Mackinac Island, Michigan - Memorial Day Road Trip

In keeping with the spirit of the holiday, we set out on a family road trip for Memorial Day weekend to beautiful Mackinac Island, surrounded by clear blue-green water, a clean coastline and no cars.

Located in Michigan’s upper peninsula, this place is a well-guarded secret from non-Michiganers.

I was charged with keeping Layla, nearly 2 years old, content for the journey. This entailed singing captivating songs like “the wheels on the bus”, “the itsy bitsy spider”, “old McDonald”, and watching Ms. Rachel videos if she got restless. Puppet shows were in reserve in case things got dire.

We stayed in St. Ignace, a cute little town opposite Mackinac Island. To our amazement, we were introduced to a species of insect called “fish flies”. It smelled like the Fulton Fish market in a few places where the fish flies had died (or so we were told). Also known as Mayflies, they are aquatic insects that emerge from the water with a foul odor. Yuk

Hampton Inn, St. Ignace

To reach St. Ignace, you need to cross the iconic Mackinaw Bridge, the 7th largest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere. The Mackinaw Bridge appears in every Chamber of Commerce brochure and is painted by a multitude of artists capturing its grace and beauty.

Reaching Mackinac Island requires taking a very pleasant ferry ride for about 30 minutes from St. Ignace to the island. Either Shepler or Arnold Transit ferries are available in St. Ignace. The round-trip ferry tickets can cost approximately $40 - $60 depending on the options you choose.

When you reach Mackinac Island, you are greeted by horse carriages, and bicyclists, but no vehicular traffic. However, you will be met by hoards of tourists on peak summer days.

A big draw to Mackinac Island is the scenic 8-mile bike loop around the perimeter of the island. Sans cars, it is a very user-friendly path for people of all ages where you can take your time, stop at the side of the road, and take in the scenery. Word of caution… this time of year, it is important to keep your mouth closed as you ride to avoid the fish flies from flying in! Gross.

A visit to the Grand Hotel in town is mandatory after the bike ride. It is the world’s largest summer hotel and will transport you to an era reminiscent of the Titanic. The price for a stay is a hefty $500 per night off-season and double that amount at minimum in the summer! (this is not steerage accommodations). If you are interested in seeing historic sites up close, you can choose a self-guided tour for only $12, but we opted out.

Back to St. Ignace, we fast-forwarded a few decades for our dining experience at Clyde’s Drive-In, established in 1949. They served burgers worth mentioning. The olive burger was scrumptious. 

Kudos to the hard-working servers.

Next, in furthering the holiday spirit, we stopped by an old friend’s house on the way back for a Memorial Day “cornhole tournament” and barbecue.

I discovered that tossing stuffed bags into a little hole was not as easy as you might think. The tournament lasted for hours. Considering that I played skeeball in arcades regularly as a child, I was ill- prepared for the fierce competition. Thankfully, Daniel honorably made it to the finals.

Here’s to a Memorable Memorial Day.

Until next time.. Adios Mon Ami

Iceland - Goodby to Reykjavik - The Sky Lagoon and The Blue Lagoon

THE SKY LAGOON

The day was open, so I decided to go to the Sky Lagoon in need of some water therapy. The Lagoon is a short drive from downtown Reykjavik and right on the ocean, unlike the Blue Lagoon, which is surrounded by a moonscape of volcanic rock.

A very sweet girl from Hong Kong took a photo of me after I asked her politely. Gen Z doesn’t worry much about dropping their iPhones into the water.

I had forgotten that the admission included spa treatments (i.e.: sauna, steam room, salt rub, cool mist, juice) and was overjoyed. The “spa” is located in the middle of the lagoon and is very Zen.

THE BLUE LAGOON

A few days earlier, I visited the world-famous Blue Lagoon . It is situated on a peninsula with a lot of geothermal activity. As you approach you can see steam seeping to the surface of molten rock and it appears apocalyptic. Our driver told us that astronauts come to this region to prepare for moonwalks. Makes sense to me.

The spa like Blue Lagoon was a cool experience and unique because of the rising steam. It is a very short walk from the indoor facility to the very warm lagoon. As part of the price of admission, you receive a silica mask of your choosing and a refreshing drink. The dressing rooms are well equipped with lockers, showers, towels, and hair dryers. Be prepared to deal with the crowds as it is a very popular destination in Iceland. I wanted to buy some spa products, but like with everything else in Iceland, the price was exorbitant, so no sale.

There was much speculation about an imminent volcanic eruption as we approached the lagoon from the road. A week later, there was lava flow from a fissure as opposed to a full-blown eruption.

The Blue Lagoon was evacuated as was a nearby village.

Volcanic Rock

THE LIGHT CHASERS - PART 2

The tour company offers a second chance, free of charge, to see the Northern Lights if the first attempt was a bust. I’d say that’s rare customer service! We got back at 1 am after moving to 2 different locations. Finally something (even if sparse).

You can also see a beam of light from the Imagine Peace Tower, Yoko Ono's tribute to John. 

A good way to end a trip to a peaceful country in our turbulent times.

Flying home over Greenland..

No sign of JD😭

Adios.. until next time.