Mackinac Island Tour 2004
| I had grand plans indeed for 2004. Seeing as I had missed touring the island the previous year (see the Tahquamenon Falls tour for what we did in 2003!), I was determined to play catch-up and try to locate some landmarks I had failed to find the previous time. These included Chimney Rock, which in 2003 had been purchased by the Park Commission for $600,000 and returned to the park; Lover's Leap, which I can just NEVER find anywhere!; and some older spots called the Friendship Altar and Scott's Cave, as well as something new I had spotted on my PDF map, called Eagle Point Cave. I also wanted to detour vaguely inland to again see Crack-in-the-Island and Cave of the Woods, and to take some of the more scenic routes past the Battlefield of 1814...and maybe to make it to the East Bluff and try to find the location of the old Fairy Arch, which has likely collapsed since the last accounts I've managed to find of it, in the late 1800s. While on the East Bluff, I also planned to swing by Robinson's Folly from above, then make my way down toward town to see Anne's Tablet and the Cass Memorial, and then to meet up with Ma in Marquette Park once I was done. Aside from her accompanying me a short way along the West Bluff, I would be completely on my own this time. o_o;;;
Using the map I even outlined my exact route so I would not get lost...but following it was easier said than done...considering that many of the trails on the West Bluff are not LABELED correctly! Road signs are frequently missing or not visible until you reach the end of the road...plus there was one major obstacle we came across concerning the Grand Hotel. Keep reading for a warning about that, if you are considering taking to the West Bluff to view the cottages. The weather this year was overcast with the potential for rain but aside from a very brief trickle, luckily it held out! I walked for about nine hours straight, with only brief bathroom breaks in town and at British Landing, and didn't even stop to eat or rest aside from shooting pictures. By the time I dragged myself back down into town my feet and shoulders were KILLING me. But I did get to see an awful lot--and went WAY, WAY overboard on the tree photos. ^_^; And I DID find some new landmarks for you to see! :D There are 216 digital pictures available from this tour. Sixty-one are presented here. To view all available photos, please see this album. (Be aware that the page may take a while to load.) |
| It's funny and I only realized it as I began to redo this site. This very same house also appears late in the 2000 tour--I didn't even recognize it! ^_^ This was as we started out up Market Street on our way to Cadotte Avenue. |
| A pretty little house on Cadotte Avenue. The residences in this area are quite classy looking, but private. |
| Here is the Little Stone Congregational Church on Cadotte Avenue. This is a Michigan registered historic site: "The Union Congregational Church, affectionately called Little Stone Church, was established in 1900 by eleven charter members. Local residents and summer visitors donated funds for its construction. The cornerstone was laid on August 2, 1904. This structure was built of Mackinac Island stones in an eclectic Gothic style. Its handsome stained glass windows, installed in 1914, tell the story of the Protestant movement on the Island. Open only during the summer, this church has been a landmark to visitors and a popular wedding site." |
| We got detoured very early into the tour, by this scene overlooking the unmarked (on the map, that is) Woodfill Park. The trees down in the park were just so gorgeous, and Ma was so interested in the flowers, that we had to take a peek! |
| A tree-lined path in Woodfill Park. |
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