6/24 Mackinaw City & Wilderness State Park, MI

Unless you have traveled to Michigan, you may not have heard of Mackinaw City.  It is the top-most city on the northern tip of Michigan's lower "mitt."  It is a pretty small village and extremely empty during the winter, but it comes alive in late spring with tourists heading across the "Big Mac" bridge to the Upper Peninsula or to Mackinac Island.

(Note that the city is spelled with a "W" at the end and the island is spelled with a "c" at the end.  This is because the English settled in the city and the French settled on the island.  Both places were fur trading locations and stopping places for hundreds of years for Native Americans.  Both places are pronounced "aw" at the end.)

About ten miles west of the village and along Lake Michigan, you will find Wilderness State Park, which is where I am staying for three days. 

This is the new, full hookup area.  No room for me there, so I drove up the hill to another area. 

No lake view up here, but it was open and breezy to keep mosquitoes at bay, and I got some satellite TV.  

 

A quick view of Lake Michigan.  Note the lack of a beach.  Water levels on the Great Lakes at record high levels, so hardly any beaches anywhere on any of the lakes. 

I had expected it to rain all day today, but around noon, it started to clear up, so I packed everything up and headed into Mackinaw City to get some fudge.  First stop was the parking area just under the bridge, which is part of Fort Michilimackinac State Park.  I knew from past trips up here that there was excellent RV parking in the fort's parking lot next to the bridge, so I stopped here.

The fort is a reconstruction, but I like the Michigan products sold at the visitor's center, so I headed over there to look around.  Did not buy anything, but I like how it is tucked under the bridge. 

This is the pretty little park next to the bridge.  Always a pleasant place.

This is the Big Mac bridge.  It was completed in 1957 to tie Michigan's lower and upper peninsulas together at what is known as the Straits of Mackinac.  Previously, you had to wait in hours' long lines to take a car ferry across the straits.  From shore to shore, the bridge is five miles long and very scary to drive in high winds. 

A couple of photos of some of the exhibits.  There are more in the fort, but it was closed.

One thing I really miss in my travels are lilacs.  Found this bush in full bloom in the middle of a roadway.

This is the very pleasant village of Mackinaw City.  About half of the stores and restaurants were closed, but it was nice anyway.

There are several large ferry companies in Mackinaw City and in St. Ignas on the other end of the bridge.  They take visitors to Mackinac Island for day trips or for longer stays at hotels and bed and breakfasts.

Ah, my favorite fudge place!!

And a few of the choices of fudge flavors.

I got a slice of double dark pecan, double dark chocolate, and double dark cherry and pecan. 

If the weather is OK, I may go to the Island tomorrow.