The museum is a converted 1917 Great Lakes steamer, the Valley Camp. A view looking down the ship along the hatches towards the stern.
It was a very informative visit giving a detailed history of the opening up of the Great Lakes to the outside world by the construction of the locks along the St.Lawrence Seaway and within the Great lakes. They called it The Fourth Seacoast.
It was also very interesting to see how the sailors lived and worked on the steamer. Down below decks you could walk into the engine room, with its giant steam boilers, and see the vast hold of the ship where cargo such as coal and grain were stored.
We left Sault Ste.Marie at around 11am and drove along Highway 75 to St.Ignace, where the Star ferry leaves for Mackinac Island. The terminal is just north of the Mackinac Bridge, a five mile long bridge that crosses the straits between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.
No cars are allowed on Mackinac Island, so we left the cars at the ferry terminal and boarded the jet boat to the island. We only had a few other passengers with us including two Americans with their four Norwegian Elkhound dogs. The dogs were being taken to a dog competition.
A fifteen minute crossing, on a beautifully calm sea with the Mackinac Bridge behind us, brought us to the island. The jet boat threw up a huge plume of spray.
Mackinac Bridge behind us.
As we approached the island we got our first views of the Grand Hotel, and what a hotel it is!! Even though we had seen photos of the hotel, they do not do justice to this impressive white building. It was built in 1887 by the railroad companies and stands on the side of the hill overlooking Lake Huron.
We disembarked and asked the Grand Hotel porter to take a group photo of us at the dock.
We then took a horse drawn carriage up to the hotel through the streets of Mackinac City.
It really is an extraordinary place and aspects of it reminded me of Portmeirion and The Prisoner! All the buildings are almost perfect in every respect. The lack of cars gives the place a slightly surreal feeling and at any moment I expected a great white balloon to come down the street!!
We checked into the hotel and because the only room that was ready was Bob and Thelma's 'honeymoon suite', we all went up to see their room. Bob had promised Thelma a suite as a birthday present. Bob, as usual, rose to the occasion and posed for us on the bed!!
We then went and had a buffet lunch, followed by a walk around the hotel grounds and down to the shores of the lake. Here are a few photos, which I hope give some idea of how unusual but special Mackinac Island is, starting with the verandah at the Grand Hotel.
This evening we are eating in the hotel and the dress code of jacket and tie meant I had to buy a tie, as I had left mine in the car!
Tomorrow we leave the US and head back in to Canada for the second half of our great Canadian adventure.
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