Mackinac Island

Ryan and I helped drive some of the youth group kids up to camp in MI this past week and were free to vacation while they were at camp.  So we jumped on the chance to go to Mackinac Island.  I was afraid I'd built it up too much in my mind, but I was not disappointed!

"Mighty Mac"...headed to the U.P. 

Ferrying over to the island...loved the old lighthouse!

Our hotel from the ferry

I was in love before we even pulled ashore!

Our view from the front porch rockers.

The Island House
We loved where we stayed: great view and just a short walk from
the busy downtown area of shops and restaurants.

There were some pretty impressive private homes on the
island and TONS of very impressive flowers.

One of my favorite things was the sounds of horses hooves on the pavement.

The Fort

The Grand Hotel
We had to wait to take a tour in the morning, as we were not dressed for the 6:00
evening dress code when we first rode by.  Ryan forgot his suit coat, and I my dress.

Another cool hotel and restaurant.  We decided we might as well
celebrate our anniversary a little early with dinner here.  Well worth it!

One of the big things to do on the island is to tour the
8 mile coast by bike or carriage.  We chose bikes.

Beautiful!

Pit stop on Huron

There's just something about no cars!

We went up to the highest point on the island and got a great view.
For those who are familiar with the North Shore of Lake Superior
it was very Pincushion-like...a picture just can't quite capture it all.

A trail straight from the highest point to the fort
...smart British army!

Relaxing on the lawn by the fire with an awesome view.
What a way to end a day!

Thanks to mom and dad and the kids for keeping Jack so we could 1. survive the 12 hour drive, and 2. enjoy some time just the two of us!