Well, there seems to have been a tiny delay between the reporting of Day 2 and this recap of Day 3. But, finally, several weeks after the actual event, come photos and recollections!

I loved our time in the Traverse City area. But I was very excited about visiting the UP too.

My mom couldn’t afford to travel when I was a kid, but she managed to put together one vacation to Mackinac Island. I was seven. It was fun. I remember vividly being terrified of the ramp that led up to the fort. It seemed like I was going to fall backward down the slope. Truthfully, other than the pool at our hotel, I think that’s the only real thing I remember about that trip.

Until Scott and I visited the island again many moons ago, that had been my only visit to the upper portion of our state. And the second trip was pretty quick as well. St. Ignace > ferry > island > ferry > St. Ignace > home.

On Day 3, we set Mackinac Island as our destination once again (taking the scenic drive from TC through Petoskey and Charlevoix). And I completely forgot how much it disappointed me as an adult. Two words to describe it: PEOPLE and FUDGE.

There are some lovely areas in the interior of the island, yes. But muscling through the crowds to get to them is the trick.

After being thrilled with the ferry ride – and the bridge crossing – Devin was eager to get on board one of the bikes, so we grabbed some lunch and then headed to the nearest bike stand. Wait, that’s the third word I’d use: BIKES. There are bike stands everywhere. And bikes everywhere. And people riding those bikes everywhere. Can you tell that I’m a bit of a people-phobe?

We saddled up our two-wheeled vehicles and pedaled off to explore the perimeter of the island. It’s definitely a beautiful place. And it’s nice to get away from the huge hubbub of the main street to the less-chaotic hubbub of the bike loop. We stopped many times along the way to check out the scenery (or in Devin’s case, to throw rocks into the water).

After our spin around, we filed back onto the ferry and to St. Ignace to find our hotel and grab some dinner. And sleep. Driving and bike riding is exhausting, you know.