Brocation 2022, Pt. II

 (contd.)

The next morning saw our band of heroes rise out of bed without issue - no one had gotten too crazy the night before, so we didn't have hangovers to deal with (thank God) - and by 7am we were downstairs and getting coffee from a shitty, little food spot adjacent to the hotel casino floor. I stuck to an energy drink, because I didn't want that gross-ass coffee sloshing around in my gut all day.

(We'd be hitting up these slot machines later on in the evening once we got back from the island.)

Erik, Tom, Ryan and Morgan, setting off for adventure.

Mitch had bought us all tickets for Shepler's very first ferry over to the island - we were getting there nice and early in order to cram as much adventuring in to the day as humanly possible.

We were the first people to board the ferry this morning.

We opted to sit topside for the cruise over - as you can see here, not a whole hell of a lot of people were up to take this early morning trip.

Spotted a large cruise ship off in the distance - we'd be getting much closer shots of that ship as we drew nearer to the island.

The ferry starts to fill up (slightly.)

Setting out from St. Igance at last.

F*** that bridge.

That's a big-ass boat, folks.

The Grand Hotel

Passing the cruise ship on our way in.

Ferries from Mackinac City, in close pursuit.

Yet another lighthouse.

Coming into the island's main harborage. . .

It's a photographer's dream up here, that's for damn sure.

Fort Mackinac.  We would later ride past the old fort on our rented bikes, but the only fort we actually stopped at and thoroughly visited was the higher-placed but less-impressive Fort Holmes.

The cruise ship had these two smaller boats moored alongside side it, I assume to shuttle passengers into the harbor - I'm certain that cruise ship is too damn big to enter the harbor itself.

(This is more or less what I looked like at any given moment throughout the day.)

Boats in the harbor.

After disembarking, we made our way down the main drag of the downtown area in order to compare prices for bike rentals. 

Not a lot of tourists and traffic this early in the morning.  Not that I'm complaining.

Can't photograph Mackinac Island properly without at least getting one shot of this.

This bike rental place had the best prices we had seen by far - they were located towards the end of the main drag, which is probably why (the other joints were right off the ferry docks, so they could get away with charging more.)

When we showed up the lone employee - some young girl in her early 20s, clearly from Eastern Europe - was still running around trying to get the store opened up.

It was still only 8am by this time, and they weren't quite ready to start renting out bikes yet.

By far the handsomest of our team, if I do say so myself.

Since we had a little time to kill before renting our bikes, the guys wanted to run over to Doud's Market grocery store in order to grab a quick breakfast.  Still pretty dead out on the streets.

I'm told this is one of the oldest grocery stores still running in the state, which is kinda cool.

Some serious Witbeck's vibes in here. . .

They had some gas station-esque breakfast sandwiches on hand, which some of the guys picked up.  I wasn't that brave - I brought along a few Quest protein bars for use throughout the day (my go-to for busy adventuring days like this.)

The forecast for today was absolutely perfect, we really lucked out - sunny and in the mid-60s.  Cool enough to not make us sweat like dogs while biking, but warm enough to not get chilly while walking around or riding on boats.

While the guys ate their breakfast, I set my SLR on a timer to get this group pic in front of the Fort and the state park sign.

I had to brave a pack (flock?) of geese in order to get a close-up pic of the statue in front of the Fort.

Mr. Marquette

Got a little dicey getting the geese to move out of my way so I could get that previous picture - not sure what I would've done if those things would've bum-rushed me.

Back down at Ryba's, following our breakfast in front of the fort, we were finally able to start renting out our bikes.  We bought the Day Package because it was cheaper to do that then pay the hourly rate for five hours (how long we were anticipating having them for.)  Only $50 per person, which was pretty damn good.

We ended up going with a mid-tier option - only three gear settings instead of seven, and no handbrakes (you had to pedal backwards to slow down or stop, so pretty old school.)  They came with a basket, though, so we could store our hoodies - and, for me, my SLR - while riding.

