Jack's Journal: Mackinac Island
CBS News producer Jack Halsbond is behind the wheel of The Early Show's Winnebago Destination, traveling the country in July and August as part of the "Great American Vacation" giveaway road trip. Read his Web-exclusive road diary.
At over 800 feet, the porch in front of The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island is reportedly the "longest porch" in the world. So it's only appropriate that at the tail end of the longest road trip known to mankind, the Great American Vacation tour, I visited The Grand Hotel and sat down to rest for a little while.
The Grand Hotel and its legendary porch has been visited by five Presidents as well as over 23 presidential hopefuls -- and now by Dave Price. To get there, everyone must forget about limos and motorcades: the only way to the hotel is by ferry and then either on foot, on bike, or horse drawn carriage.
Upon arriving on Mackinac Island, one is greeted by two strong aromas. One is the smell of fudge, which seems to be everywhere, as this confection is the crowning jewel of many a travelers' visit. The second is not quite as aromatic, with over 600 horses on the Island -- I'll leave this to your imagination. Let's just say that there is several tons of hay that is consumed daily and please watch where you ride that bike!
However, the one thing that you won't find on Mackinac Island was my trusted companion this summer, our Winnebago Destination. Motor vehicles have not been allowed on the island for over one hundred years, and certain that bringing her ashore would offend the sensibilities of the local community, we chose instead to keep her located on a barge just off shore and within a camera shot of the big vacation giveaway.
Chris Shepler, of Shepler's Ferry, a third generation operator in Mackinac, had the honors of escorting Winny on board the barge and off-loading her at St. Ignace, a twenty minute ferry ride just north of Mackinaw City, where most of the visitors to the Island leave and return from.
My visit to northern Michigan was highlighted by visits to Mackinac Island and Mackinaw City and the surrounding areas of Harbor Springs, Cross Village and Indian River.
Here in the upper regions of Michigan, with Lake Michigan to the west and Lake Huron to the east, time appears to have stood still. Many quaint and often-forgotten vestiges of daily life are still practiced. Although the mode of transportation, when not on Mackinac Island, is decidedly 21st century, the pace and feel is very much from another period in time. Friendly smiles and salutations are the norm and you can enjoy the full gamut of culinary experiences, from fine dinning to a decidedly less formal approach.
We've been making friends all along the Great American Vacation route, and Michigan was no exception. From the friendly folks at the Mackinaw City KOA, where we spent some time, to those who we met in Harbor Springs, everyone had something nice to say and a story to tell. My special thanks to three folks I have become very friendly with in my travels, Hayes and Betty Jo Forrest and Margaret French.
Hayes and Betty Jo are, in fact, truly living a Great American Vacation of their own. A retired restaurateur and successful builder, Hayes and his wife, Betty Jo, who hail from North Carolina, have been traveling the byways and highways of this beautiful land of ours in their own trusty Winnebago. And to their cousin, Margaret, who graciously invited me to her family's summer residence in Indian River for a delicious home-cooked meal, I say a special thank you.
The Great American Vacation comes to an end this week with our visit to Bar Harbor, Maine. It's time to say adieu to the summer and look forward to fall, but first we still have one more vacation to give away and I'm certain that the good folks of Bar Harbor will be up for the task.