But Where Is Mackinac Island?

I think most people who live in Michigan know where Mackinac Island is located, but I'm fairly sure some of my faithful readers do not.

This is Michigan . . .

It is the only state made up of two peninsulas. It boasts the longest freshwater coast in the world (3,200 miles), being bordered by four of the five Great Lakes (Huron, Michigan, Superior, and a little bit of Erie). There are nearly 65,000 inland lakes and ponds in Michigan and you are never more than 6 miles away from a natural water source. And no matter where you are, you're within 90 miles of one of the Great Lakes. So despite living in Midwestern farm country, Michiganders are boat people and beach people.

Mackinac Island can be found between the Upper Peninsula (the U.P.) and the Lower Peninsula (the mitten) in the Straits of Mackinac. Don't see it up there? It's tiny: just 8 miles around and about 4 total square miles of land. Here, maybe this will help . . .

See it? It's sitting on the blue "M" of the Straits of Mackinac. You might notice while looking at these maps that there are a lot of French names (brought by the French explorers, fur traders, and Jesuit missionaries in the 17th and 18th centuries)  and a lot of names drawn from the local Native American tribes, especially the Ojibwe (also known as the Anishnabe or, to the French, the Chippewa). In fact, Mackinac Island was apparently considered to be the home of the Great Spirit, or Gitche Manitou, by the native tribes. Incidentally, the North and South Manitou Islands (on the lower left of the map above) are the "cubs" of a mother bear, lost in the lake, and the mother (Sleeping Bear Dunes) waits for them to return. Lots of interesting Native American stories and legends in Northern Michigan.

I managed to find a nice road and trail map to give you an idea of how the island is laid out. Most of the businesses are on Main Street and Market Street on the southern end of the island.

Solid lines are paved roads and broken lines are trails. The land at the southern end of the island rises steeply very quickly to about 1/3 the way into the island. This is where there are cliffs and intersting rock formations, such as Arch Rock (the first photo in my last post). The northern 2/3rds generally slope gently until you reach the water. If you stand on the southern shore and look south you can see the northern shore of the Lower Peninsula and if you stand on the northern shore and look north you can see the southern shore of the Upper Peninsula. If you stand toward the western side you can see the Mackinac Bridge (the Mighty Mac) that spans the 5 mile straits.

In the coming days I will be taking lots of photos and having lots of fun with my best friend. I can't wait to share the trip with you!