This adventure begins in June when Eric called and said that he was bringing his golf team up to the U.P. from Arizona for a Michigan road trip. He said that they would be traveling to play golf on a number of courses and would be coming through the Soo a few times while I was up there. I was looking forward to golfing with them over at a course in Canada that I had played before. I am usually up in the Soo anyway since I work for the Summer Robotics Camps at LSSU and I get the weekends off for recovery and relaxation.
On July 7 Eric called and said that they would be in Canada for a couple of days and then would be heading back through the Soo and that they were planning on staying on Mackinac Island. I figured that I would see them all as they drove through and would spend the weekend at the college waiting for the next camp. I didn’t realize that I would be able to join them on the Island for a round of golf! Then, I thought I was just going to play a round of golf with them but I then found out that I could stay the night at the hotel…which turned out to be the Grand Hotel. So on Friday, July 10, I got a message from Eric that I was more than welcome to come over to the Island with them and that we would try to get me into the hotel with what ever I had with me since the dress code is much more regulated than a normal hotel or resort.
Friday Evening
Since I was at a robotics camp, I was not prepared for such a formal occasion. I finished working at the robotics camp and was completely done with closing the house by 5pm. I rushed out to J.C. Penney’s to buy some fancier clothes. I had borrowed a sport coat from one of the robotics camp directors but the jacket was quite a bit larger than what fits me and so I thought that I had better at least try to find something more suitable for the Grand Hotel. I ended up with a brand new set of Khaki’s, Shirt, 2 ties, 2 pairs of shoes, a belt and a brand new sports coat. I figure I will end up using them all during the next school year anyway so I am just being prepared! I was done shopping by 5:30 and hurried home to get everything changed. Since this was a rush job, I knew that I wouldn’t have time for an iron or dealing with any sort of wrinkles. My pants and jacket were wrinkle free but the shirt and tie both were quite bad! The great thing about a sports jacket is that it does some great work at covering up the imperfections. I looked like a million bucks and knew that I had to hurry if I wanted to make it to dinner!
I drove a conservative 73mph on my way to the Sheplers Ferry and made it to the dock just before 7. The next boat was set to leave at 7:30 and I knew that it would be cutting it very close to dinner. I got a message that their bags had just arrived and that they would be ready by 8! I had never stayed on the island before and it was much different than a normal day trip. I checked my luggage and was guaranteed that it would meet me at the Grand Hotel front desk and that I could pick it up whenever I got the chance that evening. The trip was fairly quick @ 16 minutes. I exited the boat and as I approached the road, a dockhand assured me that my luggage would be at the hotel and then asked if I needed a ride to the Grand Hotel. I was quite thrown off by that since I hadn’t even said anything about going up there! Now, I figure that anyone getting off a boat after 6pm dressed in some good attire would be bound for the Grand.
I declined the taxi since it would take 10 minutes to arrive and another 5-10 to get to the hotel. I started walking and found that my memory was still quite good even after not having been on the island in 7 years. I made the final turn and was introduced again to the golf team and Cathy, the other chaperone. We walked up the red carpeted stairs and entered the Hotel. It is absolutely amazing to see up close and in person! It is as ornate, magnificent and elegant as you would imagine! On my left as I walked into the main entrance, a lady was playing a full sized harp, there were people dressed up in their best and I was speechless! This was the 122nd birthday celebration for the Grand Hotel! What exceptional timing!
We needed to get to dinner soon but first I had to drop some things off at the room so we went up there and I checked out the view from the balcony! We were located on the 3rd floor in the center just across from the golf pro shop. The room was a bright pink and was decorated in geraniums and other floral prints. The only 20th century luxury aside from lights and a mini-bar was a small 8” Sony TV. The balcony has two long benches on either side and a small balcony table and chair combo in the center. There are walls between the neighboring rooms but it is all open air. The walls, benches and table set were painted white and the floor was a dark pine green color.
For dinner, we entered the main dining hall and it was immediately evident that this is one awesome place to be. After 6pm, gentlemen must wear a coat and tie and ladies can only wear dresses. It is something to see when you enter the dining hall and every person is either in a tuxedo, suit or some other very formal attire! The wait staff and servers were in tuxedos. There was a live lounge band playing and the entire room was filled with mirrored columns. Even though the room was humongous, the mirrors made it feel even bigger. We were led to our seats and it was interesting to look around at all of the people. There were large groups, families, couples, wedding parties, etc. all celebrating and enjoying the company! The menus were passed out and we were given a choice for the 5-course meal.
My meal consisted of the following:
- Appetizer – Michigan Whitefish and Pike Terrine in Champagne Yogurt dressing.
- Soup – Red Potato and Roasted Garlic
- Salad – Caesar Salad
- Entre – New York Strip Steak with Tillamook Cheddar Polenta
- Dessert – Lemon Tart with strawberry sauce
It was one of the most formal dinners I have ever attended and a very good meal! I had caviar for the first time and thought it was very good! There were a number of parts to that meal that I have never seen or heard of before but it was nice to try them and I am sure that if I am given the chance, I will definitely try them again! As we finished up dinner, we walked back to the main entrance and walked down the stairs to the garden.
It was nearly 10 and it was quite dark so after a brief walk, we headed back up to the porch. We sat on the porch for a while and during this time, I thought of how wonderful it would be to watch a thunderstorm across the Straits of Mackinac. It was a great night and the temperatures were perfect for sitting outside without being cold. There were very few bugs flying around which made sitting on the porch even more enjoyable! After a while we went back into the hotel to look at all of the items that are on display. There was a lounge band playing and people dancing in a room that reminded me of a lounge in Las Vegas. I laugh now just to think about how awesome this adventure is! I really wish that we were able to stay for more than one day! There was so much going on that it is nearly impossible to take it all in!
