Page 84 - USA ROAD TRIP SUMMER of 2000

I took almost as many pictures of horses as Sharon did of Elk at

Banff National Park. But in my defense, there were dray horses,
riding horses, fancy carriage horses. They came in teams of two

and three with a great array of interesting conveyances behind

them. The horses’ presence with the resultant slowing of people’s
tempo was one of the main attractions of our visit.

The other significant attractive feature of the place, due to the

lack of horseless carriages, was the ability to bike without fear of
death. The only danger could come from other bikers or a mound

of horse manure. We suffered neither.

True to form, we presented ourselves at the door of the

fashionable Iroquois Hotel in worn walking shoes, bike helmets in
hand, and one day’s clothes change in a backpack. The doorman

looked us over and graciously asked if he could help us using such
a tone that made it plain he was certain he would not be required

to. We’ve been this route so often and have become quite
practiced. So with what my Mother called a “shit-eating” grin on

our faces, we signaled that we had either not understood his tone
or forgave it, and announced that we had reservations for the

night. As nothing in the place would rent for under $200 a night,

he dropped the forced smile and graced us with his welcoming
one.

There was a wonderful tee shirt in one of the storefronts that

listed “10 Lies About Mackinac Island”. Two of them were, “All the
bike paths are downhill” and “It doesn’t hurt to ride a bike”. Lies!

Lies! Damnable lies!

We first rode the relatively flat road that circumnavigates the

island. That is only 8.5 miles and follows the shoreline the entire

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