DAYS 62-66 : Presque Isle to Cheboygan - Bois Blanc Island - St Ignace - Mackinac Island

Presque Isle MI to Cheboygan MI: 8.8 mph; 53.9 miles; 6:08 hours
Cheboygan to Bois Blanc Island, MI: 6.3 mph; 5 miles; 0:48 hours
Cheboygan to St Ignace MI: 8.1 mph; 16.9 iles; 2:13 hours
*Used the Ferry for Mackinac Island

Cheboygan Marina 

$47/night: electric, water, showers/bathrooms, coin-operated laundry. Diesel/gas, pump-out. Everything a girl could ask for!

Great town within walking distance. The Cheboygan Brewery has scheduled music (we were there for the polka night) and does not offer food but encourages food deliveries with a ton of menus to choose from (otherwise, you are stuck with the Dairy Queen - the Queen is also the reason for the absence of food trucks). BC Pizza and Rusty Dogs are big in this area with good reason - yummy! We didn’t see a grocery store but found a pharmacy (closed Sundays). This area also has a really cute downtown area with shops.

Bois Blanc Island Marina

Maybe $20ish/night: electric and water. This is another new favorite place and NOT because it has a lot to offer by way of amenities. I loved this island because that’s all it is - an island. A summer cottage island with crystal clear water and an escape from the fast pace of the rest of the world. There are 60-70 full time residents and the island houses the smallest school district, a one-room schoolhouse in the state of Michigan, K-8 built 1936 with a current average of 1:4 teacher to student ratio. I wonder quality of education is the same caliber as Tangier Island...

We met a local collecting rocks for a building a fire pit and he decided to give us a ride all over the place. How cool was that! I asked him about higher education and he explained that there is a ferry bus, ferry chopper, and ice road used as weather dictates - I want to teach here!

The island is named for the Paper Wood White Birch trees growing on the island. There are two landings for the ferry service south and east. Apparently, the east side landing offers a few things ‘in town’; we docked at the marina (south) and this landing is used when the lake is ‘testy’.

St Ignace Marina 

$47/night: electric, water, showers/bathrooms, coin-operated laundry, fuel, pump-out. The marina has a great staff and is surrounded by a waterfront village. 

We elected to stay in St Ignace rather than Mackinaw City for a slower/quieter pace. Mackinac Island was a choice ($61/night) but it was just plain bouncy - no protection for west/eastbound winds. If you decide to stay here, you'll need to make reservations in advance. 

St Ignace was founded in 1882; the post office is located within the waterfront village and a little walk will get you to the Dollar General. A grocery store is a much longer walk - maybe an Uber. The shops have all the markings of a tourist trap in a welcoming ‘old world’ way. The town had scheduled music in the park with local artists - pretty cool really. We were here for two nights.

Mackinac Island: FERRY RIDE/DAY TRIP $30

The ferry ride over to the island was quick. We visited all the tourist/historical places we could find. When you first arrive on the island, stop in the Seabiscuit Cafe for a quick bite. The movie Sea Biscuit is muted and plays on a loop with classic Rick James filling in for the background music - totally unexpected but a perfect combination. 

Fort Mackinac was cool. It sits on the hill overlooking the harbor; a defense strategy wasn’t the reason for the fort's location - dude wanted a view!

Of course, we went to The Grand Hotel; the hotel was constructed in under 100 days and opened in 1887. It is beautiful, simply beautiful, with a 660 foot front porch - the longest in the WORLD. The interior design is a serious throwback to an older time and place with fabrics and furniture dating to the early 1900’s. The Cupola has the best view of the island’s harbor and makes a perfect drink - get to the Cupola around 11:00 and you'll have choice of seating. There is absolutely no tipping allowed within The Grand Hotel; any tip offered is offensive and will not be accepted. We knew this ahead of time and saw it in practice. 

Funny Little Moments In The Grand: When we left the Cupola, we found ourselves in the residential area by mistake and the service staff helped us back to the common area. Then, outside, we took another wrong turn and found ourselves in a section of the hotel grounds restricted for guests. A pleasant little man came up to us and asked if we were lost. We had to laugh; we were so turned around! He 'helped us' find our way back to town. The little man was the Head Grounds Keeper. He replaced his father's position and continues to live in his 'childhood home', a cottage on the grounds.

The island does not allow cars - only horses drawn carriages; so, be prepared to walk uphill and watch your step. 

Mackinac is known for its fudge. I think the fudge popularity is due to the number of fudge companies on such a small island. People come from all over the world and fudge companies ship everywhere. I had fudge from Murdick’s and Ryba’s - they taste the same to me. We even sent fudge home (from Ryba’s - better packaging).

We did get the chance to see the fudge dynasty in action. Ryba's has a small store on St Ignace and we popped in for some ice cream (ice cream and fudge go hand in hand). I noticed all the FedEx boxes packed and ready. There were a LOT of them; so I asked, "What's the deal here?" The grandmother behind the counter explained the global market 'to places I can't even pronounce' and that she was ready for her granddaughter to take over the shipping department after high school graduation. Seems to be a theme here.