MACKINAC ISLAND EXPEDITION!

The colorful "My First Visit" badges in this photo, show who was visiting on June 25, 2026, and were graciously given to us by the Mackinac Island Visitor Information Center (www.MackinacIsland.org) . The names represent the five ladies on a trip to Soo Locks and other attractions in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  (see Soo Locks Expedition, dated August 7, 2026, and Pictured Rocks Expedition, dated August 28, 2026, in blog archives, for info on those trips)) . 

Our group of five boarded the Shepler's Ferry to Mackinac Island, that left from their northern departure city, of St. Ignace, Michigan, on a cloudy, misty day in June,  that was a tad chilly. Since one of the ladies in our group had mobility issues, that caused her to need a wheel chair, I was very thankful about how the Shepler's Ferry personnel took every precaution to get her safely onto the ferry, from the loading dock. 

I took this photo of my four traveling companions, where we sat inside the enclosure part of the ferry.  

I went to the uncovered top deck of the ferry, and decided if I was going to stay up there, I should have had a warm, hoodie, like the person in this photo!

Peggy took this photo that shows I was wearing all the jackets I brought on the trip, not realizing it was going to be much cooler up north, than it was in Arkansas!

As soon as we disembarked from the ferry, we hurried down the main street a few blocks, to the location where we could get on one of the horse-drawn carriages, that give visitors a tour of the island.  Because of the light rain that was falling, the clear vinyl sides of the carriage were fastened down, to add protection from the weather.

We were happy to squeeze in tightly together, on the last bench seat in the carriage, to try to stay warm!

When a guest on the carriage ride gets to the Surrey Building, there is an opportunity to go inside, use the rest room facilities, buy food/souvenirs, and view the historical artifacts.  During the second part of the carriage ride, visitors get off their first wagon, and transfer themselves to a different wagon.  The second wagon we were on, had us departing and returning to the same location, so they said we could leave Helen's wheelchair with them.  They assured us it would be there when we returned, and sure enough, it was!

This is also the location where visitors can take the optional (at an additional charge) tour of the Butterfly House.  

The surrey building has numerous exhibits showcasing the history of transportation on Mackinac Island.  Notice this vehicle is a horse-drawn sleigh, for when the island is covered in snow.  

These carriages with their wooden wheels, and fringe around the top of the cover, bring to mind the famous song, from the 1943 musical Oklahoma! , called  "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top".

It is never easy to extinguish a structure fire, but imagine the limitations a firefighter would face, if the water in this small tank, was all that could be transported to the burning site.  And, it would not have been a speeding fire engine, rather galloping horses, trying to get to the location where it was needed.  

Besides being a place of refreshment for the human visitors, the Surrey House is also the place of refreshment for the horses, where caretakers give them fresh water to drink, and they get to rest a while from pulling their heavy loads. 

If the idea of the typical souvenir, such as a magnet or plastic do-dad saying "Mackinac Island" is not appealing, you can purchase an actual metal horseshoe, worn by an actual horse on Mackinac Island, to take home with you!   Notice the rolling stair steps, that the attendants push up to the carriages, for the guests to use as they climb into the vehicle.  Some of the carriages are lower to the ground, and our attendant made sure we got on one of the lower carriages, since one lady in our group used a wheel chair.  

Many people bring their bicycles to Mackinac Island, but there are also bicycle rental kiosks available to visitors.  

The ladies in our group are all kayakers, but seeing a kayak on top of a round bale of hay, being pulled on a horse-drawn wagon, was something none of us had ever seen!

In addition to bicycle rentals, you can also go to a stable near the main street of town, to pay the fee for a guided horseback ride around the island.  

We had a long stop at the Grand Hotel (www.GrandHotel.com), to give the horses a rest, and also allow any of the folks on the carriage, to get off the carriage, and finish up their visit by exploring the hotel grounds, and then taking the short walk back into the main part of town.  Our group was on a tight schedule, so we stayed in the carriage the entire time it was stopped at the Grand Hotel.  

There is also a horse-drawn taxi, that can be summoned to take visitors backs to town, if they do not want to walk.

The fancy "stagecoach-type" carriage shown below, is used to transport registered guests of the Grand Hotel, from the ferry, to the entrance of the hotel.

Although the rain may have been an inconvenience for our group, the assortment of brightly colored blooms surrounding the hotel probably enjoyed it!
 