So after the team went to bed, we sat around listening to the Grand Hotel Orchestra as they played a wide assortment of jazz and lounge songs. We stayed until they finished playing at 11:30 and went back into the main entry where I thought I saw a flash from a camera. I wanted to see how the lights from the Bridge looked and as I walked out the doorway, lightning exploded across the sky! I was going to see something that I have wanted to see for many years! I quickly ran back into the Hotel to get Eric and Cathy so they could watch the show too and we sat out on the porch for another hour watching lightning tear across the sky and listening to the awesome percussion of thunder as it rolled over the Lakes and both Peninsulas! We were able to watch one storm pass by and were just watching an even bigger storm come through when the wind started blowing rain onto the porch. It was then that we decided to call it an evening!
As we were heading back up to the room, I remembered that I had forgotten to pick up my luggage! So after a little running around, my bag was found and I was able to change out of my dress clothes and back into my ‘normal’ clothes! Up at the room, the balcony doors were open and the screen doors were letting in the sound of rain falling on the roof, horses and taxi’s moving up and down the roads, the distant sound of thunder and one awesome smell of Pure Michigan! To top it off, the storm was still flashing off to the East and it lit the entire island and Straits area up with electric blue. It was close to 3am and it was time for some rest. What a great 7 hours! This is something that I will remember for many years and it is only half of the adventure! Happy 122nd Birthday – Grand Hotel!! July 10, 1887 – 2009!
Saturday
I woke up and realized that it was light outside but the sun wasn’t shining through the open screen door so I got up to see what it looked like outside. It was truly breathtaking and amazing! My pictures do not show the depth of color and stunning beauty of the view from our room. After last night’s thunderstorms, the sky had cleared and everything looked fresh and clean. The sun hadn’t risen yet so I quickly grabbed the camera to snap the sunrise over Fort Mackinac. It was beautiful! A few comical things that I saw were men dressed in suits racing down the wet road on bicycles. A Hotel worker in a White tuxedo riding up the wet road, passing people and then skidding to a stop in the parking lot. I soaked up the view and relaxed until it was time to get ready for breakfast. We had breakfast in the main dining hall but were seated much closer to a window. The food was great again and each of us had the Grand Buffet. I made two trips for food and had coffee and orange juice.
After breakfast, Eric and I went out to visit the Pro shop to make sure the golf clubs had been delivered and that the Tee time was correct. We walked around the porch and the hotel and then went back up to the room to pack everything up for checkout. As we were waiting around for the tee time, I was standing on the balcony and every few minutes a horse drawn carriage would pull up and every one would stop to take pictures of the east side of the Hotel. I made it a point to stand on the balcony and ruin / immortalize myself in their pictures. I didn’t do anything except wave to the people if they waved so it is kind of neat to think that all of those pictures will have me in them!
10:00 came very quickly and it was time to send the bags down with a bellhop for transport back to St. Ignace. We packed up everything and then walked back down to the main floor and over to the pro shop for our 18 holes of golf on the Grand Hotel’s golf course – The Jewel. The Jewel consists of 2 parts. The Grand Nine starts and finishes right in front of the Hotel. It is not very challenging but still has its share of hazards and a degree of difficulty. I did surprisingly well and other than a few ‘doubled’ holes, I played a pretty good game! If I could straighten out my shots, I would have done much better but I find that sometimes, in order to get someplace you have to take the indirect approach. That included playing way left and right on some of the holes! After playing the Grand Nine, you take a 20 minute horse carriage ride to the back nine also known as the Woods Nine.
The Woods is a restaurant owned by the Grand Hotel and has a 1930’s clubhouse feel to it. There are animals on the walls, a Duckpin Bowling lane, various prints from long ago and a general atmosphere of hunting and being in the woods! The Woods Nine seemed to have more elevation change and it did have longer holes. I didn’t do awesome but I did much better than I thought I would! On our return trip, our driver took a longer route past many of the larger houses on the Island. We finished up our golf outing around 4pm and then met up with the rest of the team downtown.
Our next adventure was a trip down Main Street to Mission Point and Arch Rock. The last time I was on the Island was for the Great Turtle Half Marathon in October of 2002. It is interesting to me to see the Island and resort with more people and many more activities. I think our total wedding count for the day was 5! We made it out to Arch Rock for some pictures and then walked back into town for dinner. Horn’s Bar is old! It has one of the first Liquor licenses offered by the State of Michigan after prohibition. It serves a very good menu at a reasonable price. After eating, we decided that it was time to get back to the ferry since there were only 2 left for the day. The line for St. Ignace was not very long. It was however very cold. Since our golfing adventure, the temperature had started dropping and combined with the wind, it was pretty chilly. We attempted to tough out the cold and sit on the open top-deck of the ferry for the short 16 minute ride back to the main land but about 5 minutes into the trip, it was colder than we expected.
We landed just before 8:30 and Eric and the team headed south for their next Golf adventure while I came back up to the Soo to begin another week of Robotics Camp. What an awesome time and such a Grand Adventure. The past 30 hours have been very memorable and I am hoping that I can get the pictures from Eric soon. My old camera stopped working this past Wednesday so I was forced to take pictures with my underwater camera. The settings are all wrong and the photos do not turn out well. I also took a few with my phone but those too are not as high quality as I would like. I think my total picture count for the day was near 250 and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was more than that! I am definitely looking forward to the next adventure!
