Bookstore Buh-Bye (NacNaw, Tuesday 7/5)

Today was the day we shipped out and bid northern Michigan buh-bye. We checked out in the morning and returned to Pancake Chef so that I could try their breakfast pasty. I'd seen it on the menu Monday morning, but in the moment I'd wanted eggs benedict more than I wanted a pasty. Like everything I'd eaten during this trip, it was delicious! It had eggs, cheese, sausage, potatoes, and some other stuff inside it, and the crust was topped with gravy. Still don't know if it was the "real thing" or have any idea what an authentic pasty is supposed to be, but it was definitely closer than what I'd had at Pastie & Cookie Co. on Friday!

Our very last stop before heading back home was The Island Bookstore. There's one on Mackinac Island too, but we forgot to look for it when we were there. I've been a bookworm practically all my life, so I couldn't resist! Ironically, working at a bookstore last year kind of jaded me from wanting to visit them as often as I used to, so I figured I'd treat myself this time. As many things in the area do, the Mackinaw City Bookstore had its own particular quirk: it doubles as an old-timey themed photography studio! Bookstore in the front, studio in the back. Admittedly it's not something that I would jump at the chance to do, but it's a cute idea, especially considering the plethora of touristy activities available in that part of town.

I walked in, noticed the used book section to my left with the "up to 70% off" sign, and that was all I needed to see. Instead of exploring the entire store like I'd planned, I spent our visit combing the used book shelves for interesting finds. And I found a few! While Ma left with a Tenzi game and a Mackinac Island-themed set of magnets that were to her liking, I left with two hardcovers and one paperback that only cost me $20.66 altogether: Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi, The Dinner by Herman Koch (which I'm currently reading), and Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.

And with that, we hit the road.

It's amazing how things can turn out the exact opposite of how you expect them to. When Ma mentioned going to Mackinac Island a few months ago, I put on the best face I could but was hardly excited about it. Of course I was looking forward to making memories with my mom; she doesn't get out much and she never asks for anything, so I was determined to make this experience fun for her so that she could be happy. At the same time though, I just knew that this vacation was going to be all for her while I followed along excruciatingly bored the whole time. To my delighted surprise, I actually learned so much about myself thanks to this trip and we both had a fantastic time together. I'll write more about what I learned later, but for now I'll just say that I'm glad I didn't count Ma's idea out. Here's to our next trip, whenever and wherever that'll be.

Oh wait! I almost forgot. So the one souvenir I bought from Mackinac Island is a ceramic shot glass. I don't drink at home but I just loved the joke that was printed on this cup. For those of you who were born after the 90s or aren't up on brand history, I'll explain. The WWE wrestling organization used to be called WWF (World Wrestling Federation) for the longest time until the World Wildlife Foundation/World Wide Fund for Nature sued and won the rights to use the logo exclusively in the early 2000s. Using pandas, this shot glass references both the past and present meanings of "WWF", and call me corny but I thought it hilarious enough to pay $12 for it.

 






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Black Bears, Waterfalls, Fireworks (NacNaw, Monday 7/4)

This morning we forewent the hotel's complimentary breakfast in favor of trying Pancake Chef, a popular restaurant we'd passed by on multiple occasions. I can't remember what Ma chose, but I selected the eggs Mackinaw (just like eggs benedict, except with slices of tomato added and whitefish used in place of Canadian bacon) and a half order of their apple jack pancakes. In hindsight it was way too much food, but it was everything I needed in that moment!

Monday had us on the road again, but this time across Mackinaw Bridge to the U.P. The Upper Peninsula is obviously part of the state of Michigan, but because it's so sparsely populated and separated from the rest of most people who live in the state, you kinda forget it's there unless you're looking at a map or are already in the habit of visiting the area. Apparently "Yoopers" are very proud of their insulated way of life, and I've heard that there's some sort of friendly rivalry between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Then again, I've lived in Michigan my whole and never met anyone who really cared that much, so I assume that whoever's participating in this rivalry must not have a lot going on in their lives. But I digress.

My main motivation for going to the U.P. was to visit the "bear farm", or Oswald's Bear Ranch, in Newberry. A high school friend of mine had recommended it to me, and I wasn't about to pass up the chance to witness a randomly-placed congregation of animals! Especially not such big and fluffy ones as bears. By some chain of events, a former Marine and his family began taking in bears and eventually they repurposed most of their land into a bear reservation. They live on the same property as the bears and have made raising them their life's work.

