Island Celebrations...Part 1

 

One of my favorite things about our vacation was getting to celebrate our 153^rd monthiversary on Mackinac Island. It’s going to be hard to top that! 😊

We had so much fun that I think I might just take two days to tell you all about it.

The day was gorgeous, and we loved waking up to a pretty sunrise. We made some coffee and sat on the patio for a little bit to soak up the morning.

We grabbed breakfast and then got ready to leave for our fun day on the Island.

I told you about our first trip to the Island and our experience on the ferry. This one was completely different. The one we had used on Sunday didn’t run after Labor Day, so we switched to Shepler’s Ferry. Our hotel offered discounted ferry tickets for people staying there – and free shuttle service there and back. The lobby called for the shuttle and it arrived immediately. The driver joked…or at least I thought he was joking…about not waiting for anyone not present, but he was NOT KIDDING. We hopped on and he moved along to the next hotel and had to hang on for dear life.

The line at the ferry moved quickly, and I used the waiting time to write postcards. The ferry was large, but unfortunately we were too far back in line to get a seat on the top deck. The lower deck is enclosed, and we sat near the front. Everything was great while the hatch door was open, but when they closed it (passengers were cold) it was crazy hot.

No food or drinks are allowed on this ferry, which is mentioned in the FAQs, but unfortunately I had not read them, and it never occurred to me that you wouldn’t be allowed to have something. I was so glad we hadn’t stopped to buy coffee before we boarded!

This boat went MUCH faster than the one we rode before. Even with a side trip under the Mackinac Bridge, we got there much faster. Honestly, though? I preferred the other ferry.

Oh! And we also saw a cruise ship while we were on our way to the Island. I didn’t know cruises sailed the Great Lakes, but they do, and this one was headed to the Island.

 

Our first order of business when we arrived was to find some coffee. Ryan wanted to try The Lucky Bean, which we had see on our last trip. It was the best coffee of the entire trip. So good. We sat outside and talked to a couple from Texas for a while, as we waited for our coffee, and then we took it to go so we could explore on foot.

We started at the Post Office, where we mailed our postcards. It was the cutest little spot with the nicest lady working!

We were also total tourists, getting pictures with random things like the trash wagon and the Amish popcorn shipped from…our home county! I found the Island bookstore, and you better believe I bought a novel set on the Island.

The Island scenes made my heart SO happy.

We got hungry, so we went to the grocery store, which sold absolutely everything under the un. We picked out a salad and a meat and cheese cup and found a little bench in the shade in the park area. We had a fun picnic sharing them both right there!

I’m going to save our afternoon adventures for tomorrow. Come back to see them!