Fall break trip - Day 2 (Mackinaw City - Mackinaw Island - Ann Arbor)

This day, we woke up early in the morning to watch sunrise. To get a good view of the Mackinaw Bridge and the sun, we went to the coast of the Upper Peninsular. The morning air was bitterly cold, but in order to get good photos and watch my first sunrise (always wanted to do this but to lazy to wake up), I brave the cold and chose a spot where i could find something to put my camera on (those who know me well will know why - my hands tremble all the time and therefore not suitable to hold cameras for long exposure photos). Still, most of the photos turned out bad...hmm. Maybe it's the camera's problem? (hahhaha...)

When everyone was satisfied and had taken enough photos, we went back to the hotel for free breakfast. We checked out after that, and set off for the pier to get a ferry to Mackinaw Island. The ferry fare was 19 bucks for round trip, and it departs from the port every hour.

Mackinaw Island was basically an island with 500 permanent residents and a favorite tourists spot. The natural beauty of Mackinac Island State Park was honored by National Geographic as one of the ten finest in America. The first thing that we see upon stepping off the ferry dock was a Victorian village. There was almost no vehicle on the island, and people there traveled mostly by bicycle or horse. Because horses are everywhere, their wastes are "omnipresent" too. I even witnessed a horse peeing right on the street!! The unbelievingly huge amount of water running down in a cascade was definitely a scene not to be forgotten...

We rent bicycles to move around the island. The rate was 5 dollars an hour for a 7-speed bike. The ride around the island was 8 miles long, which we finished in 2 and a quarter hour. The scenery was indubitably beautiful, and we had had a good exercise cycling. We managed to visit a few gift shops on the main street after that, and I have bought a shot glass. We went to a fudge shop too, where I bought peanut fudge.

We left the island at 3pm for Ann Arbor. The two-day trip ended with a bang when we filled our stomachs late at night (about 10 pm) with those authentic and delectable dim sums from a restaurant called Shangri-La in Farmington Hills.