The exterior of the Grand Hotel, with it expansive front porch and yellow awnings, is the iconic landmark of Mackinac Island.  When my husband and I stayed here many years ago, our room was not air conditioned.  However, I read that there have been updates, so that now, all guest rooms are air conditioned.  For me, one of the highlights of that overnight experience, was getting to take a tour of their gigantic commercial kitchen and other food service facilities.  Since my background was in Foods and Nutrition, I was very interested to see how they co-ordinated their massive dining operation.  

While our horse-drawn carriage was stopped at the circle drive for several minutes, I suggested the couple sitting on the bench, do a "KISS CAM" photo, and they obliged!

When our tour resumed, we rode by St. Anne's cemetery, with its vintage stone arch.

Our tour also had a brief stop at Fort Mackinac, which is a Michigan State Park.  Several folks disembarked at this point, but we stayed seated and continued on.  

Another iconic landmark for Mackinac Island is Arch Rock, and I was thankful to Diana, for snapping a photo of me in front of the unique geological formation.  All of us got off the carriage at Arch Rock, because there are restroom facilities there, as well as an indoor nature center with exhibits telling about the natural features, flora and fauna of the island.  

I tried to take pictures of all the exhibits, so I could read the information later, since our time here was very brief.  

The native Americans originally called the island Michilimackinac, which translates to "Place of the Great Turtle".  That history would explain this turtle sculpture, which was one of several turtle references that can be seen on the island.  

It was nice to be there during the time of year, when the lilacs were blooming.

Every year, there is a big Lilac Festival, that draws thousands to the already-popular location.  Notice the postcard is announcing  the dates for the week-long celebration in 2027.

The horse shown on this sign along Main Street, plus seeing so many horses and carriages and "chariots" around the island, reminded me of one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses from Psalm 20:7.

It says, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."

Trusting in the Lord to be with us, this visit to Mackinac Island, with great friends, gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!     Tricia












 

FOUR SCORE EXPEDITION!

 Although this is called Four Score Expedition, it started out in recognition of  the "Five Score" (or one hundred years) recognition of the formation of Route 66---aka, The Mother Road.  (The "mother" in this particular photo is me, standing in the middle of The Mother Road, where a new sculpture has been erected on historic Route 66 in Springfield, Missouri.  

There is also a new sign at the Springfield airport, made in the shape of the historic Route 66 highway sign.  The bottom of the sign shows the 1926 date when government officials convened in Springfield, Missouri, and conceived the idea of a paved highway route, going from Chicago, Illinois, then across the country towards the Pacific Ocean, terminating in Santa Monica, California.  

My United Airlines ticket out of Springfield, Missouri, landed me (on time!), at the airport in Medford, Oregon, where my son was waiting to pick me up.  

 Once we arrived at our Mt. Shasta, California, destination, we took a walk around the neighborhood, where I photographed the thick white cloud, that was encircling the 14,179 feet summit of Mt Shasta.  (Mt. Shasta is famous for its lenticular clouds.) 

After a delicious supper provided by Grover and Stacy, for both their mother-in-laws, we settled down for a card game of Five Crowns.  The Arkansas mother-in-law had been invited out to Mt. Shasta, to celebrate the "Four Score" birthday of the California mother-in-law.  Psalm 90:10 implies that a person must have strength to make it to four score (80 years), saying "The days of our years are threescore years and ten, and if by reason of strength they may be fourscore years....."

I was delighted to be in the guest room, that housed the antique treadle sewing machine that belonged to my grandparents, Grover and Effie P.;  and, to my surprise, my son (named Grover after his great-grandfather) had ordered new belts for the machine, along with an instruction manual.  He said he wanted to get it working again, so he could sew on it himself.    That prompted me to tell him the story about how my sister was using the machine decades ago, (when my grandparents lived in Monarch, Arkansas) and somehow, accidentally impaled her pinky finger with the machine needle.  I remember we dropped everything, drove to Harrison,  and rushed her into the doctor's office.  There was no permanent damage, but it certainly made us more cautious, from that point forward! 

It was gratifying to see that my son and his wife continue to get fresh produce from their garden.  I especially enjoyed the fresh, purple heirloom tomatoes, as well as the zucchini squash and cherry tomatoes.   (See blog in the archives called "Garden Expedition", dated June 12, 2020 to see the history of their garden project)

Several guests were expected on Saturday night for a party to celebrate Jan's 80th birthday, so there were lots of chores to get done to get the place spiffed up.  This included Grover mowing the yard.

 Grover and Stacy worked together to clean the kitchen window, inside and outside.  Grover had "drawn" a heart for Stacy, with the spray cleaner, but it was already wiped away by the time I could get a photo.  

