When I woke up this morning, I wasn't sure how much fun I'd be able to have because of the nasty, threatening weather forecast. Also, for the third or fourth day in a row, I was dealing with seasonal allergies. When I researched what could be causing all my sneezing, Google AI hinted that the culprit might be Ragweed pollen (which really gets going in late August). The whole situation was unusual for me during my Nomad Life experience so I tried to stay positive and flexible. Hoping everything would improve, I spent a bit of time (after waking up at 0630) reading, working on puzzles and completing Duolingo exercises in my room at the Monarch Motel (Cheboygan). Once I confirmed there was a church service available in Mackinaw City, I departed my hotel (0910) and drove west. The weather conditions were rainy, with temperatures in the 60s - ugh... I used US-23 and quickly covered the 15ish miles to Mackinaw City. Upon arrival, I parked in the pretty downtown area (located on the northeast corner of the Lower Peninsula) and made my way to the Pancake Chef. By 0925, I'd ordered breakfast, which ended up being HUGE! While waiting, I made hotel reservation for Monday night in Munising. The restaurant was filled with hopeful people sporting "Mackinac Island" sweatshirts so I looked pretty funny with my plain gray Grand Canyon t-shirt... I was done eating at 0950 and walked across the street to Shepler's Ferry Company to investigate buying tickets for a trip to Mackinac Island. The process turned out to be very easy, since the tickets were open ended ("any day of the year"). With almost no one in the line, I decided to take a chance and buy a round trip ticket (1000). Next, I drove west (crossed under I-75) and located the St. Anthony of Padua Parish. I arrived at 1010 and was definitely ready in time for the 1030 Mass. Almost immediately, I noticed how different the church was from the standard Catholic Parish I've visited over the years. For one thing, the back rows of pews were blocked, forcing everyone to sit near the front of the sanctuary. On top of that, there was a LOT of conversation (some of it loud) during the lead up to Mass. Eventually, I noticed one very brusque woman who seemed to be "in charge" of things. Right before 1030, she stood up in the middle of the main aisle and started telling everyone how the service would work. She turned out to be a retired Nun (and a rather scary one) who made a point to make all the visitors identify themselves. Somehow, I was spared from this ordeal when she got exited about another person who had traveled all the way from New Orleans, LA... But then she came and sat right near me! Beyond that, most of the service was normal but I did notice a lot more pauses than normal and some tailored/unique prayer responses. However, everything else was familiar and didn't make me feel uncomfortable. Afterwards (1130), I drove down to the waterfront behind the church and tried to find a few hiking items in my car top carrier. I was successful but also managed to get a bit wet with the rain that had just arrived. From the parking lot, the views of the Straits of Mackinac were obscured - it was very foggy but the Bridge was partly visible. Next, I drove back into town and parked at Shepler's Lot (A) at 1150. After confirming my daypack was completely ready, I rode an empty shuttle bus to the main Ferry Landing. Since the lot credit card machine was broken, I had to enter the ticket queue again to pay for parking (1150). Five minutes later, I was standing in the line for the ferry boat and, by noon, I'd departed on board “William Richard” (built in 2020 in Ottaway, MI). At that point, it was sprinkling but we had pleasant temperatures (I was still able to wear only my t-shirt and shorts). We had a 16 minute trip across the Strait and I weathered this OK in my seat topside (I was, however, the only one in short sleeves). We arrived at the Mackinac Island ferry landing at 1220. It was still misty when I disembarked on to Bicycle Street. There are no cars allowed on the island but I saw lots of horse (Clydesdales) drawn wagons/carts - some of them were employed as porters for the hotels. The streets were busy but not too crowded (whew). Actually, the place reminded me of Martha's Vineyard. At Erik's recommendation, I stopped at the Pink Pony for late lunch (soup and sandwich) and a drink - I sat at the Lobby Bar in the Chippewa Hotel. During my time there, I enjoyed a good conversation with the nice (lady) bartender (from Connecticut). She told me about her life (four full years) on the island. I also met a nice couple from Florida (formerly residents of Michigan) who shared lots of good information about what I should see while I was there. Finished with my break at 1350, I said goodbye to my new friends and and started exploring the pier behind the Chippewa Hotel. Very swanky! I was ready to move on by 1400 and started a counterclockwise walk on the Lake Shore Road. I got a good view of Fort Mackinac, which was characterized by a white wall on the hill above the town. I passed Marquette Park and explored the Mission Point area. While there, I walked on a rocky beach. Upon rejoining the paved road, I was surrounded by pedal powered vehicles! At about one mile from the downtown start, I reached the stairway for Arch Rock and climbed 207 steps to get to the landmark. Along the way, I saw the couple I'd met at the Pink Pony (they'd rented a bike). At the top of the climb, I stood in a small line to get a photo of the iconic arch (it was worth the wait) and then visited the nearby Nicolet Watchtower. Beyond that, I got away from the larger crowds by walking on trails in the woods and taking a paved road to the west that eventually allowed me to access the Mackinac Island Botanical Trail. This turned out to be a nice detour because the paved streets were covered with horse manure. To address this, I noticed that the locals use a machine to clean up the mess. Because of the wet roads, though, the manure was just spread in a thin layer of "slurry" across all of the roads... Before long, I arrived at Fort Mackinac. The complex was very extensive and impressive. However, I decided not to pay to go inside. In that area, I noticed a sign that talked about how President Ford had once worked at the park when he was a Boy Scout. With crowds forming all around me, I started looking for a respite. I found this when I found the nearby "Somewhere in Time" Gazebo (from a movie set) and something called the "Ann Plate" (memorializing the local author named Constance Fenimore Woolson). Once back out in the opening again, I started looking for Fort Holmes, which I learned had replaced Fort Mackinac during the War of 1812. To get there, I walked on the apparently renamed Custer Road (map versus reality). Along the