Like the Sleeping Bear Dunes climb, Oswald's charges per vehicle, and since there were more than one of us in the car it cost us $20 to enter. The lady at the entrance welcomed us and informed us that they currently had 38 bears on the property. They keep the cubs in one area, the yearlings in another, the adult females in another, and the adult males in another. If you'd like you can pay $10 to take a picture with the cubs, but neither Ma nor I were interested.

The yearlings were all very enthusiastic in front of people because they knew people meant apples! All except for one, a larger yearling who seemed uncomfortable in the heat and wasn't in the best mood. Whenever the other yearlings got too close, he or she would make a guttural bellowing noise which almost sounded like it was laughing, but the sound was actually a warning, "Git away from me!". The females were also pretty enthusiastic, sitting up and even standing up for apples like a couple of the yearlings had. From the female enclosure we followed a trail encircling the expansive property and came back around to the male enclosure. The males were fewest in number and had the largest enclosure out of all the bears, but they were also the most disinterested in people. With all the trees and foliage, it was hard to catch sight of them as they sought refuge in the shade. I left the bear ranch having learned one very interesting fact, which was that some black bears aren't actually black at all. According to a huge placard attached to the males' habitat, though some of the bears at Oswald's have brown or even light tan coats, all of them are of the same black bear species.

From Oswald's it was only a 20-minute drive to Tahquamenon Falls, a famous waterfall in a town called Paradise. Our original plan had been to visit Sault Ste. Marie and maybe even cross the border into Canada, but there didn't seem to much to see over that way, so we made a spur of the moment decision to see Tahquamenon instead. A Michigan recreation passport is required to enter the state park, and if you don't have one they'll give you one for $11. Once you enter the park, there are two main options for viewing the falls. At one end is the brink, and the stairway to and from the platform there is 94 steps. Most people go here because the stairway is shorter and the platform sits right atop the waterfall. The other viewing platform is further downriver at the gorge, with 116 steps and not as straightforward of a path. Ma and I took our time making it to both platforms.

Though our introduction to the U.P. was rather short, we had to leave in order to give ourselves enough time to see the fireworks back in Mackinaw City. Every year, Mackinac Island hosts a Fourth of July firework show which can also be enjoyed from Mackinaw City, and we didn't want to miss it. To be quite honest, for Ma and me Independence Day is largely just another excuse to have a BBQ. Plus I'd been reading August Wilson's The Piano Lesson the whole weekend, and that combined with the sanitized Indigenous history posts I'd seen stationed around Mackinac Island and all the gift shops on both sides of the strait boasting Confederate flag items in their front windows had made a decidedly less-than-convincing case for me to be swept up in the holiday spirit. But hey, this was the main event of the day, so we figured why not go and enjoy it along with everyone else.

After resting for a bit at the hotel, Ma and I parked the car in the downtown area and walked the rest of the way to the marina, where we claimed a picnic table on the wooden deck between Shepler's Ferry and all the other boats docked there. From 7:30pm on, we watched the area around us fill up with people as the sun went down. The fireworks show started sometime between 10:30pm and 11pm, and though it didn't last as long as one would expect for such a highly-anticipated event, it was quite entertaining. When all the hubbub was over, we waited out the rush at BC Pizza and then returned to the hotel once the traffic had cleared.






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Sand, Cherries, Seafood (NacNaw, Sunday 7/3)

Today was all about the Traverse City area, so after breakfast Ma and I got in the car and drove two hours south to the Sleeping Bear Dunes. Google Maps led us through country road after country road, and took us past the Grand Traverse Bay as we rode through the National Cherry Festival in downtown Traverse City (our second destination for the day) to the dune climb in Glen Arbor.

At the dune climb they charged $15 per vehicle and gave us a pass that lasted seven days. After parking we approached the dunes, took off our socks and shoes, I hiked up my pants, and we made our way up digging our feet into the scorching hot sand one step at a time. The climb can take as little or as much time as your stamina and goals will allow. Once you get up the first hill, you have three options. First, you can take in the view of the sand and Glen Lake below, and head back down once you've had your fill. Second, you can head right and take a winding, arduous, up and down trail to Lake Michigan (remember, you'll have to climb your way back). Third, you can head left and climb to the lookout. It's straight up, but then again the entire trek back to the parking lot is all downhill.

