First off, my apologies for the lack of updates. Yes, we are bit behind. I hope/plan to be up to date before we start riding here again on Saturday, June 30. We have taken a few weeks off in Ohio visiting Ryan'a parents.
Mackinac Island is a historic island only 8 miles in circumference, consists mostly of historic buildings starting from the early 1800's and most of the island is now a historic landmark. The streets were bustling with people on bicycles or foot, horse drawn buggies and work horses. Not a car or motorized vehicle in sight. The main street in town sits along the water close to the ferries lined with buildings selling taffy, homemade fudge, cheese, coffee shops, restaurants, souvenir shops, one grocery store, clothing stores, etc. Unfortunately there is one Starbucks in town, but we discovered that it is owned by a local, making it not quite as bad I guess. We still chose to support the truly independent barista.
The streets having parking spots designated for bikes, forbidding bicycles on the sidewalks. Barely anyone locks their bike although we did hear of some thefts that are often discovered because well, where can you hide on an island that is 4 square miles? The locals were all friendly and although we were slightly reprimanded for tucking our bikes and gear under an awning on the sidewalk to avoid the 20 minute rainfall, we gladly accepted an offer to start our morning off with a bloody mary. The manager of the restaurant Seabiscuit greeted us outside as we avoided the rain and we gladly took his offer to sit at a bar for a cocktail and conversation. What a way to start our day on Mackinac. John was the manager of the restaurant and could not have been nicer. He was definitely a highlight of our trip, someone we will continue to refer back to. Yes, he truly was that nice and that much fun.
As I drank my first bloody mary, Ryan talked with a couple outside about our travels and all four of our bikes. Before long they invited us to stay at their home and to meet up later in the day for a drink at the local bar. We were in! Anneke and Matt had spent much of their life on the island, making the official year round move a bit later in life, but are not considered true locals because they were not born on the island. Ahh small town life. What fantastic people! It was like we had known them forever. I can definitely see us getting together in the future for trips. I love these encounters and this is one of the reasons we love this type of travel. We make friends who we would never be able to meet otherwise.
After a few beers, we rode around to the other side of the island 3 miles to their beautiful home they built starting eight years ago. Lucky for them, Matt is a handyman and the place is absolutely gorgeous. We helped the neighbors move logs before watching the sunset over the pale blue lake with gusty winds off the water. Mackinac Island had cold winds that chill you to the core. The winters must be brutal. A few more beers, conversation and a delicious dinner, we shared stories of travel and life on the island. What a way to spend a day. We are two lucky people and would have been thrilled to take them up on their offer to stay one more night, but we had more friends to meet up with before they left for the weekend. An early start, a quick stop to thank John from Seabiscuit and we were back on the ferry to the mainland for a day of riding in our down jackets into the wind gusts of up to 20 mph. Thankfully the sun was shining because that wind is definitely chilly.
Mackinac Island is a historic island only 8 miles in circumference, consists mostly of historic buildings starting from the early 1800's and most of the island is now a historic landmark. The streets were bustling with people on bicycles or foot, horse drawn buggies and work horses. Not a car or motorized vehicle in sight. The main street in town sits along the water close to the ferries lined with buildings selling taffy, homemade fudge, cheese, coffee shops, restaurants, souvenir shops, one grocery store, clothing stores, etc. Unfortunately there is one Starbucks in town, but we discovered that it is owned by a local, making it not quite as bad I guess. We still chose to support the truly independent barista.
The streets having parking spots designated for bikes, forbidding bicycles on the sidewalks. Barely anyone locks their bike although we did hear of some thefts that are often discovered because well, where can you hide on an island that is 4 square miles? The locals were all friendly and although we were slightly reprimanded for tucking our bikes and gear under an awning on the sidewalk to avoid the 20 minute rainfall, we gladly accepted an offer to start our morning off with a bloody mary. The manager of the restaurant Seabiscuit greeted us outside as we avoided the rain and we gladly took his offer to sit at a bar for a cocktail and conversation. What a way to start our day on Mackinac. John was the manager of the restaurant and could not have been nicer. He was definitely a highlight of our trip, someone we will continue to refer back to. Yes, he truly was that nice and that much fun.
As I drank my first bloody mary, Ryan talked with a couple outside about our travels and all four of our bikes. Before long they invited us to stay at their home and to meet up later in the day for a drink at the local bar. We were in! Anneke and Matt had spent much of their life on the island, making the official year round move a bit later in life, but are not considered true locals because they were not born on the island. Ahh small town life. What fantastic people! It was like we had known them forever. I can definitely see us getting together in the future for trips. I love these encounters and this is one of the reasons we love this type of travel. We make friends who we would never be able to meet otherwise.
After a few beers, we rode around to the other side of the island 3 miles to their beautiful home they built starting eight years ago. Lucky for them, Matt is a handyman and the place is absolutely gorgeous. We helped the neighbors move logs before watching the sunset over the pale blue lake with gusty winds off the water. Mackinac Island had cold winds that chill you to the core. The winters must be brutal. A few more beers, conversation and a delicious dinner, we shared stories of travel and life on the island. What a way to spend a day. We are two lucky people and would have been thrilled to take them up on their offer to stay one more night, but we had more friends to meet up with before they left for the weekend. An early start, a quick stop to thank John from Seabiscuit and we were back on the ferry to the mainland for a day of riding in our down jackets into the wind gusts of up to 20 mph. Thankfully the sun was shining because that wind is definitely chilly.
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