Well, I’ve done it the normal way and after this trip, I will never walk the bridge any other way than we did this year. The Walk Michigan tour is THE way to do it. As I mentioned earlier, I won the trip.
In case you weren’t aware, our community participated in the Walk Michigan program. There were 5 walks at various spots around town whereby you could earn an entry AND if you walked at the Civic Center during business hours, you could get another one. Well, I generally walk there everyday anyway (in theory, at least), so I just stopped in at the office on my way around. I’m not sure how well publicized it was; I only saw the fliers up there. If you’re interested in it for next year (if they do it again), it started around mid-July.
According to a file I found on their website, the package price for the tour was $440/pp double occupancy with children having a nominal additional charge. It included 3 nights at Mission Point Resort on Mackinaw Island, luggage transfers, ferry tickets on the Arnold ferry line (the smoothest ferry to the island), taxi from town to the resort (which we didn’t use; it’s only 20-25 minutes from town if you take your time). breakfast every day, dinner one night, brunch at the Grand Hotel, brunch after the bridge walk, and admission to Fort Mackinac.
AND the best part is that they coordinate all the bridge walk nightmare for you. As we were returning, I remembered how we used to do it. We got up at stupid o’clock, drove up to Mackinaw City (1 hr 15 min), parked 3 miles outside of town. Walked to the park to stand in line for a couple hours to get on the bus. Get on said bus which takes 30+ minutes to cross a 5 mile bridge. Then you walk the 5 miles and have to walk 3 more back to the car.
With the tour, this is how it went. Get up at 4:30a, put luggage outside door. Go get a leisurely light breakfast. At 5:40 walk 15 minutes to get on ferry to St. Ignace — the first ferry off the island. Get on a reserved bus (parked next to the governors entourage) that drops you off with everyone else at the staging area except that YOU get to snake through the crowd to a special holding area in the front. The governor makes her little speech, and starts the walk. We follow; THEN the crowd does the countdown to start. Literally out of the gate before it opens! Off the bridge by 8:40 while carrying a 7-month old, done with breakfast by 9. To the car and on the freeway by 10:15am. Most of walkers aren’t even on a bus yet & we are on the way home! Good thing, too, it was hot this year.
I’ll be writing more detailed posts about Mackinaw Island on my other blog if you’d like to know more about our trip– http://www.wherelocalsgo.us. It will probably be a few days before I get the first post up.