If a looper doesn’t go out because of weather they call it a weather day. We planned to leave Mackinac City today but the weather forecast kept us in the marina. Fellow Loopers on Steele Away left today but called to tell us we had made the right decision, they made it to their destination but said it was a pretty bumpy ride.
Since we didn’t go out we decided to have a work-day on the boat which kept us busy all day. When we returned to the boat from taking our showers we had a little rainbow. Within twenty minutes the weather was looking a little ominous, hopefully, we can leave tomorrow.
As you can see from the picture it is pretty isolated at the marina tonight. There are 132 slips in the marina and only 4 pleasure boats, we are the only ones on our dock.
Mighty Mac on Labor Day, it’s a tradition! The first Mackinac Bridge Walk was held during the Bridge’s Dedication Ceremony in June 1958. For the 60th time, thousands of Michiganders and visitors gathered together to walk across the Mackinac Bridge from St. Ignace to Mackinaw City. This is the only day of the year that walkers are allowed on the bridge.
Since we arrived we have been watching the preparation for the today’s event. At the Conkling Heritage Park next to our marina, they have been preparing for thousands of people on this side of Mackinac Straits to be bussed to Saint Ignace for the walk and for thousands from the Saint Ignace side to be bused back after the walk. The buses started arriving at 4:00 am this morning and by 4:30 am the first load of walkers left and they continued to leave for the next 5 ½ hours. The walk started at 7:00 am with the Governor and his entourage leading the way. The walk, which is approximately 5 miles takes most participants one to two hours to complete.
All walkers had to be finished by 11:30 am, anyone not off the bridge by then was given a ride in one of the many buses that were used for the event. Normal traffic resumed at noon and by 2:00 pm all of the buses returning walkers to the upper peninsula had left the park.
In terms of overall length, 26,372 feet, the Mackinaw Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the United States, in terms of the suspension portion of the bridge, 8,614 feet, it is the third longest after the Golden Gate Bridge at 4,200 feet and the Verrazano at 4260 feet.
Four o’clock in the Morning
Eight O’Clock in the Morning
Buying Bus Tickets
More Loading
Still Loading
Mile Long Line
Still Waiting, they probabley won’t make the 10 O’Clock deadline.
What you notice first in Mackinaw City are all the T-shirt stands, fudge shops, hotels, and restaurants. But you soon realize that the village has done a great job showcasing the history of the area. There is a two-mile pathway that displays forty-six markers that feature historical displays outlining the history of the city and the Straits area.
Saturday was the Third Annual National Rally & Pipe Out Paddle Protest in Mackinaw City, Michigan and two of the canoes were launched at our marina. It was interesting to get their perspective on the pipeline and to have a close-up view of their canoes.
From our boat, we can see the remains of the Mackinaw City Railroad Dock and the old Coast Guard Icebreaker Mackinac WAGB-83. The railroad dock is where trains were loaded onto ferries to cross the Mackinac Straits. The A-frame device adjusted the height of the tracks to match the decks of the ships for loading and off-loading the trains. The icebreaker, once known at the Queen of the Great Lakes, is now a floating museum. It was fascinating to tour the ship, see the six massive diesel engines, and learn how the ice is broken. They do no bash through the ice, they are designed to ride up on top of the ice. As the ship moves forward, the hull rides up over the ice and the weight of the boat crushes the ice. This process repeats as the icebreaker clears a channel.
It was interesting to see three of the guns from the most famous ship in the Union Navy, the U.S.S. Hartford in Mackinaw City. You may remember me mentioning the U.S.S. Hartford in December as Rear-Admiral David G. Farragut’s ship in the Battle of Mobile Bay.
Sunrise at Straits State Harbor Marina
Sunrise at Straits State Harbor Marina
Civil War Cannon from the U.S.S. Hartford
Birchbark Canoe
Birchbark Canoe
Birchbark Canoe
Birchbark Canoe
Birchbark Canoe
Kite Flying
Kite Flying
Kite Flying
Railroad Dock Remains
Green Energy Lights Our Marina
Coast Guard Icebreaker Mackinac WAGB-83
Icebreaker Propeller
Icebreaker Engine
Ship’s Library
Marina Entry: View from deck of Icebreaker Mackinac WAGB-83
View from deck of Icebreaker Mackinac WAGB-83
View from deck of Icebreaker Mackinac WAGB-83
View from deck of Icebreaker Mackinac WAGB-83
View from deck of Icebreaker Mackinac WAGB-83
View from deck of Icebreaker Mackinac WAGB-83
Rail Ferry Loading Dock
Rooster Tail
Preparing for Bridge Walk
View from deck of Ship’s Propeller Shaft
Music in Mackinaw
This Boat Can Fight Fires and Tow Disabled Vessels
An early morning trip to the post office to mail postcards and we were ready to leave our turbulent Mackinac Island moorage for the calmer waters at Straits State Harbor Marina at Mackinaw City, MI. Wait, which is it Mackinaw or Mackinac? The Natives of this area, the area of Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island, St. Ignace and the Straits of Mackinac, called the land Michinni-makinong, when the French arrived around 1715 they called it Michilimackinac, ending in “ac” but pronounced as “aw,” the name was shortened to Mackinac in 1780. Establishing a city in 1857 the British, hearing the “aw” named the new city Mackinaw. Either way, Mackinaw or Mackinac, they are both pronounced with the “aw.”
This has been by far, our shortest day on the water, only seven miles. We are in calm water, at a less expensive, although better, marina. We will spend Labor Day weekend here and if weather permits enter Lake Michigan on Tuesday.
According to the Mackinaw City Chamber of Commerce, this area has routinely been rated the #1 tourist destination in Michigan, that comes as a surprise to us so it will be interesting to check it out, we are looking forward exploring the area.
