Polar Ice Breaker and the Buggy Ride

The Polar Icebreaker Mackinaw is docked here at Mackinaw City Marina and is on display as a floating historical museum.  We walked over to the ship and purchased our tickets for a self-guided tour and met some of the crewmembers that served for 10 years in the engine rooms.   This was an impressive ship and was credited with helping win WW2 by keeping the shipping lanes open on the Great Lakes so that iron ore could be brought to foundries for processing into steel for the war effort. After the tour, we stopped in a local restaurant that was decorated like a rustic lodge but served Italian food.  It was decorated with cedar trees and a massive collection of stuffed animals, even a giraffe.

Another trip was made over to Mackinac Island to explore areas we missed on the bicycle tour.  But first, we attended a church service at the Little Stone Church near the Grand Hotel.  We were fortunate to have attended this particular day because a hometown fellow, who happens to be the lead tenor vocalist in the New York Symphony Orchestra, performed a duet with the local pianist, who was also a fabulous singer.  The song they sang was “This Is My Prayer” and it received a huge applause.  After church, we grabbed a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant, pulled pork and blackened chicken tacos, and then walked over to the horse and buggy stables to meet our horse and carriage.

This time our mode of transportation to explore the rest of the island was a self-driven horse and buggy!  The horse's name was Shorty, but he was anything but short!  Shorty took us on a 2-hour ride through dense forest, cemeteries, and old home sights high on the bluff above Lake Huron.  This was a fun and interesting way to explore the island and get a little time in driving a horse and buggy.

That's the news and here's some views:

Touring the Polar Icebreaker Mackinaw

One of the 3 engine rooms (6 diesel/electric engines total)

The Ship's Galley

Cool Restaurant Close to Icebreaker

Every piece of furniture was unique

Motley Crew

This guy just couldn't get enough

How bout a HUGGG!

Our waitress

Back Over to Mackinac Island to Hitch Up Our Buggy

Zooming across the Straits from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island, MI.

The Little Stone Church on Mackinac

The "Little Stone Church"

Lunch at the "Grand"

Pulled pork tacos with pineapple salsa, aioli sauce and fresh jalapeno

blackened chicken tacos with slaw and aioli sauce

Get Shorty

Best way to experience Mackinac Island is to be part of it

Hooking up "Shorty" to our buggy

Clopping along

Jack, a store dog

Reminds me of my old job