Showing posts with label vacations in northern Michigan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacations in northern Michigan. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Summer Trips

We recently returned from a long weekend up north, between the upper and lower peninsula in Michigan to be exact. Mackinac Island has been a resort destination for over a century, and it maintains its old-fashioned aura. No automobiles are allowed. The only ways to get around are by foot, bicycle, or horse.

Although a drizzly day, we pushed our bikes up the island to get this gorgeous view.



Below is the famed Grand Hotel. Perched high up on a bluff, it overlooks the Mackinaw straits and boasts a magnificent view of the Mackinaw Bridge. (Mackinac Island and Mackinaw City are spelled differently, for reasons still unclear to me!)



Here's a snapshot of the adorable shopping district. Think fudge, t-shirts, and more fudge. Yum!



Fort Mackinac brims with interpreters in period costumes. We enjoyed watching someone get court-marshalled, and my niece and brother-in-law even learned how to properly march in formation.



A highlight of our trip was a stop at Hartwick Pines. The park is a preserve for the tall growth forests that used to cover northern Michigan. Nature takes over in Hartwick Pines--the trees are protected from being cut. Beautiful trails lead to a restored logging camp and a hands-on visitors center, but the highlight for me was this incredible wooden church nestled in the middle of towering trees.



Do you take long weekend trips? Where will this summer lead you?