Day 90- Mackinaw City, Michigan

The grey line is the International border between Canada and the USA. We are officially back in the states. Canada has been a delightful place but it is still good to be back in our home country.
Final look at Canadian waters.

One of the things I was looking forward to seeing here in the lakes was a 'Laker' cargo ship.  These freighters move bulk cargo, typically iron ore, from lake ports to other lake ports.  These pictures are of a classic 'Laker'.  Built before I was born, the Arthur M. Anderson has been plying the waters of Lakes Michigan, Superior and Huron since she was launched.  Note the configuration of the deck houses, with the pilot house forward and the engineering and accommodation aft.

With it's distinctive paint scheme, the Arthur M. Anderson is also famous for a tragic event that is well known.  She was the last vessel to be in contact with the doomed freighter Edmund Fitzgerald the night she broke up and sank in a November gale.  She was also the first on the scene to search for survivors, of which there were none.  That she was the first 'Laker' for us to see made this a very special moment.




What a difference a day makes!  The peaceful, idyllic expanses of the North Channel gave way to tourist mayhem approaching Mackinac Island.

First, the tell-tale sight of a parasailing boat...

Next the first hotels came into sight as we passed Mackinac Island.

The harbor of Mackinac Island.  (to short circuit confusion, it's pronounced 'Mackinaw' and even spelled that way five miles away).

How were we to know that the annual Chicago-Mackinac yacht race was just finishing, 
300 boats, 300 miles.  That translates to a crowd everywhere.
The Round Island Passage Lighthouse was the finish line for the race.

One of the ferries from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island.  The impressive spume of water from the back of this thing is just for show.  It has its own engine to make that spray.  Oy!

The Round Island Lighthouse

Another sailboat finishing the race with the Grand Hotel in the background.
More on the hotel tomorrow.

Traffic near the island.  These are the smaller boats trickling in.  The big boys are already here.  The winner smashed the record by three hours, taking just over 22 hours to cover the nearly 300 miles of the course.  A bad squall on the first night left three boats dismasted and a lot of stories to tell.



More gratuitous spray...

Big Mac, the bridge that marks the boundary between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.  It connects the lower part of Michigan with the U.P.

Part of the park next to the marina.

The Armed Sloop Welcome. 
This replica of the original Welcome was built by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission at Fort Michilimackinac to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.



Mackinaw City is basically a tourist trap.  
T-shirts, countless fudge shops and an insatiable desire for the tourist dollars.


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