigid, gray, winter's day! There's plenty to remember about Mackinac; but it's the people, and their spirit, that remain in my mind.

Life is Good!