Setting off at long last.  Ryan turned on his JBL Bluetooth Speaker (he has a smaller model that he can clip onto his pack, but the sound quality is still amazing - I really need to buy one of those) and we paired it to my phone in order to blast our Brocation 2022 Playlist that I have previously discussed.  As David Bowie's "Starman" (one of my picks) blared, we rode down the shoreline and set off for our first stop: Arch Rock.  Mitch wasn't sure we could get the bikes up the hill from the shore, and sure enough when we biked out that way we realized there was no way we were getting the bikes up the twelve-thousand stairs that led from the shore up to the Arch Rock viewing platform, so we had to double-back through town, back towards the fort.  As we came riding back into town, riding six abreast through the still-empty streets, Wu Tang's "Protect Ya Neck" (another one of my picks) was blasting from our speaker, which got a few angry looks from parents who were with their young children.  That's how these dads roll, folks.

We had no choice but to drop our bikes into their lowest gear and bike up the steep road that runs up alongside the Fort, which just about killed us.  Half way up the hill, we were forced to acknowledge our lack of athleticism and get off and walk our bikes up the rest of the way.  After taking a much-needed break to catch our breath, we set off down the road that spans from the Fort to Arch Rock.  We arrived and parked our bikes at a nearby rack, and were happy to find no carriage tour waiting at the base of the rock.

We had about five minutes of the rock all to ourselves before a carriage pulled up and flooded the tight space with tourists, so we were able to get several pics off unhindered by crowds.

When the carriage tour ultimately pulled up, we assembled in position and waiting for them: we had some random dad take this group pic of us in front of Arch Rock before allowing anyone else to do the same.

From the viewing platform adjacent to Arch Rock, you could look out at Lake Huron, where we saw a small flotilla of kayakers making their way along the shore of the island.

That's a bit above my pay grade - I don't think I'd want to devote that much time and energy into something like that.

Noted.

Satisfied having gotten Arch Rock out of the way, we utilized the nearby bathrooms and plotted our next move: a short (but exhaustingly uphill) ride up to Fort Holmes, at the highest point on the island.

The ride from Arch Rock was downright brutal, and waiting for us at the end of this forced ride was a long, series of steps leading up to the summit of the hill where the fort was situated.

Taking yet another breather halfway up the steps.  We're all out of shape.

Finally at the top of the hill. . .

Here.  Educate yourself.

Mr. Hough goes into full-blown History Teacher mode. I did this a lot throughout the day, I'm like a frickin' walking encyclopedia.

The last time I was up here - in 2003 - the fort was nothing more than a series of earthen redoubts, leftover from the original structure which had long since fallen into decay and ruin.  They've since rebuilt the fort as it would have been originally, which was pretty cool to see for the first time.

More historical information for you.

It's like a special needs kid assembled this with blocks or something. . .

Checking out the not-all-that-impressive fort.  This structure doesn't even come close in comparison to the grander Fort Mackinac, but its strategically far more important: in the opening shots of the War of 1812 the British positioned two cannons atop this hill and fired down directly into the larger fort, which the Americans were then forced to surrender without firing a shot.  It pays to have the High Ground, folks.

Another group pic, this time in front of Fort Holmes (I balanced my SLR atop a nearby garbage can to get this one.)

A short - and thankfully downhill - ride later, we arrived at our next destination: Skull Cave. Or, rather, what's left of it.

I hadn't seen this since 2001, and in the subsequent twenty years, the top portion of this cave formation completely collapsed.  I have pictures of me posing inside the upper part of this cave structure, which sadly no longer exists. 

We took a few pics before saddling back up, just as another carriage tour came swinging on through. . .

As exhausting as the biking could get at times - it's pretty hilly on the island, that's for damn sure - it definitely beats having to rely on the carriage and someone else's timetable.

We continued on until we got to the island's old cemetery, which is pretty creepy.

