When we left the chateau we headed back into Traverse City and got on the 31 north. The day was dreary and a bit rainy and we heard there was supposed to be snow coming our way. The road was quaint with rolling farmland, silos and barns on both sides. Every once and awhile we'd catch a glimpse of Lake Michigan. When we went through Petoskey, MI we took M-119 as it's advertised as scenic.
We went through Harbor Springs, MI which has some of the most beautiful houses on bluffs overlooking the Great Lake and Little Traverse Bay. After driving up and down some side streets to gawk at the houses we got back on the road. M-119 is often times called the 'tunnel of trees' because the trees reach over the highway and touch making it very tunnel-like and picturesque. 
We passed several signs on our way outlining history along the route making our drive even more fun. There were many little white flowers covering the floor of the forest which we later discovered was trillium! In some places it looked like a white carpet glowing through the cloudy day. 
We went through the itty bitty town of Cross Village which had about 6 buildings total. Then before we knew it we were crossing into the township of Mackinaw City! My husband saw a sign that said lighthouse and whipped the car around to go find it! It was McGulpin Point lighthouse which was just opened to the public last year. It's a beautiful brick structure overlooking the Straits of Mackinac. The people were very very nice and even had refreshments out for visitors. Climbing the tower is free which is always good, so we went up and got a fabulous view of the Mackinac Bridge aka The Mighty Mac. 
We got into Mackinaw City in the early evening and shopped around for a hotel, found one and then ordered a pizza from a local pub. It was delish!!! We always like to eat local. Better for the economy and 95% of the time it tastes better than franchises!
Day 4:
Saturday morning we opened the door of our hotel room and saw snow! The wind was gusting like crazy making the flakes whirl like a blizzard. We packed up our stuff and headed to the ferry dock stopping first to air up the tires of my bike. We made the ferry on time and were heading to Mackinac Island! The ferry boat ride was pretty bumpy but we got there safely and headed for our hotel, The LakeView. We were able to check in right away which was awesome and proceeded to check out our room. Jacuzzi tub for two, king bed and all in one of the LakeView's turret rooms! We had our wedding reception in the LakeView last spring so it was a great feeling to go back. While we were on the island we knew we wanted to travel around the highway (M-185). In case you're not familiar with Mackinac Island there are no cars allowed. All travel is done by foot, bicycle or via horse including horse and buggy and horseback. It's a magical place that takes you back in time when you step off the ferry. I've always loved visiting it.
My husband is a runner and wanted to run the 8 mile perimeter and I wanted to follow on my bike! It had stopped snowing at this point but was still pretty chilly. I threw on my winter hat which I had luckily packed and some gloves and we started our trek!
The scenery was beautiful! Of all the times I've been to the island I had never gone all the way around it before. The blue waves crashed around the rocky shores and the gulls swooped with glee. Once we got to the tip of the island it started to snow again but only enough to make the views breathtaking. It was so nice to be away from all the people and feel so secluded on such a fabulous stretch of land. We went past British Landing and stopped at Arch Rock for some photos and before we knew it we were back downtown dodging horses and tourists. We hit Goodfellow's Restaurant (connected to the LakeView - they catered our wedding last year too!) after our adventure for a beer and a snack. The bruschetta was finger-lickin good! Yum!!! Then we went up to our room to shower and relax a bit before dinner. Both were much needed. We walked down to Horn's Bar and enjoyed the rest of our evening there soaking up the local atmosphere and pub food.
Day 5, Our Anniversary:
I woke up smiling hearing the *clip-clop* of horse hooves outside our window. The sun was shining and here I was, back on Mackinac Island and married for one whole year! Sure doesn't feel like it's been a year...it feels like it was only yesterday. Today, we wanted to explore the trails on Mackinac. There's a race I want to run on the island this fall and I wanted to see what I'm getting myself into. We started out on foot out of town and headed east. Up towards Mission Point resort. Met a cute little boxer puppy and went on our way. Then when we got to the east bluff, stopped to take in the view.
We ran into a family geocaching on the island which was neat to see. Then we realized we were near Arch Rock - a natural geologic formation of limestone 146 feet above Lake Huron - 
so we detoured up there to take some photos. Keep in mind we were without a map this entire time. Followed some more roads and saw a trail for horses to practice jumping! We got a little carried away taking action photos of us jumping over the wooden structures...but then found ourselves close to Sugar Loaf! Sugar Loaf is a 75 ft high rock created by erosion. It's the largest post-glacial erosion feature in the Straits of Mackinac and has many legends and lore surrounding it. 
We climbed up an immense set of stairs to Lookout Point next and got another great view of Sugar Loaf.
We continued walking and found Fort Holmes. The highest point on the island and boy was it breezy!!! One of the best views of neighboring Bois Blanc island and the mainlands - Mackinaw City (in lower Michigan) and St. Ignace (in the upper peninsula of Michigan).
Any direction from Fort Holmes is down, so we took the main staircase and started the hike. We knew exactly where we were now and went past Skull Cave - another limestone formation from the post-glacial period used as a burial site by Native Americans. We walked past Fort Mackinac and to the Somewhere In Time gazebo which is where we got married a year before. Somewhere In Time is a cult classic movie made on the island in the late 70's. It stars Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. If you haven't seen it I recommend watching it! We took some photos and then went down the hill into town for lunch. We hit Mighty Mac Hamburgers and it was extremely busy. The guys working there really got the food out there fast though! And man oh man it was delicious!!! The fries were exceptional as well. Will be going back there next time for sure! We stopped at a bakery which I can't for the life of me remember the name of but the cookies we got were fabulous! When we walked in the guy manning the counter was talking about using green products - which of course I love. We stopped at our hotel for a pit stop and a short walking break and then we started for the Grand Hotel.
The Grand Hotel was constructed in the late 19th century and boasts 5 US Presidents that have stayed there and the longest porch at 660ft. It's definitely a magnificent landmark on the island. They actually have a Grand Hotel staff member (what we like to call a 'guard') standing near the entrance of the road that goes in front of the Grand Hotel that accosts people asking if they're staying there or not. If you're not, you have to pay $10 to go onto the porch and inside the hotel to catch a peek and/or shop in the stores that are on the main floor. We did not go in this trip but continued up the hill to the Grand Hotel Stables. The stables are one of the only things on the island that are free. We went in and got to pet Duke, one of the giant percheron horses that work the island. They're just simply beautiful animals. We went around the backside of the Grand and to the West Bluff. 
The West Bluff has the coolest Victorian houses. I got to tour the inside of one when I was younger called 'Hog Haven' - the owners are friends with my parents employers and I'll always remember seeing the inside of that gorgeous place. After taking some photos we walked past the Grand on the side where they don't have 'guards' and went back down the hill towards town. We detoured off into the Grand Hotel gardens where we found various exercise equipment (parallel bars, etc) which we couldn't help but play on. And bonus - we got to see the Grand from down in the gardens! 
Unfortunately, the looming structure is far too wide to take a photo of all of it. Then we walked back through the trailing gardens and back down to M-185. We took some photos of the Somewhere In Time plaque marking an important moment in the movie and where it took place.
Then I wanted to put my toes in Lake Huron...and so picked my way along the slippery rocks on the shore and thrust my barefoot into the freezing water!!! It actually wasn't too bad. After my foot dried off we walked back to the LakeView and got ready for our anniversary dinner. Back at Goodfellow's Restaurant, my husband ordered the stuffed whitefish and I, the fettucine alfredo with chicken. I cannot tell you how tasty these were. MMMM!!! After dinner we popped the champagne we got for our wedding last year, cut the year old cake and had a blissfully romantic evening.
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