Heading up the hill toward Grand Hotel
A couple of weeks ago I had an opportunity to visit Mackinac Island which is located just east of the Mackinac Bridge which spans the Upper and Lower peninsulas of Michigan. The purpose of my visit was to attend the grand opening of Grand Hotel’s new stable and carriage house. I’ve written all about that and it will be in the next issue of Driving Digest.
I encourage everyone who hasn’t been to that special island to plan a visit. It is unique. Everything moves by horsepower – the four-legged kind. Bicycles are used by many hundreds of tourists and residents, but all the freight depends on draft horses pulling drays to get the goods to their destination. You have to see it to truly appreciate it.
What is also amazing is that the other horses that residents and the Hackneys that are used by Grand Hotel take all the commotion that thousands of tourists who come over on ferries create. “It’s normal for them,” says Ben Moseley, stable manager for Grand Hotel. That really sunk in to me. Bicycles whizzing by, small children stepping in front (or under!) the horses, canons fired from the Fort, doesn’t phase them.
I ran into Debbie and Ron Egan and Suzi Dixon who are both spending the summer on the Island working for families who own two of the fabulous ‘cottages’ overlooking Lake Huron. What an experience! Imagine driving your pair of Friesians to play golf or to an evening cocktail party, just like 100 years ago, except this is 2012.
Taking the Island’s mail from the post office to the ferry.
Driving Digest 