The last day of September on Mackinac Island was crisp and cloudless. Mackinac Island is a Michigan island and resort area, covering 4.35 square miles in land area. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Like many historic places in the Great Lakes region, Mackinac Island's name derives from a Native American language, in this case Ojibwe language.

Mackinac Island is a place where the horse is king, where the streets have been car-free for over 100 years. Horse-drawn carriages and bicycles are the only modes of transportation. More than 80% of Mackinac Island is part of Mackinac Island State Park, which features legendary limestone rock formations that have been carved into shape by the Great Lakes over thousands of years.

We participated in two tours: one walking and one in a horse carriage. Both were unique. Because we got to the island quite early, I was able to capture some photos with only a few people in them. It changed dramatically by noon when all the ferries were dropping people off. It was a pretty town, well maintained, and well preserved.

For some reason, fudge is the island’s claim to fame. There are 17 fudge stores concentrated in the downtown area.

After enjoying the morning walk we did some shopping and had lunch before hopping on the horse carriage tour. This was a totally relaxing, slow-paced tour through downtown (which we had already done by foot) followed by a tour through the state park. The famous arch was a nice stop.

Returning to the ship, it was back to the pool and then to dinner with an early-evening turn in.