Boyne Mt/Mackinac Island October 2011

Dates: October 9 - October 12, 2011

People: Mark, Sarah

SUNDAY OCTOBER 9

It should be pointed out if you are reading this that this really wasn't a vacation at all. It shows up in our Travel Log as a means of sharing some of our joyful freedom from this beautiful location away from home.

Today was our travel day up to Northern Michigan. We left after morning worship and a lunch with the boys and Mark's parents. It was a good 5-hour drive up to Boyne Mountain Resort and it was made easier by having such beautiful fall colors along the way. Upon arriving at the resort we registered for the Pastors Conference (our primary point for this trip), enjoying supper at a pizza place in the resort and had a wonderful worship service with the conference. We spent the night at the Comfort Inn in Petoskey, Michigan.

MONDAY OCTOBER 10

Today was all conference stuff through the morning and lunch time. After lunch they gave us from 1pm to 6pm as free time to enjoy with our spouses and at Boyne. Sarah and I got a little bit of hiking in and enjoyed some relaxation time at the Resort. We also enjoyed riding the lift up the mountain and back down several times. A wonderful banquet of BBQ was served in the evening

Here is a link to my Hiking Blog for details on the hikes

TUESDAY OCTOBER 11

Today was another somewhat full day of conference stuff for us. We spent the morning in it and the lunch hour. Again we had some free time in the afternoon. Sarah spent it heading back to the hotel for several items. I spent it out hiking again.

Here is a link to my Hiking Blog for details on the hikes

In the evening they put on a nice banquet for everyone to have fellowship and they honored the anniversaries of the many long serving pastors in our district. We stuck around for the Gemutlichkeit after the banquet which basically entailed socializing with beer and the Tigers playoff game.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 12

Today was the free day the conference gave us insisting we use it to enjoy with our families. Sarah and I decided to try Mackinac Island since it was only about a 45 minute drive from Petoskey. We got tickets from Shepler's Ferry the night before and figured out their 10:30 departure was a "Mighty Mac" Departure which meant they would take you out under the Mackinac Bridge on the way to the Island. This sounded exciting so we figured we'd better arrive early, just in case. We hit Mackinac City and Shepler's Ferry right as the 9:30 ferry was leaving. We enjoyed walking around the harbor there, though it was still chilly.

The ferry ride out to Mackinac Island was also very chilly. We grabbed seats on the top open deck of the ferry and froze. We got some great pictures and video from under and around the Mackinac Bridge though which made it all worth it. Upon arrival on Mackinac Island the temps felt a little better. We walked up and down Main St. trying to decide on a lunch option and settled on the Chuckwagon. They didn't open til noon though so we had some extra time to try shopping.

The Chuckwagon served us a very tasty lunch and that small hole-in-the-wall place was filled within a minute of opening. We were served pretty quickly and the family that runs it was quite nice. After lunch we rented a pair of bikes for around $8.50/each/hour and headed out.

Here is a link to my Hiking Blog to read more about the Biking

After the biking we did some walking into the Island which you can also read on my Hiking Blog link. This left us with little time before the 3pm ferry so we headed to the dock to wait. When we got out there at 2:40pm there was almost no one in line to wait yet. At almost 2:50p exactly about 40 people started hitting the docks so we quickly claimed our spots in line. We really wanted those seats on the lower deck on the ferry inside so we could stay warm this time. Upon returning to Mackinac City we found our car still waiting for us and began the long drive home.

The End.