I went a little ape-shit taking pictures of headstones - I didn't bother uploading everything I took.  The font work on some of these headstones was really impressive.

We parked the bikes by the road and walked in to get a closer look.  I think the guys were just humoring Erik and I - the resident history lovers - at this point. 

100% this thing comes to life after the sun goes down.

An eerie above-ground tomb.

Don't think we should be putting coins on tombstones, but that's just me. . .

Here's a gratuitous amount of headstone pics for ya. . .

Getting ready to set off for our next stop on our way back into the more civilized parts of the island. . .

The old military cemetery on the island. One of only four in the United States - along with Pearl Harbor, Gettysburg, and Arlington - which is allowed to have a flag at half-mast at all times.  I did not know that previously, but a pretty cool fact.

The guys check out the historical marker in front of Post Cemetery.

Sadly, most of these tombstones are of unknown soldiers, since the originals were all made out of owood and rotted with time.

Pretty depressing to think about the fact that for the rest of time no one is going to know who is buried in these unmarked graves.  That's difficult to wrap your head around.

Collier educates himself.

Tom does some reading as well.

Not the best repair job, but whatever.

Back in the saddle, we got a little lost trying to make our way back towards the carriage stables (or whatever they're called), the next stop on our bike tour.  We had to consult multiple maps, as our island guide, Mitch - who used to live on the island - was all turned around.

On our way back towards civilization, we passed through the part of the island where the summer work crews live.  Mitch used to live in that white building (off to the left) during the summer months, many years ago, back when he used to work at one of the island's golf courses.

Some of Tom's bike footage. . .

Adjacent to the carriage museum/stables/whatever, was our next destination: Forge a Memory.  We had a reservation to hand-forge our own knives in an authentic blacksmith forge at 11:45am, but we were about an hour early, so we parked the bikes and headed up to the 'museum' to get a snack and sit down for a bit.

Inside this carriage museum, they have multiple gift shops and a snack bar, so I grabbed a pretzel and a Diet Coke and joined the rest of the guys at an outdoor picnic table overlooking the Forge a Memory building. 

Ryan brought along a 16oz flask of whiskey, so we were able to top off our pops with some fire water, which picked up our spirits substantially.

After getting a brief respite, we headed down and signed into the forge (where I took a pic of this weird-looking horse hoof that was sitting out on top of some rusted old piece of equipment nearby.).  Most of us purchased the $100 knife option, which took about an hour to forge.

Safety first, folks.

Morgan, Erik, Yours Truly, Mitch, and Ryan.

Some finished products to use as examples of what you could make in the forge.

These video clips kinda show what the process was like.  These college-aged kids, who clearly work at this as a summer job, do the majority of the actual work - you just hammer the shit out of the metal.

Morgan works on his knife.

As a big blade enthusiast, this was a pretty bad ass experience.

(Working on my knife, here.)

I went with a drop point for mine.

Erik and his knife.

After the rough shapes were acquired, they took them over to this station here where they fined tuned and shaped them into the finished product.

The whole process was pretty cool to watch, these guys were awesome (this guy actually goes to WMU, my alma mater.)

It'd be pretty cool to have your own forge.  I'd make swords all the damn time if I had one.

Um. . . what?

I made this.  Not too happy about the bump at the base of the blade, but whatever.

After Forge a Memory, it was time to drop off the bikes back at Ryba's and start the second chapter of our island adventure: bar-hopping.  On our ride back, we passed by the Old Stone Church, where my parents were married back in 1993.

The old Astor House that used to headquarter the lucrative - and shady - fur trade during the 1700 and 1800s.

Back on the main stretch, after returning the bikes.  Slightly more people out and about now.

Our first stop on our bar/restaurant tour of the island was Horn's Gaslight Bar - the very first bar in the country to serve booze once Prohibition was lifted in 1933.  Fun fact, kids.

This is probably my favorite bar on the island - love the decor in this place.