Visiting Sleeping Bear Dunes had been Ma's idea, so I tried to encourage her to keep going so she could see Lake Michigan on the other side and get the most out of this experience. We had all day; we could pace ourselves and stop to rest as many times as necessary. But Ma made it very clear that she was "tahrd" (tired), was satisfied by what she'd seen, and was read to descend. I said alright. And I almost turned to descend too. But I kept staring at the lookout and all the people getting further and further away looking like ants as they made their way up there. And I thought, Okay. Let me just see how much higher I can go. Ma sat down where we were and said she'd wait, so I kept going. I hadn't expected to make it all the way... until I did! I was so proud of myself! From my vantage point I had an even better view of Glen Lake, the surrounding scenery, and the way from which I'd come on one side. On the other side I could see the rest of the dunes and catch a glimpse of Lake Michigan. I hate posing for pictures, but I had someone take one of me at the lookout since I knew Ma would appreciate it. I brought her a sparkly rock from up there as a consolation prize too.

We took our time making it all the way down and then drove back the way we came to downtown Traverse City for the festival. I'd expected it to be a smaller town like Mackinaw City, but TC is actually a real and lively city. Not a sprawling metropolis, but large enough. I was impressed. And walking along the bay seeing all the people having fun or relaxing in and around the water made me feel nostalgic, reminiscing about the weekends in Hikone when people flocked to Matsubara beach just to take advantage of the weather and enjoy Lake Biwa.

Another misconception I'd had was that that since it was the National Cherry Festival, it would be all cherry errthing. All the food and beverages cherry-flavored, everybody and everything outfitted in various shades of red, people dressed like cherries. Turns out, while there was a mascot (his name's Super Cherry, but I only saw posters of him), and plenty of foods with cherries in them, it's not actually all cherry errthing. It's more like any other summer festival, but just so happens to also use the event to highlight its highly renowned and marketable local produce. It was spread out and well-organized, a pleasant way to spend a summer day, but nothing out of the ordinary. Once we got there we ate some food, walked around to see what was what, bought a cup of cherries (16 oz. for $5), and then dipped.

Google Maps had us take a different way back, leading us along Lake Michigan and passing through Charlevoix, where we got to stop and watch them raise the bridge so a ship could pass. For dinner back in Mackinaw City, we had Italian food at Nonna Lisa's. Think excellent Italian food inside of a hunter's lodge. Lots of wood, taxidermy, fake pine trees, and white Christmas lights. Somewhat incongruous with the cuisine, but it's actually pretty on brand as far as northern Michigan interior design goes. I ordered the seafood portofino, which was bomb! I'd just wanted to try something different, but I hadn't realized how much I actually enjoy seafood. And I tasted mussels for the first time, so that was nice too. Ma ordered spaghetti, and for someone who'd insisted she was "not that hungry", she put away more of her dish than I did mine!

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Bike Victories and Yummy Things (NacNaw, Saturday 7/2)

Despite sitting in a bath and using my inhaler before bed Friday night, I woke up stiff, sore in most of the same places as before, and wheezy. But we'd already planned to bike Mackinac Island today and I hate to not stick to a set schedule, so back to the island we went! From breakfast at the hotel, Ma and I drove to Shepler's again with our bikes in tow, and we bought passes for them ($10 each) before boarding.

One thing I forgot to mention is that one of the biggest surprises for me since arriving on Friday was observing the substantial amount of Caribbean people working in Mackinaw City, on the ferries, and on Mackinac Island. Truth be told, I was anxious about whether going to northern Michigan would be safe for Ma and I as single black women, since I wasn't sure how homogeneously white the area would be, and since it was 4th of July weekend during this trifling election year, I worried about how aggressive or militant people's patriotism (and thus racism fueled by "patriotism") might be. Turns out that yes, the area certainly isn't the most melanated place on Earth, but it's also super chill. At the very least, people are friendly in that contrived "let's be on our best behavior and not cause trouble for each other" type of way. Like how folks are at Disney World. And there were all kinds of people of color visiting. Mostly Indian/South Asian and East Asian people, a handful of Latino people, a smattering of Black folk. It was a delight for Ma and I to see at least a few of us wherever we went. But for our Caribbean brothers and sisters, I'm curious as to how and why they ended up working in northern Michigan of all places. Need to do research on this later.

