Mazy & Mommy’s Mackinaw Adventures

For the past 4 years, Mazy and I have been able to take a little “Mommy/Daughter” trip up to Mackinaw! Growing up, this was a favorite place for my family and oh the memories we created in the city and on Mackinaw Island! Our first trip was after I was diagnosed with cancer and after my first battle. It was such a precious time to spend together after being separated every month for a week, to receive treatments in Ann Arbor. We decided that year, we should make it an annual tradition, but didn’t realize that the fight wasn’t over.

Well, here we are, 4 years later, still making memories like it’s our first time up there. We do things that we do every time we visit, those normal traditions, but each year we still find new things to do and places to see. We went the week after we got out of school, and yes, the temps were a bit cooler, but still allowed for shorts by the end of the day! We couldn’t have asked for better weather, it was way less crowded, the mosquitoes were a bit much at times in the city, but we can’t wait to do it again next year! Here’s what our 2 night, 3 day stay all entailed:

We always have to drive across the bridge (which I have a love/hate relationship with as I LOVE the bridge, but hate heights). As you can see, there are barely any cars!

Our first stop after our 4 hour drive was Castle Rock. I hadn’t been there since I was a kid, and whew, climbing those stairs after sitting for 4 hours, challenged the ole knees, but we made it! The sky couldn’t have been bluer and the view more beautiful!

We also checked out the Mystery Spot, which I also hadn’t been to in YEARS, and since we were the only ones there, we got a personal tour with Mike, and had just a hoot of a time!

This view just never gets old. It’s my favorite beach (Wawatum Park) in the city, where you can watch the ferries come and go, view the bridge, find sea glass, and skip rocks. It just never gets old! Though we about got carried away by mosquitoes, so we did have to get some spray to survive, but once we did, we were good to go.

Shopping at Mackinaw Crossings:

Another place we always go…under the bridge, so Mazy can stand in 2 lakes at once :).

Spring was late this year because according to Mike at the Mystery Spot, the area got 39 inches of snow the beginning of April. Yikaroos! Needless to say, the leaves weren’t even in full bloom yet, the last week of May! But the tulips were, which made it so beautiful!

Our second day there, we took the ferry to the island. This year, we decided to take our own bikes, and that was the perfect decision for us, since we wanted to explore more of the island, but now didn’t have to think about every hour we were paying for rentals! So we explored all the sights along the southern end of the island, including Arch Rock:

Sugar loaf rock! We were often the only ones on the trails, which was so amazing! It was so peaceful, quiet, and Mazy and I just soaked in all the nature of this area:

Fort Holmes:

Isn’t this just the cutest airport?

After we were done biking up in the hills, we decided to make our trek back down the big hill, but of course had to stop at Sadie’s Ice Cream Parlor, next to the Grand Hotel!

When I say it was quiet, it was QUIET! By the afternoon, there were more people, but I don’t think we ever got through the shops as fast as we did because we weren’t dodging people! And look at the sky, like I said, it was just the most perfect day!

Devil’s Kitchen:

When in Mackinaw, you’ve gotta make a rock tower!

One day we will stay on the island overnight! One day!

While in the city, we saw the Icebreaker Museum, a place we had never been, and Mazy really wanted to go. So, our last day there, we decided to check it out and it was SO fun! Definitely recommend it!

A medical facility/room on the boat:

Those are some tight quarters!

I don’t know…she looks like a natural in that chair:

On the way home, we decided to take a different route home, along the western coast. A friend of mine from school told me about the “tunnel of trees”. After googling pictures, I knew we had to check it out, even though some of the road was closed, due to washout from rains. Never have a driven on a road such as M-119, and never have I seen a landscape like this, right along the lake! IT WAS INSANELY BEAUTIFUL! I can only imagine this in the fall, but oh my goodness, every turn we made (which some of them are VERY tight), Mazy and I were commenting on the beauty! We only met maybe 3 cars the whole way (which I was hoping we wouldn’t get into car trouble b/c it was so dead out there), but it was the perfect time to drive it, since the road is quite narrow. I wish I would’ve taken more pictures, but it was definitely a two hands on the wheel type road :).

Do you have any traditions you like to do in your family? Any places you like to go with your kiddos or husband? Are there any places up north that should be checking out in that area?