Another awesome group pic for the books.

After a few drinks there, we moseyed back out onto the street and set off for our next stop. . .

We were gonna do this spot but it was pretty packed, so we went next door instead.

We set up shop in this place, which was pretty decent.

Some of the guys ordered some appetizers (this group eats a lot.)

Watching football, waiting for food.

Morgan

Ryan

After a few rounds at the Mustang Lounge, it was about time to head out to the day's pinnacle event: the Sip n' Sail cruise.  Outside, Erik kept it classy by flipping off Collier from across the street (I forget why he was over there.)

Out on the wharf, as we made our way to the ship, we passed by these vintage gas pumps.

Tom waves to some random porter working a team of horses. . . for some reason.

This chartered cruise - which cost each of us like $50 for a two-hour trip out to the bridge and back - was definitely the highlight of everyone's day.

This chick played live acoustic music throughout the entirety of the voyage.  She was okay, playing what you would expect - lots of covers from the likes of Van Morrison and Cat Stevens and Jewel and the like - but whatever.  Live music is live music. 

Preparing to board.

Upon boarding the ship, we made our way to the top of the ship and set up shop close to the performer.  Tom was definitely enamored with her.

Ready to set sail.

Heading down to the lower level to order some drinks.  The guys ordered a lot of mojitos on this cruise, while I just stuck to Diet Cokes (I had brought along a flask of whiskey in my Maxpedition pack in order to save money on shit like this, as it definitely adds up.)

Some '80s Pizza Hut furniture down on the lower level, that's for damn sure.

Slainte

Pulling out of the harbor. . .

Another lighthouse.

More group pics.

Bird conference of some sort.

Another ferry departs the island (we still had a several hours of adventuring in us before we'd end up taking the ferry back to St. Ignace.)

Collier is having the time of his life.

This house is probably very, very expensive.

Ryan takes another panoramic shot with his phone.

Another glimpse of the Grand Hotel

Ryan

Morgan

Mitch

This bizarre rock formation along the shoreline is called the Devil's Kitchen (I think, I could be wrong - maybe that's somewhere else on the island.)

This super-gay house atop the island, looking out gayfully over the straits.  Also probably very expensive.

Our entertainment for the cruise.

Captain's Quarters.

Some old guy giving Morgan and Mitch the stink eye.

I loved this pedal setup.

Some random freighter out on the water.

Ryan, Tom and I.  Tom barely moved from this spot, I'm sure he was creeping her out.

Another shot of this God-awful bridge. . .

Morgan, Mitch, and Erik

Ryan reaches The Level.

Repping Centre Lodge #273

Had some random old person take this group pic of us, halfway through the cruise.

Approaching the Bridge

Rock and roll.

Always a surreal experience passing underneath the bridge like this. . .

Cars pass by overhead.

Erik and Mitch

Ryan and the Bridge

Everyone else had the same idea, as you can see here.

Who goes out in public looking like this?

After making a wide turnabout, we passed back underneath the bridge.

Morgan and an awful f***ing bridge.

Our server was beyond patient with us.

Ryan has an accident.

Passing by more lighthouses on our way back into port, a couple hours later.

Some deadbeats hanging out on the wharf.

Morale still high

Another party cruise ship - this one decked out like a pirate ship - can be seen moored to the docks between those two buildings.

For dinner, the guys wanted to eat at the Pink Pony (which Mitch personally recommended, as it has some of the best food on the island.)

Photobomb.

Definitely busier out on the streets.

We were told it would be about an hour before a table opened up, so we left our name for a table and decided to kill some time at another tavern while we waited.

I took waaaay too many pictures of horses throughout the day.

While Ryan and I waited out on the sidewalk for some of the other guys to use a nearby restroom, he set his pack down, turned on his bluetooth speaker, and had our Brocation Playlist playing full blast for all the passersby on the sidewalk.  Clearly, this man gives zero f***s at this point.

