A Short February Thaw

We had above freezing temps and rain last week Friday and Saturday. The groomers were unable to go out but went out yesterday and tonight Steve is out grooming. AND they are talking a possible snowstorm mid week but we might get missed up here because it appears as though it may be going east. Fingers crossed it comes this way...

Yesterday was cold and sunny/cloudy so Steve and I took a ride downstate to Petoskey which meant we had to cross the Mackinac Bridge. 

Out yonder to the west is the island of St. Helena. It is a 240-acre uninhabited island. However, years and years ago in the 1800's the island was home to a small fishing village and about 25 families. The buildings are all gone now except for a weed covered crumbling foundation. A lighthouse was built on the island in 1873. After it became automated and left unattended, the lighthouse fell in disarray. In 1986, the lighthouse was renovated and is fantastic and nostalgic. I was blessed in the year 2000 to attend a conference on the island with a small group of educators and we slept two nights in the lighthouse. What an awesome experience that was. We were even given the opportunity to witness the northern lights one of the nights and watch those ginormous freighters pass by. Just wow.

Up there in the picture you see Mackinac Island to the east of the bridge, about 10 miles away from St. Helena. The big white building is the Grand Hotel. There isn't an ice bridge this year and I kind of doubt there will be. In fact the ferry is still running back and forth but had to stop for a time due to the shifting ice chunks. I heard they resumed running today. I'm sure the islanders are happy and those who commute to the island for their jobs.

I tried to zoom in on the hotel. It is spectacular and also very nostalgic. Two years ago Steve and I took the ice bridge on our snowmobiles and I posted some pictures of the island in winter at this post Mackinac Island in the Winter. My mom and I have attended Christian Women conferences at the Grand Hotel. Also amazing experiences. I wrote a few posts about those times but you can see pictures of our room at the Grand Hotel at the post My Mom and Me.

Before we knew it, we were back in the good 'ole U.P. again. Home sweet home.

Home to watch my birds while drinking my morning coffee. Ahhh...

Back Home Again...

Riley and Lindsey and Gus came to visit us this past weekend now that we are back in the wonderful UP. I absolutely love this picture of Gus staring at the rolling waves of Lake Michigan with the Mackinac Bridge in the distance. 

Great picture Riley and Lindsey!

We had a great weekend sitting 'round the bon fire talking, laughing, eating...

It's taken me until today to get every single thing unpacked. As I've mentioned before, Steve is renovating our little house here in the woods, and during the process things have been moved around and rearranged. But truthfully, I just wasn't in that big of a hurry to unpack. When we arrived on Friday, May 8, there was just enough daylight to walk around the yard and check out my spring flowers - tulips and daffodils - and perennial herbs. No porcupines on the back porch this year!

Then on Saturday I unpacked the essentials.

It was a gorgeous day.

Steve said, "We have all next week to unpack. Let's go fishing."

I said, "I'll pack a cooler and get my fishing pole."

I caught a 10.5 inch brook trout out of this hole but forgot to take a pic of it. I was so excited because I was using the bait I used out in Wyoming and it worked!

So Ike and I hung out hoping to catch another...

...Bear watched and waited...

...but got bored and decided to primp her paws in a wildflower patch.

I wasn't catching anymore fish so Ike bailed on me and went on to better scenery and a more comfy spot.

Then Steve came around the bend with a 9 inch brook trout.

I made him stop so I could get a pic of his fish before he released it back into the river.

Steve doesn't miss a beat. In the midst of the unpacking, we took a day trip downstate to get things for this project from places like Lowes and Home Depot. Here Steve is putting up the doors he made for the pantry he built me. I now have two closets and one pantry. When we moved here to deer camp, I had zilch, nada. 

I wanted to share this photo with those of you who aren't on Facebook (Hi Mom!). I posted this a few weeks back with the caption "My favorite place to stop on the ATV trail." 

I'm gonna miss that state until next time.

Mackinac Island in the Winter

In Front of the Grand Hotel

This is my first post ever on crossing Lake Huron in the wintertime on snowmobiles to get to Mackinac Island. We determined we've done this trip 5 times. However, we haven't crossed since I started this blog in July of 2011. There hasn't been a safe ice bridge, or any ice bridge at all, in the past few years. But this year was different. In some cases the cold temps come in handy! We did this trip on February 18, a Tuesday, when things weren't so busy and the weather, as well as the ice bridge, was perfect.

Oh, and I can't take all the credit for these photos. Steve had the camera most of the day and that was fine with me or there probably wouldn't have been any pics of us STOPPING on the ice to pose. No matter how many times you tell me the ice is safe enough to ride on, I will not totally believe you. No matter how much I love you.

As I said the day was perfect and so were the trails getting to St. Ignace. Smooth as a pancake...

And the night before we had received a fresh coating of snow.

Here we are crossing Lake Huron on the ice bridge. The ice bridge is lined with Christmas trees. There was a southern bridge and a northern bridge. On our way to the island we took the northern bridge. The island is up ahead.

St. Ignace in the Background

I'm looking for open water, pressure cracks, and people who may be waving at us to go back.

Just kidding.

Let's go, Steve!

                           

View Larger Map

We left our home which is A. Snowmobiled to St. Ignace which is B. And crossed the ice bridge over Lake Huron to C and then vice versa.

On Mackinac Island.

You can drive completely around the island. 

When the snow is gone, the trail is a foot and bike path.

This is an old lodge that was left empty for years. It has since been bought and is being renovated.

Mission Point Resort all closed up for the winter.

Main street

The fort up on the hill.

An empty marina.

A few horses left on the island.

And a tractor...

Whaaat? And a snowplow?

(In general, motorized vehicles are not allowed on the island except in the event of necessity. Snowmobiles are allowed.)

Those aren't our snowmobiles.

And neither is that one.

Whew.

Construction of a new hotel.

Huge snow banks block what is usually the sidewalk and entrance to Sheplers ferry dock..

The sun is getting lower.

Lots of visiting snowmobilers. One local said since the ice bridge became safe, they have been so busy on the weekends and compared the busyness to tourist season in July.

Not everyone on a snowmobile is a visitor. This is the school and the snowmobile parking lot.

Round Island Lighthouse

Ships still pass between Mackinac Island and Round Island.

Mackinac Bridge in the background.

Yes, I dared to stop and wave at Steve.

Heading back to St. Ignace. Following the Christmas trees. This time we took the southern route and encountered some slushy areas.

I did not like that.

The Grand Hotel in the background.

My mom and I stayed there last October.

See that post here.

It was a wonderful winter day!

FYI: If you ever want to attempt this trip, I strongly urge you to check with the locals before crossing. Also, always plan in advance and pick a day when no snow is predicted or any other type of precipitation. The weather can change on a dime and you need to see from tree to tree. Also, I would suggest taking a compass in case you do run into trouble. You don't want to get any where near the shipping lanes. There are two restaurants opened on the island during the winter and they are each on a side street off of main street and just a block apart: The Village Inn and The Mustang.

Four days after Steve and I took this trip, we heard from fellow snowmobilers that they had attempted to go to the island that morning and had chosen the northern ice bridge. On their way to the island, they encountered a large slush area with an abandoned snowmobile stuck in the slush. They turned around and did not recommend the trip.

If you would like to read about recent Mackinac Island experiences (the ice bridge and the landing of a plane on the ice due to mechanical issues) go to fellow blogger and Mackinac Island resident Liz's blog titled The Quilted Turtle. Scroll down and read her interesting stories.

If you want to read about Mackinac Island in the summer, check out this post, or this one, or this one.