Mackinac Island, August 2014 - Day 5

All of a sudden we are on our last day of vacation.  Yes, we will be on the road a couple more days but that’s just the trip home.  It was another outstanding day, though.  Weather was perfect.  We woke up to a temperature of 49 degrees.  Couldn’t believe it.  It was in the mid 50s by the time we left the inn.  We decided we were going to walk over to see the summer homes that are on the West Bluff and then on to the Grand Hotel.  The homes on the West Bluff were just as awesome as those on the East Bluff.  It is hard for us to believe that these gorgeous homes are just for summer use.  We took the road along the lakeshore then climbed stairs to Pontiac Lookout.  Naturally, walked too far and had to turn back.  We could not believe that this the staircase up to the road in front of the homes.

Staircase to West Bluff

Look hard and you can see the roadway down below.

We are about halfway up.

Photo of West Bluff homes

These summer homes are very close to the Grand Hotel where we went next.  Would you believe we had to pay $20 just to get inside.  Yes, we paid.  I wanted to sit on the front veranda of this luxurious resort.  The largest veranda in the world.  Also, if you stay here, after a certain time in the evening, women must wear dresses and men must wear slacks.  I don’t believe this would have been our cup of tea.  At the same time, I am so glad that we were able to see the inside.  It really is unbelievable and from a different era.  We took the elevator up to the Cupola Bar for a beautiful view of the city and the Straits of Mackinac.  We also sat in rocking chairs on the veranda for a bit before heading back to town.

Grand Hotel

We finally did a little souvenir shopping on our way back to the Inn.  Dropped off our packages and ditched the wraps.  We walked back to town to eat lunch at the Pink Pony’s patio.  We have really enjoyed eating our meals outside.  Particularly at those restaurants that faced the harbor.  After lunch we took a horse carriage trip around part of the island.  We had read about most of the history that the guides told us but it was very interesting to hear about the horses and how they are cared for.  They transport the bulk of them off the island for the winter months.  We were lucky enough to be able to ride on carriage that is pulled by the only two clydesdale  horses on the island.  Not for the entire tour as they have you change carriages in the middle of your tour.  The carriage below is the second carriage of our tour.

3 horse carriage.

We ate our supper at the Seabiscuit restaurant.  Rather appropriate considering our afternoon.   Then back to the Inn to get ready for the long, long drive home.  We plan to catch the 8 am ferry back to the mainland.