Stepping Back In Time

Recently the DH and I took a step back in time... well, as close as you can come to going back to the 19th century without forsaking all modern conveniences. (I want my hot running water and electric appliances, thank you very much!) We made a brief visit to Mackinac Island.

For those who don't know, Mackinac Island (pronounced mack-in-naw) is a quaint little island of about 500 inhabitants located between Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas in Lake Huron. Here is a piccie of part of the "old fort" walls overlooking the harbor and what is now Marquette Park (used to be a common grazing area).

One of the most notable things about the island, besides it's numerous fudge shops, is that the only means of transportation is bicycle or horse-drawn carriage. Here is what a traffic jam looks like on one of the two main streets of the town. Even taxis are horse-drawn!

I'm sitting in the front of our carriage and the black horse directly in front of me is Glen. Most of the horses are Percherons, and the teams are matched for size and color.

We took a carriage "tour" of the island and here is our three horse team: The beautiful grey in the center is Jenny, the black on the left is Eddy, and the black with the white blaze on her face is Addie. The carriage held 35 people not counting the driver, so these are incredibly strong horses!

I enjoyed the leisurely pace of the horses and it was lots of fun imagining what life was like back in the 1890s. I wish we could have stayed longer.

Have you ever been to a place that made you feel you'd stepped back in time? Please share your experiences!