Only 51 Weeks Until I Go Back Back from Mackinac Island.
 Man, it's just hard not to love a place with no cars or trucks, with everything within easy biking distance. They do overdo the Victorian ambiance a bit, but since the island has been a popular resort since the Civil War, at least it's an honest affectation. It is unbelievably pleasant to have to look down when crossing the street to avoid horse poop, rather than left and right to avoid speeding SUVs. I am sunburned, windburned, muscle-sore. tired and sporting a generous ice-cream belly, but the trip was a great success.
Gabe had an indescribably good time. Turns out that he is even more obsessed with horses than he is with trucks. Every-time he heard the clip-clop of hooves, he'd turn and demand, "boost, daddy, boost. I need to see them". He was in absolute 2 year-old heaven when we rented a horse and carriage for a trip around the island (by the way, driving one of those things isn't as relaxing as your might think; I was constantly afraid of driving off of a cliff or taxing the poor animal) . The nine-mile ride on the back of my bike around the island he didn't like as much. I think he knew that I hadn't been on a bike in twenty years; at the start I know I didn't have much confidence in my ability to keep upright.
I am totally out of touch with the news. I saw Kerry's speech Thursday night, but other than that, I'm clueless. Thankfully, there was no internet connection in the inn and I am happier for the lack. There is a reason people pay money to ride boats to isolated islands in Lake Huron where the last Big Thing was the War of 1812.
I remember go to the island several times with my parents as a child, so this trip was a little bittersweet. Change on Mackinac Island is glacial, so much of it looks just like it did when we visited in the early 80s. Since my father died last year and Gabe is with me in many of the places I remember being with my own father, there was more than a little whiff of mortality in the air. It was also a little painful to see the prices that my parents must have paid to have a good vacation with their son. I think Gabe was the beneficiary of this guilt, since I figured the best way to repay my parents was to make sure that he got to do all of the things that he wanted to do--hence the self-driven carriage ride.
8:59:36 PM 
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