Day 37 - Muskegon to Mackinac/Harbor Springs

I definitely wanted to get back to some of the lakes I'd seen on the way up to Mackinac Island. They looked amazing, but that would have to wait until tomorrow.

I was looking forward to landing on Mackinac Island. I'd been there a few times years ago and it really hadn't changed much. It felt very frozen in time. 

I grabbed some fudge and explored around for a few hours, then called to arrange a taxi back to the airport. The dispatcher said it might be 30-40 minutes because they had a couple weddings happening and it was tying up all the taxis. This seemed weird because I was standing across the street from a whole line of taxis that were just sitting there. I went up to one of the drivers and asked if they could take me to the airport. They said they couldn't pick up off the street and I had to call the dispatcher. I called the dispatcher again and they said they'd get a taxi to me as soon as possible - which is a very open-ended non-answer.

After about an hour I started to have doubts that I might be able to get back to the airport any time soon. I thought maybe I could walk the 2 miles or so but it'd be all uphill. Not impossible, but I figured I'd give it another 20 minutes.

I was also thinking maybe I would just stay on Mackinac overnight. I checked a few hotels but they were all booked up. Plus, I didn't necessarily want to stay overnight. While Mackinac is cool, it's also very touristy and I'd pretty much seen what I wanted to already.

As I was calling another hotel a taxi finally showed up and took me to the airport.

The flight back to Harbor Springs was short and I was able to get a recommendation from the guy working at the FBO for a hotel  in Petosky.

I got settled in at the hotel and walked over to a nearby store to pick up a few beers for later.

The hotel was up on a hill and had a porch with a great view out over Little Traverse Bay, so I knew I'd be having a nightcap there. Everywhere I stopped I always tried to find an interesting place to just sit and enjoy the views. This one was custom-made.

I rested up for a bit and then decided to find somewhere for dinner. I asked at the front desk for a cab and they said they had a deal with a limo company that would shuttle me from the hotel to the downtown area and back for $20. That was too weird and interesting not to accept - and it didn't disappoint. I didn't get a pic of the limo, but it was straight out of the '80s and absolutely perfect.

I ended up at Mitchell Street Pub for dinner. They had a good menu of food and beer. 

For the limo ride back I ended up sharing with a family on vacation, so we got to compare notes on how we were spending our summer.

Sunset wasn't until after 9pm, so I was able to catch it from my seat on the porch of the hotel - beer in hand.

While this didn't rank as a top 5 flying day, it was still one of the better days of the whole trip as far as sightseeing, nostalgia and overall hanging out goes.

EDIT: I found a shot of the limo on my phone. Also, it was a FREE limo, didn't cost $20. I didn't remember that correctly. 

Also found a shot of the Stroh's beer I had with dinner. Don't see that much outside Michigan.

Added these at the bottom of the photos.