Mackinac Island Part II

On Sunday we decided to rent bicycles and ride the perimeter of Mackinac Island. When would we ever have another chance to ride bikes without having to worry abour car traffic? It turns out that the road around the island is actually state highway M-185, and is the only state highway in the country where motorized vehicles are banned.

We decided to do the 8.5-mile loop in a clockwise direction. As we pedaled our way beyond Main Street, we could see the Mighty Mac (Mackinac Bridge) in the distance.

There were a few spots where the edges of the road had crumbled due to waves eroding the shoreline. There is a project underway to repair the road and build up the stone barrier. We were lucky that construction had been suspended that day, and were able to ride the complete loop.

Just before we returned to the historic downtown, we saw the famous Arch Rock, high above us. It's a natural limestone arch that is 50 feet wide.

We returned our bikes and congratulated ourselves on another bit of good luck when it rained later in the day (we were thankfully indoors). The perimeter ride was fun, but I couldn't stop to take photos as often as I wanted to. I'm definitely happier exploring on foot. Later in the week, on one of our daily hikes, we returned to Arch Rock via one of the inland trails. It was fun to see it from the other side.