I'd wanted to go around the opposite way from Friday to get a different perspective of the island, so after arriving and getting situated we set out at around 11:50am. We made it all the way in about two hours, taking our time and only making two stops to rest and intermittent pauses for photos. I was overwhelmingly proud of both of us, especially Ma. She's not the most active or outdoorsy person, and she's not the most open to trying new things, but in the right situation and with the right encouragement, she really steps up and does her best to push her boundaries (I think we're somewhat alike in this way). Just like walking up Hyde Street in San Francisco, just like attempting to walk the island with me Friday and managing to walk back on her own, today she stuck with it and she rocked it! Hadn't been on a bike in about a decade, and she breezed along with me like it was nothing! I was so impressed!

Our next stop was lunch at Pink Pony, which is a restaurant attached to Chippewa Hotel. I picked it because it has a fun name and the online reviews were very enthusiastic. I ordered the tomato bisque, whitefish tacos, and their Famous Rum Runner (a frozen drink composed of rum mixed with a whole bunch of sweet stuff )! It made me feel a little drowsy as all alcohol does, but it was perfection. Perhaps I'm a rum person; I only seem to thoroughly enjoy Long Islands or mixed drinks that resemble them in taste.The restaurant sits right on the waterfront and has four seating areas that are each decorated differently. We got to sit in the dining room with a spectacular view of Haldimand Bay.

From there we trekked up the hill of Cadotte Street to the famed Grand Hotel. Our attention was to visit its front porch, since it's known as the longest in the world. But for some reason they weren't allowing non-guests to enter the inner premises unless they paid money. I wasn't sure if that was how it usually worked or if there was some special occasion going on that they wanted to keep the peasants away from. (I've since looked it up, and charging $10 per person for non-guests to enter the premises is indeed the Grand Hotel's policy. People have figured out ways to get around it, but it wasn't that serious for us so we left after seeing the parts we could see from where we stood). Off-limits or not, it's still a splendid building.

Back downhill on Main Street, we perused the shops for some must-haves. Ma wanted a T-shirt and some popcorn. I hadn't been interested in purchasing any souvenirs, but then I saw something in a Mackinac Mud Pottery that I found to be very clever being the 90s baby I am, so I bought it. I'll reveal what it is later. And it's almost impossible for some people to mention Mackinac Island without also mentioning fudge in the same breath. However, neither Ma nor I enjoy eating chocolate that much, so at first we weren't going to buy any. But then I remembered how the shuttle driver from Friday night recommended Ryba's as the best fudge on the island, and since we kept passing all three of Ryba's signature soft pink shops on Main Street, we gave in. Ma got her popcorn and some chocolate peanut clusters, and I got cashew turtles.

After riding the ferry back to Mackinaw City and dropping our wares off to the hotel, we had dinner at another one of the shuttle driver's recommendations. Darrow's Family Restaurant was right across the street from the hotel kitty-corner to Pastie & Cookie Co., and I hadn't thought much of it when I'd seen it before. Like most family restaurants, it has no frills or pretenses, and the menu items are deceivingly simple on paper and at first glance. But don't be fooled, the quality is excellent! No wonder there was a line out the door when we first showed up. Ma chose some sort of fried chicken dinner and I opted for the Mackinaw-style smothered chicken. They also have an extensive pie menu, but like chocolate I guess I grew out of enjoying that as much as I used to, so I passed. Plus we already had so many other snacks to enjoy! Back in the hotel room I caught the last 40 minutes of 'Suffragette' on HBO and nibbled on some popcorn and a couple turtles while Ma passed out.

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A Comprise and an 8-Mile Walk (NacNaw, Friday 7/1)

In the interest of thinking about happier things and seizing the opportunity while my notes and what I actually remember are still on one accord, for the next few days I'll be writing about my recent vacation. During the long 4th of July weekend, Ma and I went on vacation "up north". Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island, Traverse City, the U.P. In that order. Ma's idea. For the longest time this year we couldn't agree on where to go or what to do there, until one day I had to drag out of Ma that she's actually always wanted to go to Mackinac Island. And I figured, Alright let's do this. Sounds dull to me, but if that'll get her interested and engaged in this trip, then let's go. And wouldn't you know it, I probably had more fun up there than she did. More on that later. For now, let's start with Day 1.

We arrived in Mackinaw (pronounced just like it's spelled) City early in the afternoon and checked into our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express. After dropping our bags off we walked across the street to Mackinaw Pastie and Cookie Co. for a quick lunch. It was aight. If you're in that part of town, need food in your stomach quickly, and want to eat a pasty (pronounced "past-y", not "paste-y") just for the sake of saying you've sampled this traditional northern Michigan staple, then go here. If you're a purist who wants "the real deal", whatever that is, you should probably go somewhere else.

