DAY 296 Tuesday 1st JULY 2008

Mackinaw (Mackinac) Island (Miles to Date: 31815)

From our exploits on the trail of the Ingalls family we moved through to Minneapolis for a stop over. We have breakfast at our favourite breakfast eatery, Al's Diner, before heading north east through Minnesota and Wisconsin. Our destination is Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Island in Northern Michigan.

The route takes up towards the Great Lakes. One of our other missions, apart from visiting every State, has been to paddle in all the Great Lakes. So far we had managed to do this in Lakes Eire, Ontario and Michigan, leaving us with Superior and Huron to be conquered. This would be our opportunity to complete our collection. The first stop was Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes and the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area ( it is 350 miles long and 160 miles wide) and is the world's third-largest freshwater lake by volume. The point at which we meet Superior is as it narrows to the channel connecting to the Great Lakes of Huron and Michigan. Time to discard those shoes and wade into those cool waters! The day is drawing to a close so we quickly collect our belongings and head back to the car and head for our hotel in Mackinaw City.

Today we were heading from the mainland of Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island by ferry. As no cars are allowed on the island we had to park our car up for the day. In the car park we spotted a most unusual van, decorated in garish colours promoting XXXChurch.com, the #1 Christian Porn Site. Investigating this further it turns out that XXXchurch.com is a Christian anti-pornography website that aims to help those who struggle with pornography, and deliberately employs a provocative image to attract people to its website and hopefully to get them to hears its' messages. The people running this group are young Christians- not the old, stuffy types you might expect. Interesting!!

So from pornography to geography! Mackinac Island covers around 3.8 square miles and is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to a Native American settlement before European exploration began in the 17th century. It served a strategic position amidst the commerce of the Great Lakes fur trade. This led to the establishment of Fort Mackinac on the island by the British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the scene of two battles during the War of 1812.

In the late 19th century the Island became a popular tourist attraction and summer colony. Much of the island has undergone extensive historical preservation and restoration; as a result, the entire island is listed as a National Historic Landmark. It is well known for its numerous cultural events; its wide variety of architectural styles, including the famous Victorian Grand Hotel; and its ban on almost all motor vehicles. More than 80 percent of the island is preserved as Mackinac Island State Park.

The ferry journey only takes about 20 minutes to reach the harbour area of the Island. The summer months are busy times here on Mackinac, the ferries are full and the dock is busy with bustling porters taking bags from the boats to the awaiting horse drawn carriages. The only ways of getting around truly are by horse, bicycle or foot. Fantastic! The buildings in the town have been restored to their former Victorian splendour so the place is quaint beyond belief and made all the more glorious by the warm summer sun. Whilst people actually do live here the place is also a historic landmark and a number of the residences have been turned over to being museum pieces. We buy a ticket that gets us into the houses and to the fort. After exploring the town we climb the steep hill to Fort Mackinac, which provides a splendid view point (and defensive position) across the harbour and Mackinac Straits. The ownership of the fort changed a couple of times between the British and American through the late 18^thth centuries. Today it is a museum and has been beautifully restored with oodles of fabulous exhibits. Being the holiday season there is plenty of activities being offered by the Park Service. In the main parade ground we get to see a court martial and there are lessons on marching and playing in the regimental band, which Jack and Emily get to join in.

We spend a good 2 hours visiting the Fort before heading back down the hill to town for a well deserved ice cream and the obligatory paddle in Lake Huron. All too soon it is time for our ferry ride back to mainland. Mackinac Island is a magical place and well worth the visit – but it is not a place you would pass on the way to anywhere particular so you have to make the effort to get there!