I wanted to be sure there was a photo of me cleaning windows, hoping maybe it would motivate me to clean my windows, when I got back to Arkansas!

This was my first time to meet Lucas, the newest addition to the family.  We got a photo of his older brother in this same highchair, continuing the tradition started when my sister was first photographed in this same chair, in 1943.  We also have photos of both me and Grover in the chair, when we were toddlers.  

 

 In order to take advantage of so many family members being together in one place, at one time, my very photography-skilled grandson-in-law, Dean, had his professional-level camera, positioned on a tripod, and took dozens of photos, with dozens of family combination poses.  It is quite the chore to get little ones to sit still and smile, when prompted (especially when a one-year-old is trying to grab his father's camera, as shown in this photo!)   I had the blessing of knowing Dean's very skilled photographer grandmother, Elna, so I am not surprised that Dean is also very adept at it.  On one of my visits to Oregon several years ago, I got to take a day-long photography seminar with Elna, and learned as much from her, as I did from the man who was teaching the class!

 After the photo session was over, several of us went to lunch in down-town Mt. Shasta, and enjoyed the beautiful weather that made dining outside a joy!

 After lunch, the ladies enjoyed visiting some of the downtown boutiques, while Mike kept an eye on his grandson in the picturesque outdoor seating area.  

While we were downtown, we saw a firetruck and police car, get parked on the busy main street, so that visitors could look inside the vehicles, and the personnel could explain the equipment.  They even gave (pretend) fire truck hats to the youngsters, (or those "young at heart" who wanted one!)

Dean and Grover took advantage of a few hours of "escape" from chores, to play golf at Mt. Shasta Resort.  Thankfully, Dean took a selfie of them, which shows Mt. Shasta in the background, and the beautiful blue skies, that were the hallmark of my entire week in Mt. Shasta.    Having also visited when the skies were filled with rain, snow, or smoke from forest fires, I was extremely thankful for the weather that some would call a "Chamber of Commerce" type day!

One of our group activities was to take a stroll around the neighborhood, so Grover could show us the storage building he recently constructed.  I wanted to have more of a close-up photo, but Conner wouldn't budge from his scooter stance, so I had to move farther back to make sure he was in the photo!

On Saturday afternoon, shortly before the party, the "Cool" owners of the Mt. Shasta Supermarket (that is their real name!) delivered an insulated hot box, containing their famous smoked ribs, smoked chicken, and barbecue beans.  I can see why they have been in business for decades and AI described their store as a "beloved, family-owned neighborhood grocery store and deli, known for its friendly, hometown atmosphere and community roots."  

For decades, using the red "YOU ARE SPECIAL TODAY" plate for memorable occasions, has been a fun practice, so I was glad to get a photo of Jan holding the plate, in recognition of celebrating her milestone birthday.  

 

 Jan's great grandson asked if he could be the one to blow out her birthday candle, so she obliged and held one of the beautifully-decorated cupcakes for him to puff on!   This was after everyone had gathered around to sing the HAPPY BIRTHDAY song to Jan.

 After everyone enjoyed their birthday cake, the yard games resumed for some of the guests.  Although Razorback corn hole boards were available, the only outdoor game I observed was a spirited game of croquet.  The lady pictured on the left, with the red sweater, was the winner of the match. 

 

Many of the Jan's family members who came in for her celebration, were from Oregon, so it is not surprising that the Oregon folks were watching the Oregon Ducks play USC, while the party was in progress.  Thankfully, Oregon won!

Jan's grandson and great grandson, were especially pleased with the Oregon win!  (Notice that Uncle Caleb, and nephew Lucas,, are wearing matching outfits!)

In addition to the celebration of the "Four Score" birthday on Saturday, Grover and I attended the "Three Score and Ten" birthday celebration for one of his climbing buddies on Sunday.  The neighborhood where it was held, could be nicknamed "Green Thumb Cul-de-Sac", because of the lush gardens growing there.  One of the guests took a photo of my son and me, at her garden gate, with an arbor covered in grape vines.  

 

Monday, September 28, 2026, was National Sons Day, and I was very thankful to be able to spend the day with my son!  His wife took out photo together, complete with Indie, the wonder dog!

 Since it was Son's Day, Grover agreed to let the "Mamarazzi"  take a few more photos of him and his wife, at this scenic spot in their back yard.  The two large fir trees make a lovely frame, for the red-barked manzanita tree below them.  

This trip out west gave me a heart full of gratitude, with "Four Score and More", "MILES OF SMILES"!   Tricia