Summer of 18-#42- Michilimackinac State Park/Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse

Tuesday August 21st, 2018 continued - 2 of 2

If you haven't read the first half of the day about McGulpin's Point Lighthouse, you can read it HERE

We continued our day by going to Michilimackinac State Park.  There is a bridge that you have to go under to reach the lighthouse but it was blocked by police and fire department vehicles.  As we got closer we saw that a travel trailer had got stuck under the bridge, as they were too tall for it. The height limit that was marked on the bridge was 10ft. 6", we need 12ft. 6" for our motorhome.  It looked as though the air conditioner on their roof had become wedged against the bottom of the bridge.  Yuck!!!!  Their day just got worse.

We had a good view of the Mackinac Bridge.

The real reason we came here though was to see Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse.

It was another pretty lighthouse.

They were in the middle of doing renovations to it though but it was still open to the public.

Fresnel Lens

They had organized groups for the tour up the lighthouse.

We opted to go last because we are a little slow.  It was a good job because Bryan realized he couldn't do it.  We had just done too much walking and climbing over the last few days and his knee and back didn't want to do any more!!!  He went back down and I continued up so I could get pictures for him.

It was a bit crowded up there but the guide gave a good talk and I waited until last to go back down and quickly took pictures once everyone had left.

That's someone parasailing out there

Bryan was waiting for me at the bottom of the tower.  He was ok, just a bit sad that he couldn't climb the lighthouse. We watched a video on shipwrecks in the area, and went to the Shipwreck Museum.

It was a modern museum with a lot of interesting information and artifacts from shipwrecks in the Straits of Mackinac.

Sheve from the Eber Ward

There was one interactive display that showed the shipwrecks, in this area, that occurred every decade from the 1850's.  I took pictures of each decade for you.

1850's

1860's

1870's

1880's

Notice the most shipwrecks occurred in the 1890's.  As navigational aids and communications became better there were fewer shipwrecks.

1890's

1900's

1910's

1920's

1930's

1940's

1950's

1960's

We came out of the museum and saw that there was a bus tour of people just coming out of the lighthouse.  Phew!!, we missed the rush.

We walked along by the beach back toward the car park.

The weather was getting overcast so we decided not to sit on a bench and watch the waves but get back to the car and back home.  Look at how the bridge just seems to dive into the water, just like being on a fairground ride!!!!  I can assure you it looks a lot worse than it is. 

Colonial Michilimackinac is a fort.  There are demonstrations and costumed interpreters that make you feel as though you have stepped back in time.  We were too exhausted to fully appreciate it ,and so decided against getting tickets.

The travel trailer that had been stuck under the bridge had been moved and the road was clear.

We went back across the bridge. On the drive to Big Boys, a restaurant we were going to eat at, we saw this mock lighthouse.

Big Boys had some statues outside!!

Not a statue but a live Herring Gull.

Herring Gull

After dinner, we stopped at the American Legion Park in St. Ignace.

It was next to Wawatam Lighthouse, so we got another picture of it.

Star Hydrofoil

They had a commemoration stone to all Great Lakes shipwrecks and Michigan's underwater preserves.

A nice gazebo and seating area

The trolley bus stops here.  It goes on a circular trip around St. Ignace and the outskirts.  You buy a $1 token and can get off where you like.  It runs about every 20 minutes.

We eventually got home, tired but happy.  That was until Bryan sat on the toilet and it came away at the base!!!!  Thankfully he managed to get it back upright and mounted back on the floor.  It was a scary moment!!!

We really like it here.  The town has a nice feel about it and there's so much to do.  The campground was nice although we didn't get any pictures.

Tomorrow we start to head south on our way back to Jacksonville.