The hotel receptionist had given us a map of the city and recommended Shepler's as the best way to get to and from Mackinac (pronounced just like Mackinaw) Island. So from lunch we walked through the downtown area to Shepler's Ferry, where we purchased two-day round trip passes for $41 each. You'll find that Shepler's is very much about efficiency and convenience, with boats leaving from the city and the island every 15-30 minutes depending on the time of day. The boat that Ma and I boarded and went way faster than we'd anticipated; the ride was so much fun! Flying by Mackinaw Bridge, with the boat bobbing as wind and sea spray slap you in the face; it was like being on a water ride at an amusement park! We made it to the Mackinac Island in 15 minutes or so.

For for the first day we just wanted to see and get acquainted with the island, so we'd planned to walk around the whole thing by following America's only car-free state highway, M-185. This was the best but not the brightest idea, which I'll explain shortly. Let me say first that I was somewhat put-off when we stepped onto Main Street and looked around because, well. I have this thing where places that are too clean, too quiet, too organized, just too perfect, make me nervous. For some reason those places don't feel real to me, and they give me great unease. Mackinac Island is one of those frighteningly "perfect" places. But I had to remind myself that, Hey, we're here on vacation, let's keep it moving. We walked down one way and stared at Marquette Park for a bit before getting a map from the visitors center, buying some water at Doud's Market to sustain us, and setting off on what was supposed to be our 8-mile adventure at around 5:30pm.

We didn't cover much ground within the first two hours because we were walking leisurely admiring our surroundings, and then we had an approximately 20-minute stop where Ma waited for me while I climbed up the 207 steps to see Arch Rock and nearly lost my mind at the magnificent view of Lake Huron from up there. By the time we began walking in earnest, it was already 7pm and we'd only reached mile 2. Ma insisted on turning around, which ended up being for the best. I don't know what I was on, but somehow I took her misgivings as a personal challenge to me. I thought that by saying "we" wouldn't make it around before the last boat left the island, she was underestimating me personally, and I was determined to prove her wrong. So in a huff I told her "Bye" and kept going.

And it did my soul so much good! Once you get past the areas with heavy traffic, it's just you, the road, the rocks and sand of the beach, the water, and the sun. The forest hiding dozens of towering homes on one side of you, and the clearest, bluest of blue waves of Lake Huron on the other. Some of the most stunning sights that I've ever seen. You could easily find a quiet spot to sit and stare out at the lake, be alone with God and your thoughts as people pass by on their bicycles. Of course nature was just doing what it does and I just happened to be there, but I derived so much peace from simply looking around and listening to the waves as I journeyed on. With a few stops to rest, one holdup where I was put in my place by a father goose who thought I was getting too close to his flock during feeding time, and slowing down from fatigue toward the end, I made it back to the ferry shortly after 9:30. Basically I did 8 miles in about 4 hours, though it felt a lot longer than that while I was in the act.

Seriously, though. As beautiful as everything was, I have to make this clear. That was the absolute longest walk of my life. When I was done, everything hurt. The soles of my feet, my lower back, my right hip, the backs of my calves and my knees, and my head were talking to me the most. But I regretted nothing. Just make sure you have some endurance and a good pair of walking or running shoes (mine failed me, so I know) before you try walking the island as opposed to biking it. Do some stretches or something beforehand.


Ma had been waiting for me that whole time, and we caught a boat back to the island together. From Shepler's we rode a shuttle back to the hotel, which was driven by an energetic older husband and wife team (he drives, she keeps him company) from Ohio. They'd visited Mackinac/Mackinaw so often over the years and came to love it so much that they decided to move there, and now they spend their working hours welcoming people to the area and sharing their enthusiasm with their passengers. It was more engaging than your typical shuttle ride, that's for sure. I only wish I would've remembered their names. Since neither Ma nor I had eaten in hours, once at the hotel we hopped in the car to head back downtown for some food. Oreilly's Irish Pub was one of the few establishments still open at that time, which was around 10:30pm. Google told me that the place closed at 2am, but didn't tell me that the kitchen actually closed at 11pm. So we arrived just in time to sit and rush to order something. Ma got a burger and I got their poutine topped with pulled pork. I haven't tried la poutine québécoise yet so I'm not sure that what I had measured up to the original, but it was delicious. Fries, gravy, little cheese curds, and pulled pork with a glass of ginger ale make such a satisfyingly unhealthy combination at night on a long-empty stomach!

 




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