Day 6 of 8: Mackinac Island

Octantis stopped in front of the Mackinac Grand Hotel for today's excursions on the island. We're using the bright orange tenders again today to come ashore. 

Some of our fellow Viking passengers chose the carriage tour

Keith and I selected the bike tour, riding the 8.2-mile perimeter road M-185. About 20 of us assembled downtown to get our bikes. After having been partially washed out over the past couple years of high Lake Michigan water levels, the boulder breakwall has been reinforced and the road repaved in several sections -- it's in great shape now.

That's Keith on the left, on a rebuilt section of M-185

Our first two stops on the bike tour were Arch Rock and British Landing.

Keith and I continued to ride with the group, sometimes riding ahead to take photos. The weather was perfect; our guides said it was the best day of the season so far.

Cave explorer

After the bike ride, we stopped at Great Turtle Brewery, a newish microbrewery on the island, for a refreshment. It's name is connected to the island itself. As the story goes, Native Americans thought the shape of the island resembled a turtle, so they named it “Mitchimakinak” meaning “big turtle.” French settlers adjusted the name from the original pronunciation and named it “Michilimackinac” and finally, the English shortened it to the present name that we all know, “Mackinac.” The "turtle" origins have found there way into local events, art and names, including this new brewery.

Some of you are aware of my fondness for the private home "Brigadoon" on Mackinac Island. Others no doubt saw the story of the tragic fire that gutted this historic home in May of last year. I was pleased to see the that the home had been rebuilt and looks as good as ever. Given how challenging and complicated construction is on Mackinac Island, it's quite amazing to see the house restored so quickly.

After a short walking tour, including Fort Mackinac, we caught the tender back to Octantis.

The captain hosted a farewell happy hour on the back terrace of Octantis, coinciding with our departure from Mackinac Island and sailing under the Mackinac Bridge. Opened in 1957, Mackinac Bridge remains the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere and is quite impressive to sail under. 

Octantis Captain's farewell greeting

A NOAA scientist from Ann Arbor has been onboard this week, initiating a variety of experiments, including this release of a current tracking device. It sends back GPS location signals once per hour and is expected to operate for several months before they retrieve it.

That's it for today. We're on our way to Milwaukee overnight, scheduled to arrive at 7:00 am.