way, I passed a large cemetery - wow! I located Fort George/Holmes at 1545. Unlike its earlier counterpart, this landmark was free and I was the only guest. By then, the fog had gotten extremely thick. In the distance, there were regular blasts from a foghorn somewhere along the Strait. The weather conditions didn't deter the animals. though - I had lots of good birding all day. After I descended from the highest point on the island, I made my way (lots of road changes) into the area called Surrey Hills. When I arrived, I found lots of people at the horse stables, butterfly conservatory and shopping venues. Since it's not my thing, I ignored the distraction and continued towards the western coast of the island. Just before arriving at the Lake Shore Road again, though, I stumbled across the Grand Hotel. All I can say is wow! In addition to being very historical, the huge building was very swanky and offered amazing views of the Strait and Bridge (the clouds appeared to be clearing). The biking crowds resumed at around this point (I confirmed that all bike shops were charging the same amount for rentals). I finally arrived back at “Main Street” as it followed the shoreline on the west and south end of Mackinac Island. Along the way to the Ferry Landing, I passed very pretty Victorian homes. By 1700, I was back at the place where Shepler's offloads passengers and the queues for the return to the mainland are located. Thinking I'd seen enough (I'd already walked more than six miles!), I got in line, boarded and departed almost immediately. The ship ("Miss Margy") was not very full and I sat topside again (and, like before was the only person in short sleeved shirt). Three ferries actually left at the same time and one peeled off for St. Ignace (north side of Strait) while the other followed our ferry in a parallel path. We arrived in Mackinaw City at 1720 and I took a "Universal Studios" type of shuttle to the A Lot. I was at my car by 1735 but, hoping to avoid the mad rush of people leaving the lot, I instead went walking on nearby rail trails instead. Right away, I found the North Central State Trail (bike path) and followed it towards the north. Along the way, I found signs and blazes for the North Country Trail. It soon became clear, however, that the trail came in from a different direction (via the North Western State Trail bike path) on the other side of Nicolet Street. After checking out the Mackinaw City Trailhead (very fancy), I returned to my car and exited the parking lot by 1755. Using my NCT map, I made my way north on Nicolet Street until I was able to access I-75. From there, I followed the trail (no bikes or pedestrians allowed) across the Mackinac Bridge. There was still fog while I was driving but I didn't have much difficulty. The last time I was on this long suspension bridge was in the Summer of 2004 and it was midnight - I got better visuals this time. After I paid my toll at the north end of the bridge (1805), I quickly excited the Interstate into the Rest Area. When I found the NCT Trailhead on the far eastern end of the parking lot, I recorded the distance I'd just covered: five miles. I then (1810) started west on foot through Straits State Park (St. Ignace), following the NCT to Paro Street. The trail went up and down through the woods and there was even a huge stairway (no fun with bikes) in the middle of the 0.6 mile section. Along the way, I got my first ever sighting of a Swainson’s Thrush. When I reached to Paro Street, I backtracked to car (arrived at 1845). Altogether, I logged about 1.2 miles on the NCT before getting back on I-75. I was only on that road for a short time, though, and soon exited on US-2 at the first exit for St. Ignace. In my haste to return to the NCT, I completely forgot about a goal I had before this trip through the Upper Peninsula began: to visit the Marquette National Memorial (NPS Unit) which was very close to the location where I was searching for the next trailhead. Oh well... At the time, though, I didn't know about missing this chance and just located the trail at the point on Paro Street where I'd started my hiking backpack within the previous hour. I continued east until I turned towards the northwest on State Street. When I reached the American Legion Park (a water vista point), the NCT transitioned to a Walking Path. As a result, I stopped following trail there (after 1.2 miles driving on the NCT) and made a hotel reservation for the night online. With my destination now known, I continued on State Street until I was able to access Business Loop 75. A bit after that, I got on I-75 again and followed it towards Sault Ste. Marie. When I reached the exit for MI-123, I got off the Interstate and started driving in a northwesterly direction. Along the way, I passed through Brevort, where I'd been told (by friends of Erik and Moira) to stop at a place called Gustafsen's, which apparently sold "delicious Smoked Salmon". I never saw it but noticed other places that seemed to sell the same stuff when they were open (i.e., earlier than when I passed through). Soon after that, I passed through the town of Moran and found the NCT again (it was following a snowmobile trail along the side of the road. At 1945, I arrived in the town of Trout Lake and soon found The Birch Lodge, where I'd made my reservation. During the check in process, I was escorted by the owner (Jim) to my room in the Motel section of the historical resort. It was clear from the decor, location and architecture that this was a quintessential Summer Vacation Resorts - the owner told me he'd had to do extensive renovations to make things look genuine. He hit a home run with his efforts. After getting unpacked, I changed clothing and went inside the bar that Jim had set up in the main Lodge. At 2015, I sat down for a signature Old Fashioned cocktail (made with Bullet Bourbon) - I also had a local red beer. During this relaxing time, I ended up meeting a young man from Finland named Juha. We talked about his travels in the US and Michigan. He explained that he'd just come from Munising and a wonderful paddle along the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Juha added that he was heading to Alpena for work (and then I realized he was in the military). We talked about the drive I'd just done and he returned the favor. We ended up staying at the bar until well after closing time (2130). Jim joined us and I learned more about the local area and life on the Upper Peninsula. By the time we left the bar (2200), Juha and I agreed to go paddling together in the morning. Score! Back in my room, I did some reading and watched a few YouTube videos - I finally went to bed at 2330. What an amazing weekend in the Upper Peninsula! North Country Trail Today = 6.8 miles / Grand Total NCT = 175.4 miles
