The longest leg of my trip promised to be the one from Niagara Falls to Mackinac Island. My original plan was to cut across the part of Ontario that dips down to Lake Erie – through London and Sarnia. This would allow me to make a straight western shot and re-enter the U.S. north of Detroit. However, I wanted to do some research into Canadian firearms laws before crossing the border. In doing so I found out that while it is legal to bring many firearms into Canada, handguns with a barrel length of 4.3 inches are strictly prohibited in Canada, full stop. This meant that my concealed carry solution was a strict no-no, and if found could subject the holder to serious criminal consequences. While I realized that there was a pretty good chance that I could stow the gun away in a place in the trailer where it would not be discovered, I quickly concluded that it was not worth the risk. In order to avoid that risk I would have to avoid Canada, which meant driving all the way around Lake Erie to the south, through the northwest notch of Pennsylvania, most of Ohio, and then all the way back north through Michigan. This added about 150 miles to an already long day, giving me a total drive of about 560 miles. Off I went.

I made it to the Harvest Host – Rose City Winery – at about 5:30 p.m. after an 11-hour drive. This was another very cute little family winery, although it was just about to close for the day when I arrived. I met the hosts and made a purchase, then bade them good evening. The setup was just what I needed for the night, and was a perfect example of why Harvest Hosts is such a valuable program.

I took my time the next morning, as I only had about 120 miles to drive and a check-in time at noon. I was on the road a little before 10:00, and made the easy drive to Mackinaw City by 12:30 or so. The campground was a KOA, and while they lack the charm of some of the independent campgrounds, they tend to be consistent in quality and amenities, which are both good.

The campground was less than two miles from the “city center” of Mackinaw City, which consists mainly of two streets that run at right angles to each other, one along the shore of the lake and the other as a kind of a boulevard to the ferries to Mackinac Island. Sort of a tourist trap landing strip. It was lined with fudge shops and t-shirt shops and boutiques of clothes and Michigandise, but it was a little nices and less annoying than most of the type. On the north side of the town are a couple of very interesting sights. An old, very well-maintained lighthouse watches over the Straits of Mackinac, as does the old colonial fort Michilimackinac, which means “Great Turtle” in one of the Native American languages. This name came from the profile of Mackinac Island which, with a little imagination, resembles a turtle lying the the water, its head and shell forming a small hump and a larger one. Doniating the view, and virtually casing a shadow on the fort, is the enormous bridge over the Mackinac Straits. At five miles long, it held many records in the bridge category, and still holds some. I believe it is the longest span of a suspension bridge in North American, but I need to check that. It’s a beautiful thing.

As it turned out, there was a lot going on there when I was there, as I had arrived on the Saturday before Memorial Day. There were re-enactments at the Fort, and lots of tourists enjoying the long weekend (although not nearly as many as will be there starting in mid-June, or so I’m told).

On Memorial Day itself I took the ferry over to Mackinac Island. It was a delightful place, if rather crowded. The absence of motor vehicles on a rather highly populated island made for a somewhat surreal setting in this day and age. There are many who use either horse drawn carriage or horseback to travel about, and bicycles are everywhere. The Grand Hotel, true to its name, is magnificent. To keep the foot traffic down, they charge $10 to go inside or just get close to the front porch. Annoying, but I get it, as they would have a throng of people wandering about otherwise, and it would be annoying to the guests. We stayed about three hours on the island, seeing all that you could easily see with a dog, and then returned to the mainland.

There are many unspoiled areas to hike and explore near Mackinaw City, and Ollie and I had no trouble finding trails and long, virtually empty beaches where he could run and play. Dog heaven. Wilderness State Park is one of the best, and only about 10 miles west of Mackinaw City. There is also a Dark Sky Park just west of town. These are a thing in this region, and I would love to take one in. Unfortunately, the weather was cloudy on the evenings that I would have been able to do it. Maybe next trip.

Three days was enough there, and on Tuesday, June 1, we left to go to Egg Harbor, WI via the Upper Peninsula.