May 4, 2006 saw us return to Mackinac Island for the second time in almost 9 months. Last time we were heading out to take a vacataion, this time we had other things in mind. It was mostly a celebration of Jen surviving 6 years working towards her Masters degree. We also had a couple of other things in mind for the trip... but we'll get to that a little later.
Along with the other picture above, this was taken from inside the ferry on the way to the island. It was decidedly cooler than it was last summer. There was also a bit of a wind advisory causing the waves to shoot more spray as we rode over Lake Huron. This, through the water, is The Grand Hotel, the place we ended up NOT staying at.
This is a sign outside The Grand. It also outlines one of the main reasons that we chose to NOT stay there. I guess riding your bike along the road after 6 is a bad idea unless you are wearing a dress or something. I was actually hoping to have a little fun on our trip, so I ended up not going through with the reservation at the last second and instead choosing...
Mission Point Resort. It's along the southern point of the island and has a rather interesting history. Unfortunately, along with the rest of the island, not everything was entirely open. So our plan to hit the hot tub that night was axed. Most of the stores were still applying fresh coats of paint, getting ready for the unofficial flood of tourists (lemmings) to come the next week. It was interesting to see the island in a completely different state than when we went there last August. Instead of having a tighly packed sea of people to contend with, it was almost empty. The locals were always very talkative and THRILLED to have you there.