By: heathermay
My Blog, PHOTOS, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Winter 2018

As the winter begins to come to a close, I wanted to share some of the photographs I took throughout this past winter season on Mackinac Island.

This turned out to be an exceptionally busy winter for me… although some see the island as a quiet place from the months of January through April, quite a bit is actually happening throughout the community. From jam sessions to ballroom dancing to archery and volleyball, street hockey, cross country skiing, and the list goes on… there was definitely a lot to do! This year, I did my best to embrace the community spirit and participate in as much as possible. That, combined with a few more weekends than normal traveling on and off the island, and I’d say I had a lot less free time this winter than in winters past… and for the most part, it was a good thing!

I think living on Mackinac Island year round has made me too much of a queasy winter driver though. I’m not a fan of driving in snow. However, I am quite alright driving over ice, and we fortunately all had the opportunity to drive over an ice bridge from Mackinac Island to St. Ignace this year, even if the ice bridge did only last a couple of weeks.

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Entrance to the ice bridge at British Landing
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Panoramic shot from the middle of the ice bridge (you’ll notice a few more people on the right… there was a big crack in the ice and a man was out there guiding people over the safest part of the crack).
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British Landing

 

Before the ice bridge was established, our only way off was by plane. I actually don’t mind the plane ride either as it only takes 5 minutes to get to St. Ignace. It’s also a great way to get pics of the Mackinac Bridge, the island, and see the ice coverage below. Every time I took a plane ride, my inner tourist came out and I’d be taking pics every time I went up in the air.

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Distant view of the Mackinac Bridge, frozen in a thick coverage of frozen lake

 

Of course the ice coverage in the lake is never a dull sight to see, either. We had a few areas around the island where large blocks of ice had been pushed to shore and stayed for the entire winter… although to be fair, Mackinaw City had some incredible piles of ice on their shores! I never actually walked out on their shores, but saw many people out on the piles of ice as I was driving by on one of my many drives across the bridge on the weekend.

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An iced in marina with the Coast Guard in the background
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Broken blocks of ice near the docks
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Ice stopped from floating into the bay by the breakwall
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End of March… ice is almost gone here
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End of March… the last remains of the ice bridge, seen from St. Ignace
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Taken late March – Round Island Lighthouse passage with the bridge in the background
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I love to see that blue water!

 

My favorite moments of the winter always happened outside, taking hikes and exploring the island covered in snow. This is the part of island life that I would say is peaceful and quiet during the winter… spending time out in nature! Most of the time I had my camera with me with the intent of taking photographs for instagram, or saving up for blog posts, but sometimes I’d just leave the camera in my bag and get lost on a good long trail.

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A view from Pontiac Trail
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On a trail between the two sets of stairs that lead up to West Bluff. Under the snow was a nice thick and smooth layer of ice. Not the best conditions for a hike!
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Stairs leading up to West Bluff
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From one of my walks up to the airport, stopped at a fork in the road
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                             Owl surveying the land up in the trees. I had the pleasure of seeing                                    him several times this winter!

 

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A northern view of Arch Rock
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Nearly Spring in front of the Grand Hotel
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The Grand porch
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Speed limit sign for snowmobilers
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New construction from the Shepler’s dock
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Horses and dray waiting to pick up more packages to deliver

Well it seems as though my spring break from work is over, so I’ll be getting back into my normal routine soon, and that will include many more trail hikes soon. Spring is a fun time to be outdoors because everything smells so fresh, and greenery starts to show up in my pictures again! I’m looking forward to another pretty Spring, and yet another exciting Summer…

Until next time,

Heather