a grand birthday ~ mackinac island.

The birthday trips began a few years back when our son was a tiny little guy.  We had just moved to Ohio and knew no one when he had his first birthday, so we went back home to Louisiana to celebrate with family.

The next year, quite by accident, we did the same thing.  Before we realized it, the traditional birthday party had turned into a birthday trip, and we discovered a tradition that our family cherishes dearly.

Over the years, we’ve gone to see Space Shuttles, camped in view of waterfalls and Train Bridges, visited horse farms and Shaker Villages, watched animals at the zoo, and bounced in more inflatables than I care to count.  Each trip tends to revolve around our son or daughter’s interest at the time.

The theme for this trip:  all things nautical!  What else would a boy whose current aspiration in life is to be a ship architect choose?

Since you can’t have a birthday without cake, we headed to The Grand Hotel for sweets after our 8-mile bike ride.  These large chocolate cupcakes, piled high with rich fudge frosting, were exactly what he wanted.

The staff at the hotel restaurant, who were all from Jamaica, came out with cupcakes and candles, singing Happy Birthday… made his day!

We walked around the hotel all afternoon, enjoying the massive 660-ft long front porch with it’s bright white rocking chairs that overlook the Straits, and taking in the history of this enormous Victorian hotel.

From there we decided to take a carriage back to town to look around, and much to the kid’s delight, they were able to sit up front with the driver and share his duties.

We walked around town a bit, sampling fudge and checking out the shops, and when our legs felt worn out, we walked back to our hotel to rest in the Adirondack chairs out on the lawn enjoying the view.

riding the perimeter ~ mackinac island.

Michigan highway M-185 is the only state highway in the country that does not allow cars.

It is an 8-mile narrow paved road that runs along the entire perimeter of Mackinac Island, and it is only open to bicycles, pedestrians, horses, and horse-drawn carriages.

A trip around the island on the M-185 offers stunning views of the Straits of Mackinac and other historic sites such as Main Street, Fort Mackinac, Mission Point, Arch Rock, British Landing, and Devil’s Kitchen.

Along the road, you can see many little rock towers, called Cairns, which are built by passersby along hiking and biking trails as a memorial to having been on that trail.

We set out early one morning to bike the M-185.  Unsure as to whether our son could bike the full 8-miles alone, we got him a tag-along bike, and our daughter and my camera bag rode in the Burley.

Along the Eastern side of the island, we stopped to build our family cairn which ended up being 4 little cairns grouped together.

The views from the road are simply beautiful.  Next time we’ll take it a little slower and add a picnic lunch along the route.  Because I am praying that there will be a next time!

getaway grace ~ mackinac island.

Between the costly and time-consuming repeat trips to Uganda and a husband’s busy work schedule, it is sometimes difficult to get away from town with only the four of us.  When it does happen, I consider it pure grace, and I am so grateful for those opportunities.

So, I recap our recent trip with humble gratitude to God for making a way for us to spend time together enjoying His elaborate & magnificent creation…

My fascination with this island started over eleven years ago when I came across an article about Mackinac Island, Michigan, in a favorite magazine.  I instantly fell in love with the way the island looked from the many photographs accompanying the article, and I told my husband that someday I’d like to get “up there to Michigan.”

At the time, we were living in Houston, Texas, so a trip to the top of the mitten would not have been easy (or inexpensive) at all.  It most certainly would have involved a flight to Michigan, a rental car to get to the nearest city, and a ferry ride across the Straits of Michigan.  And since there are NO cars on Mackinac Island, we would also have needed to rent bicycles & hire carriages to get around once we were on the island.  When we moved to Ohio, Michigan was suddenly much closer and transportation to Mackinac Island became much simpler.

So, last week, in celebration of our son’s 8th birthday, we finally made it to the Island, and I loved it even more than the magazine version I had built up in my mind.  With it’s many things to do (some of which I will write about in a later post) and it’s breathtaking landscapes, Mackinac Island was a perfect blend of leisure, activity, and relaxation for our family.

As an amateur photographer, the island was a feast for my eyes!  I find it hard to describe the shades of blue and green that I saw.  Where the bright blue sky with it’s puffy white clouds meets the deep clear blue water of the Straits of Michigan or the lush green grass of the Island, something magical ~ and extremely beautiful ~ happens.

Our family now considers Mackinac Island our “return to” spot!  You know… the one that your family returns to year after year after year…  I’ve already started saving for the next trip, and maybe this will become a new family tradition.  Deo Volente.