We ducked into a pretty cool little bar called  Winchester's - great atmosphere.

I stuck to Ciders, as all the beer throughout the day had filled up my gut and I couldn't stomach (no pun intended) any more beer or food at this point, I needed something lighter.  Really good cider, though.

Ryan was obviously feeling pretty good by this point, and face-timed multiple times with his wife and kids back home throughout the evening.  He did so repeatedly, because he'd keep forgetting he had already done so.  It got to be pretty funny.

This group, like I've said before countless times, loves to eat.  While waiting for a table at the Pink Pony to eat dinner, these guys actually ordered food at Winchester's.  Unbelievable.

After Winchester's, we made our way back to the Pink Pony and were finally seated at our table.

Perusing the menus.

Tom approves.

Ryan, face timing with his poor family once again. . .

Once again, I just ate a Quest Bar - there's no way I could eat a full meal at this point.  I don't see how these guys can do it. . .

From the vantage of our table, we watched the pirate booze cruise set off for adventure. . .

Tom, who was also feeling really, really good at this point, kept saying that this was the best meal he had EVER had.  That's worth filming, folks.

Erik and Mitch, waiting for the check after the meal.

Out in the lobby, waiting for people to finish using the bathrooms.

Shut up, sign.

Back out on the streets. . .

Here's some more horses for you.  Just in case you wanted more horse pictures.

I forget the name of this bar that we went to - it was located above an indoor shopping plaza somewhere on the strip, and decorated like an old Tiki Bar.  Somewhat out of place in a historic Michigan destination like Mackinac Island, but whatever.

Collier grabbed my SLR for the majority of the time we were at this place - most of these pics are his.

This place has a tradition where you decorated dollar bills and stapled them up on the walls.  The guys had me decorate one for our group and we borrowed a stapler from the bar.

Erik and I staple our bill onto the wall.

Perfection.

This place specialized in pina coladas, which isn't all that surprising seeing how it's supposedly a tiki bar and everything.  Pretty good, as far as pina coladas go. . .

Ryan gets up close and personal.  No boundaries with this group.

Someone ordered a bloody mary instead.  Lame.

Waiting for our bill.

It was getting late by this point in time, and we only had like a half an hour to catch the day's last ferry to leave for the mainland, which was departing at 9pm.

Erik and Mitch

Platinum Tom

Sun begins to set on the strip at the end of a long, epic day of adventuring.

Heading towards the ferry.

Suddenly Mitch and Tom ducked back into the Winchester's for a round of Old Fashioneds.  They ordered a round of them, but by the time we all got there we told them we didn't want them (that would've killed me at this point in time), so these two idiots ended up downing a couple of them each in quick succession.  This was going to spell trouble on the ferry back to St. Igance. . .

The last Shepler's ferry off of the island.  We made it just in time.

Me and Morgan, ready for a chilly ride back to the mainland.

Most of us nodded off on the long ride back, which was common on the top level of the ferry - this last ferry back was filled with people who had similarly spent all day in bars and restaurants, and as such were in a state equal to ours.  On the long cruise back, Tom picked a fight with a loudmouth drunk after putting his arm around the guy's wife (seriously), and at one point in time threatened to pull a knife out on him (yes, the same one he had forged earlier that afternoon), but fortunately the guy was too drunk to hear the threat.  We somehow - miraculously - got off the ferry and back to the car without further incident.

Pulling into the casino after a long, long day on the island.

A message from Collier.

When we got back, Erik and Morgan crashed.  The rest of us mixed up some drinks in our rooms and hit the casino floor for a bit.  They had live music playing in a bar that was next to the slot machines, so after playing the slots for a bit we wandered over that way.  Tom, always, made a beeline for the dance floor and danced with random people for the rest of the evening.  Some random, drunk lady body-checked me for filming him dance with her friend, which was hilarious, but I didn't upload the video of that - probably best not to.  Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion, folks. . . 

- Brian