7/28 Mackinaw City & Wilderness State Park

I have been to Mackinaw City many times, but I wanted to get some Michigan t-shirts and pick up some Michigan gift items, plus get some fudge at my favorite fudge shop, all of which I accomplished.  Plus, I had a good visit with an RVing friend I have known for quite a few years.  We had fish sandwiches for lunch and wandered around the shops, as well as stopped by a favorite park near the bridge.  

I had spent the previous night at Wilderness State Park, which is about ten miles west of the city.  After shopping, I headed back to the campground, but since it was still fairly early, I stopped at this lighthouse on the way.  I had to park across a small road at a rest area because the lighthouse entrance was narrow and filled with trees with low branches.

The lighthouse tower is not very tall, but it was in use from 1969 to 1906 as the primary light for the Straits of Mackinac.  (Straits of Mackinac is the name for the area between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron where there are a lot of storms and fog.)  It was privately owned for many years, but it was purchased by the county as a historic site in 2008 and opened to the public. 

Surprisingly, the lighthouse light is working!  It was refurbishes and relit in 2009 as an official Private Aid to Navigation.  See https://www.mcgulpinpoint.org/history/ for a history of the lighthouse.

Nice views from the top!

 

 

Had an interesting drive back to Wilderness State Park when I saw this animal crossing the road.  When I first saw it, I was sure it was a fox because it was smaller than the coyotes I have seen out west and the one I saw many years ago in Michigan.  However, in looking up photos comparing the two species, I am not so sure because this animal looks taller than a fox and has a shorter tail.  So maybe it is just a juvenile coyote??  

Anyway, this was a very relaxed animal.  It wandered slowly from the opposite site of the highway, stopped to smell something, and then leisurely walked back to the other side!!

The entrance to Wilderness State Park.