28 | September | 2010 | Jacquelyn's Space

Cross Another One Off The List

I have wanted to write about this but I have been too busy and too tired. I was looking over my pictures and realized that I am beginning to forget some of the little details that love to remember. Plus I think I will use the memories of my trip for an essay I have to write.

Cross another one off my bucket list – I finally stayed at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. I have wanted to stay there since I was a little girl and first visited the island. I remember making a promise to myself that very first time I visited the island – I remember staring at the porch, kind of put out because my parents wouldn’t take me on it, thinking someday I’ll be back and someday I will be on that porch. Quite a few years ago my husband, stepson, and I visited the island and I got to walk on the porch for the first time. I then made a promise to myself then that I would stay the night at the hotel. So I made it.

Saturday September 25, 2010

The day was cloudy and cold. Check in at the Grand is not until 4pm so we decided to spend some time in Mackinaw City first, exploring the Coast Guard icebreaker ship Mackinaw. That was really interesting and made me regret not considering joining Coast Guard when I was young. I would have loved sailing the Great Lakes.

We took the Arnold ferry over to the island, sitting on the enclosed bottom deck because of the cold. I missed not sitting on the top deck, wind blowing my hair into a mess of tangles, especially when I saw a rainbow island-hopping over the straights from Bois Blanc Island to Mackinac Island. Now that is a rainbow I know had a pot of gold or something even more valuable at the end of it. I wanted to snap pictures so bad but I knew they wouldn’t turn out too well through the dull windows of the ferry. Ah, the downfall of trading photo opts and excitement for comfort.

We took the Grand Hotel carriage from the Arnold Dock and made it just in time. People on the street stop and stare at the Grand Hotel carriage as it passes by. I wanted to take the carriage to get the full experience of a Grand Hotel stay. I used to be one of those people who would stare at the carriage, wondering what it was like to be riding in Mackinac style, to be able to stay at the Grand. Now I was on my way. The carriage ride was special because it was something I hadn’t experienced before – at least not in that distinguished carriage. The slight blemish on the rose is that we had to share it with about 5-6 others people and numerous shopping bags so I couldn’t spread out or take all the pictures I wanted.

UGH! More pressing assignments call, more later…

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on September 28, 2010 at 2:02 pm Leave a Comment

Mackinac Bridge Walk

Because I have been feeling crappy I haven’t been able to blog about walking the Mackinac Bridge over Labor Day. Well it took me a few weeks to recover from that whole week-end. Over the whole week-end I must have walked about 20 miles (6+ on Mackinac Island Saturday, 3+ on Sunday, and 9+ on Monday) and biked a little over 8 miles. YIKES! I didn’t think I had it in me. It was fun though even though I am slow like the turtle. One of my happy memories bound to cheer me up is the memory of that week-end and also I got to cross something off my ‘bucket list’ – walking the Mackinac Bridge.

We (my husband, stepson and I) left Mackinac Island late Sunday afternoon and stayed in St. Ignace, within walking distance from the bridge. We got up early Monday morning but not early enough to see the Governor of Michigan cross the bridge. I wasn’t too disappointed. I had wanted to sleep a little longer. Breakfast then we had to walk about a mile (at least that is what the hotel clerk said, I actually think it was more) to the bridge. We started out walking and I was feeling all the aches and pains of my overexertion from the island. I wasn’t sure about this bridge walk but I rallied as we turned a corner in the road and had a rather dramatic view of the bridge. My heart swelled at the sight of the beautiful Mackinac Bridge, just like it always does but this time was a little different – I would be walking on it. Excitement started to creep in. You could just make out the masses of people walking on the northbound lane. Cool!

We walked down a huge hill (I knew I would be feeling it on the way back up to our car still parked at the hotel) and through a park to I-75 and the bridge. They had State police and some soldiers blocking traffic so we could cross the freeway to get on the northbound lane. They had an emcee (radio DJ?) pumping up the crowd. Soon we were on the bridge, starting the incline toward Mackinaw City. Again I had some doubts about my ability to walk the five miles across the bridge (the incline was working on me). I couldn’t wait to get to the middle of the bridge at least; from there I knew it would be easier. The bridge was crowded with people, but not packed – all the people moving forward helped to spur me on. Of course I moved slow, not speed walking like some, and I had to stop and take pictures. Of course the view was fabulous but the day was cloudy so my pictures are as brilliant as they could have been.

There were soldiers posted periodically along the bridge to keep people out of traffic on the southbound lane and also to keep people from jumping. I saw a little boy with 2 canes, with MD (I assume) walking the bridge. Inspirational! On the water there were Coast Guard and Police boats (they had guns on the bow!) to keep boats from going under the bridge. One speedboat did try it, speeding across the water toward the middle of the bridge – 3 police boats/Coast Guard boats chased him down and blocked him. Exciting – a police chase on water. Woo woo, Sirens on the water!!

Cars and buses bring back walkers from the other side honked and waved at us as they passed. The whole walk had the feeling of a big party. Finally I made it to the middle and began the gradual dessent toward the other side of the straits. This seemed longer, I think it is longer. There was a finish line posted at the first exit of the freeway where people gave you a special little card proclaiming you did the bridge walk. We made it! It took us a little less than 2 hours. Now we just had to trek through town (an evil plan to get people to buy souvenirs, which of course we bought T-shirts) to find buses to take us to back to St. Ignace. I never was so happy to set my ass on a school bus, ha. I took movies of all the walkers on the way back. We actually saw the last walkers allowed on the bridge, they were followed by a State police car a big truck with yellow lights and a bus. I would have hated to be the last one – the pressure! I am glad I didn’t sleep in. We were bused to the other side and had to walk back to our car up that huge hill. Let me tell you, I was so ready to sit down and couldn’t move after but I did it! I walked the bridge! Now my husband wants to do it every year. I need to get in shape so I can walk it more than once in one day – some Wisconsin cheese head supposedly walked it 3 times that day.

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on September 28, 2010 at 12:20 pm Leave a Comment

O Crappy Day

This weather today sucks. It is cold and rainy in the Flint-town today. Miserable. I am not too fond of fall because of this nasty weather. The weather makes me ache (plus I overdid it this weekend). I am working on finding my inner sunny-ness though

I hope I am sucessful because I feel like crap – felt the same yesterday. I need some damn warmth and sun. My damn sinuses are making me tired and feel like I am waterlogged. All this nasty sinus drainage is messing with my lungs too. All I want to do is stay home and I can’t do that. I don’t need this right now. This crappy weather and the way I have been feeling is really screwwing up my semester. The homework is piling up.

UGH! Then today I found out that MSN Spaces is going away so I’ll have to transfer this blog over to WordPress (supposedly most stuff will transfer but not all). I love it HERE. It is easy to use, I like the way it is set up and I can have all my stuff all on one page. Now I will have to learn yet another blogging website. I may just hook it up to my blog for English class this semester but it would be hard to transfer everything. Poop! I love my blog design (the background – taken from a sunset picture I took) here too and I am not sure if it will transfer. Stupid MSN changing everything all the time.