Our second boon docking experience was at Walmart in Gaylord, MI, where we rented movies from the Red Box and enjoyed a movie and then restful night in the Walmart parking lot next to the garden center. The nightly weather was cooler and it was only me and Zachary in the bed, so we were able to sleep much better. Zachary and Carson received an early Christmas present while were parked at Walmart- electric blankets, they were almost as excited about received the blankets as they were when they received new WII games. It was not cold enough for the electric blankets so we did not unpack them.
On Tuesday, September 22, 2009 we arrived at the Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island KOA. This was a small campground that was nearly deserted since they close mid October. We had a good internet connection, a level site and a relatively cheap rate. The first day at the campground was spent organizing and washing dishes and researching our site seeing agenda for the week. Wednesday was spent with extra home school activities and washing 8 loads of laundry including sheets and blankets. We try to sample things that are really popular or famous to a certain area and Mackinaw is famous for two things fudge and pasties. We tried a chicken and beef pasties it brown gravy on the side from Mackinaw Pasty & Cookie Company in Mackinaw City. Pasties originated in Cornwall, England and are a pastry crust filled with meat (either beef or chicken), rutabagas, potatoes, onions and can be topped with gravy, they are called a balanced meal in a crust. The newer versions come with pizza toppings, all vegetables, and sometimes cheese and meat. Since the pasty was a compact meal it could be wrapped in cloth and carried in the miner’s shirt pocket and were said to last even if dropped down a mine shaft. The pasty was eaten by the workers (especially miners) since it could be held in one hand and last piece of the pasty (that was dirty from being held) would be discarded into the mine to ward off evil spirits. The Pasty is still popular in the United Kingdom and some US states.
On Friday which was supposed the warmest day of the following four days, we took Shepler’s Ferry over the Mackinac Island. The ride was only 18 minutes across the Mackinaw Straits and it was extremely bumpy with waves washing over the windows in the lower cabin. The unfortunate people that decided to sit on the top deck had a very windy, wet ride to the island. The weekend that we visited the island was the Republican Convention of Michigan’s, so there was campaigning on every corner. A large majority of the people on the ferry with us were part of the convention. This extra number of people posed a problem for those of us not involved since they had rented out most of the recommended restaurants for political parties on Friday night. We ventured to the visitors center on the island where we purchased a guide book, map and a recommended walking route around the island. We visited Fort Holmes, Arch Rock, Sugar Loaf Rock, Skull Cave, and Post Cemetery where some of the graves date back to the 1820s. The Grand Hotel was built in response to the popularity of Mackinac Island by vacationers arriving on the island by lake steamer from Chicago, Detroit, Montreal and by rail from across the continent. We visited the outside of the Grand Hotel which has been a summer retreat for vacationers since it opened in 1887 when rates varied from $3-$5 a night. The hotel has been the backdrop for many movies over the years, as well as being visited by celebrities, presidents, and vacationers looking for a relaxing summer retreat. The Grand Hotel’s Porch at 600 feet, is world’s largest and is visible from Lake Huron as you approach the island by ferry. On June 26, 2006, the hotel’s 5,000,000 guest checked into the hotel.
After our walk we ventured back into town to purchase some of the famous Murdick fudge which as been made on Mackinac Island since the 1920s. We had a hard time selecting our flavors but our final decision was Michigan Maple Walnut, Double Dark Chocolate, Vanilla Chocolate Chip, Butter Pecan, and Chocolate Mint, all these were made with real cream and all the freshest ingredients (this is what their slogan states). We ate fudge for a couple of days and then froze what was left, allowing us to remember our walk around Mackinac Island for months to come.
While we were walking around the town we discovered a small pizza restaurant, Dean’s Filling Station & Pizza Palace. We also found a small sign making shop and decided to order a sign for the motor home so everyone would know that we were the Godwin Family. Most people hang these small wooden signs outside of their RV but we decided to place our sign inside in the front windshield while we are parked. We visited a small museum and learned about the history of the Mackinaw Bridge which is the third longest suspension bridge in the world (behind Japan and Denmark) and the longest in the US. The five mile long bridge opened on November 1, 1957, crossing the straits of Mackinac and connecting the two peninsulas of Michigan.
Since we had to wait for the sign to be made we decided to order pizza from the Pizza Palace and pick up both the sign and the pizza during one trip. One unique characteristic of this restaurant was that you could select a flavored crust such as Parmesan, garlic butter or Italian herb, the pizza was so tasty that we had two before we left Mackinaw City and almost stayed another day to try the Italian herb flavored crust. We would highly recommend Dean’s Filling Station and Pizza Palace if you travel to Mackinaw City, MI.
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