After spending the morning on our own (shopping & eating) we boarded a horse drawn carriage for a tour of the rest of Mackinac Island. If you click on this photo and enlarge it, you will see from the map that most of it is a State Park. Only a small area along the shore is inhabited by people.
We saw many different animals and types of vegetation in the park. One of the most interesting sights was Arch Rock. It is a limestone arch that stands 146 feet over the Lake Huron shoreline. There was a great view of Lake Huron and Canada from there!
It took three of the big Belgium Horses to pull the carriage that held about 20 of us. And they were allowed rest stops on the big hills.
As we prepared to leave Arch Rock we had to make sure Joe and Kathy didn't get left behind. Seems they had an issue with the camera.
As mentioned before, there are almost no motor driven vehicles on the island. Even the street sweeper was horse drawn. Looks like they were taking a break too!
There is a fort on the island, Fort Mackinac. It was built by the British during the American Revolution in 1780. Americans took control in 1796. During the war of 1812 the British re-captured the Fort. Americans tried unsuccessfully in 1814 to take it back. However, after the war ended it was given back to the Americans and stayed active until 1895. The fort played an important role in the history of Mackinac Island.
One of the newest buildings on the island is the stable. It is very evident that horses are a priority there! However, most of them leave in winter and snowmobiles are the preferred mode of transportation.
As we came to the end of the "two hour tour" we were taken to the Grand Hotel. This is our first view of it from the carriage. Watch for more next time on our evening at the Grand.
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