Days 16-18:  8.2 Miles of Magic

Note:  I am TRAGICALLY behind in my chronicle of our journey because....Michigan. I get to Michigan and I just LIE DOWN. I cease MOVING, except to crack open a book or stroll to the beach or MAYBE take out the paddle board. My apologies.  Because the end of the trip is nigh, subsequent posts likely will be short on interesting observations or witty encounters and long on THIS IS WHAT WE DID WHEN.  Because that's significantly easier to do when you are LYING DOWN. And now, without further ado, I give you the glorious, magical, romantic, horse and bike-powered, utterly unique....

Mackinac Island. 

  After arriving, we immediately decided to stay one extra night. Because who can resist an 18 hole mini-golf course that features glow-in-the-dark rounds?

  Or 8.2 miles of magic?

 And fostering dreams of growing up to be a "Mackinac Island Traffic Cop"?

   We rode bikes and hiked to Arch Rock and found private rocky beaches and skipped stones and built rock sculptures....  Note:  No child was SERIOUSLY hurt by the rock sculpture falling upon his head. 

...and we're all just utterly charmed AGAIN by the beauty and grace of this place. 

I mean, BEHOLD!  The Mackinac Island School....

  ...and I defy you to find a more enchanting public library in all of the land. 

  I want to LIVE in this library. For my home. FOREVER. 

And I'm not the only one. Both Carter and Owen loved it here so much, they declared that they wanted to live here forever and always. (Funnily, they both stipulated that their future wives would need to agree). 

And why wouldn't you live here?  (At least in the summer, when the ICE BRIDGE is not in play). Especially when the rector of St. Anne's Church personally invites your whole family to come to a SQUARE DANCE?  I mean, COME ON!  How charming is THAT?

 🌟 🌟Gold star to whomever correctly identifies the person who wanted to attend the square dance. Let the record show that this person was resoundingly overruled, and that when we rode bikes in front of the church while the square dance was in progress, we were forced to hang our heads in shame. 

And there was the great FUDGE TASTE TEST. 

The winner and clear champion?

And the sleeping was GOOD. Landon loved his closet bed, unlike the shower in the RV.  

  This is an enchanted island. We have lists of things to do next time. Including kite flying, tea at the Grand Hotel, and SQUARE DANCING. 😉

Two things we will AVOID next time....mistaking a puddle in the road as filled with WATER instead of HORSE URINE  before jumping in it (🌟for correctly identifying the jumper)....

  and eating honey butter STRAIGHT from the container, forgoing bread altogether, at the Pink Pony. Eewwww

Horse urine notwithstanding, we can't wait to return.