Time for a road trip. Destination: Michigan. We decided to check out a couple of places that we had always wanted to go: Mackinac Island and Henry Ford's Rouge Factory in Dearborn. Packed the car. We all got in and away we went.
Mackinac Island
We arrived in Mackinaw City which is on the lower peninsula end of the Mackinac Bridge (amazing to see) to catch our ferry ride to the island. Mackinaw City is a cool little place with an array of interesting little shops to check out. (It kinda reminded me of Rehoboth.) We parked our vehicle with Shepler's and boarded the ferry. The ride to the island was scenic and enjoyable.
Arriving on the island, we got our luggage and made our way across the street to the Bicycle Street Inn. Our room there was spacious and exceptionally clean. The beds were a tad hard. The continental breakfast that they offer in their Winchester Restaurant was DISGUSTING!!!!!! There were flies on the food. The food was cold or was stale. The facility itself was cramped and dirty. Finding someone to clean a table for us was a chore in and of itself. We tried to eat there the first morning of our stay, but thought the better of it. We ate elsewhere the next few days. For what they charge to stay at the inn, they should be embarrassed to serve their customers in such a poor manner.
If you like fudge, ice cream, cheesy touristy souvenir traps, and horse poop, then you'll love Main Street.
Upside on Main Street: You can rent bikes to ride around the island. (I highly recommend that you do. The majority of the island is breathtakingly beautiful. Take a leisurely ride and check it out. Arch Rock is a must see!) If you want to eat, go to Riley's Grill. Sit down by the harbor and enjoy the view. Loved the food there (although they ran out of clam chowder by noon). Our waiter, Steve was fantastic! Great place for a relaxing meal. There are fudge places every few steps. Grab some and and take a stroll up the street. There are historic spots to see like Fort Mackinac. If you are a pizza lover, then you MUST go to Doud's Market. They serve pizza in the back of the store by the slice. I'm not exaggerating in the least when I say we felt this was the best pizza that we have ever eaten. We went back several times for it. It really is that good!
Downside on Main Street. It smells like horse crap. The stuff is everywhere. Seriously, watch your step! It can get sot of crowded depending upon the time of day. People on bikes are flying around up and down the street. The stores become the same things over and over. Goodfellow's Restaurant is pricey and the food isn't that great. We had burgers and fries one night. Not good. The burger had no flavor and the fries were cold and hard as a rock. I actually thought that I chipped a tooth on a French fry. The service was bad as well. Needless to say, we didn't go back. We found the that the people that we interacted with there (workers) were either super friendly or super rude, which we found odd.
Not on Main Street. We loved walking down Market Street. There are some great shops and historical spots. By far the friendliest people we met were in the shops on Market Street! Also, you have to take the "Sip and Sail" twilight cruise. It was a blast! You get to see the sunset on the water, a trip to and under the Mackinac Bridge (short history lesson too), and entertainment to boot. (We had singer, Charlie Reager on the night we went. He had us all belting out tunes right along with him. Great time!)
It poured down rain the day that we left. As efficient as Shepler's was on the way to the island was as inefficient as they were when we left it. No one gave any direction as to were to put your baggage for transport on the ferry. When we got back to Mackinaw City, we had to retrieve our luggage in a building that was probably a good eighty yards from the boat (remember it was raining like no tomorrow), then walk to another location to catch a van to get our vehicle. When we finally got to the car, we were drenched! The entire thing would have probably been fine on a nice sunny day. Shepler's really needs to put in place a more accommodating plan for their customers when the weather is inclement!
The Rouge Factory Tour
Roughly four hours later, we were in Dearborn to see Henry Ford's famed manufacturing facility. My youngest son and I are big car buffs and had long talked about visiting The Rouge. It was not to disappoint. The only bump on the road with our visit was making all of us stand in the rain as they checked our tickets to board the bus that took you to the actual facility.
Great tour!! Cool informative films, self paced visit of the factory (we got to see them making the F-150s), and sky room view of the entire complex. There are other things to see and check out at the complex, but we ran short on time. All in all, the tour was worth the time and the money. If you get the chance, check it out!
While the road trip was fun and relaxing, it's good to be back home. I've already started thinking about "where to next?" I'm thinking Texas. I guess that we'll just have to wait and see, pardner!
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