- WHEN: Saturday, April 28th, 2007
- WHERE: Mackinac Island
- TIME: 10:30 until ??
- COST: $2.50 toll for the Mackinac
bridge each way.
$21.00
round trip Arnold Line ferry ticket from St. Ignace.
$7.50
charge to take bike to the island.
Dinner
on your own.
Lodging
fees on your own.
Come join us on beautiful Mackinac Island for a spring caching
adventure! We will gather on the island in the morning at 10:30 am
(tentative time) in the lobby of the Grand Hotel for a brief
get-together prior to venturing out to visit the island caches.
Coffee and tea will be provided, along with a few other goodies to
get your engines up and running! The Grand does not charge their
usual "admission" fee at this time of the year, so attendees who
are not registered at the hotel won't have to worry about paying a
fee to get into the hotel.
The Cyclops family has 28 caches on the island, and there are
several others available which have been placed by other cachers.
It is advisable to bring your bike, as the cache locations will
take you traveling several miles around the perimeter and interior
of the island. The Arnold ferry charges $7.50 per bicycle to bring
your bike over to the island. It is possible that the Grand Hotel
may offer bikes to rent, but they are unable to confirm this at
this early date. After a day of caching, we will re-group for an
early dinner (on your own) at the "Gatehouse" restaurant, which is
owned by the Grand Hotel. Dinners range in price from about $10.00
- $15.00, but they offer many other delicious menu items which are
less expensive. The time we meet for dinner will be dependent on
the Arnold
Line ferry schedule, which will not be published until about 2
weeks prior to the event. At this point in time, adult round-trip
ferry tickets are running $21.00 per person.
Accommodations can be made at the Grand Hotel (1-800-33-GRAND),
which is offering a special "Early Opening" price of $150.00 a
night per room (plus tax). A small bag of breakfast goodies (fruit,
granola bars, muffins) is delivered to each room in the morning,
and is included in the room price. Lodging at the Grand will be in
the Millenium wing (east end) of the hotel, and most rooms are
furnished with two double beds. If you book a room at the Grand,
please mention that you are part of the "Michigan Geocaching
Organization" group.
For those who might prefer to lodge elsewhere, some
recommendations are listed below:
1) Pontiac Lodge, which is located downtown - Room rates range
from $85.00 to $105.00 a night (plus tax). No food is included.
Rooms are simple, but clean. The Pontiac Lodge is approximately
half a mile away from the Grand. Reservations can be made by
calling 1-906-847-3364.
2) Bogan Lane Inn, which is located near the east end of town -
This is a small Bed-and- Breakfast, which offers a quaint
atmosphere. Room rates are $80.00 per night (plus tax). Please note
that all of the rooms at the Bogan Lane Inn share a bathroom. The
Bogan Lane Inn is about 3/4 of a mile from the Grand. Reservations
can be made by calling 1-906-847-3439.
3) Super 8 in St. Ignace - This is an economy hotel which offers
rooms at the rate of $75.00 a night (plus tax) for two queen beds.
They offer a discount for AAA members. For reservations, call
1-906-643-7616.
4) Days Inn Lakefront and Suites, in St. Ignace. Room rates are
$80.00 a night (plus tax) for two queen beds. They also offer a AAA
discount. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-732-9746.
There will only be ONE ferry line operating at this time of the
year - the Arnold Line. Discount coupons can
be printed off of their website. Click HERE to save $2 on
every adult ticket and $1 dollar on every child ticket. Click
HERE to buy two
adult round trip tickets and get a child round trip ticket for
free, or get $10.00 off of a third adult round trip ticket. Check
the website for complete details. The ferry will ONLY be departing
from St. Ignace. You will need to cross the Mackinac bridge, which
costs $2.50 per crossing. The Arnold line does not publish their
ferry schedule for the 2007 season until about mid-April, but there
are usually about five ferries a day running at this time of the
year. Please be aware that crossing the Straits in April can be a
bone-chilling experience. Please wear appropriate clothing.
Most island stores are closed at this time of year, but a few
may be open. However, it is doubtful that any fudge shops will be
open. There are a couple of restaurants on the island that are open
year-round, and will be open to serve lunch. Fort Mackinac will not
be open.
Each attendee at this event will receive a raffle ticket for a
free prize drawing, which will be held at dinner. In addition, each
attendee will also receive a "swag" bag full of goodies (bags
limited to the first 40 people who register for this event).
Island maps will be available for those who want to travel
around the interior of the island. It is highly recommended that
you take a map with you if you are unfamiliar with the island. Some
of the interior roads can be quite difficult to navigate, so be
careful if you have small children with you. The perimeter road,
which is 8.2 miles in length and fairly flat, offers several caches
for those who prefer a less strenuous adventure.
The specific schedule of this event will be updated as more
information becomes available.
Update: April 2
It has been confirmed by the Grand that bikes will be available for
registered guests only. However, they do not have bike helmets
available, so it is recommended that you bring your own if you have
them. For those who are not staying at the Grand and who are
interested in renting bikes, Lakeside Bike Rental will be open.
Their office is located at the entrance of the Arnold Line Ferry
dock. If you want more information, you can contact Pete at
Lakeside Bike Rental at 1-906-847-6083.
The Arnold Line ferries have begun running, but they don't yet
have their full schedule up yet. As of right now, the last ferry
off the island on Saturday, April 28th, will be at 5:00 pm. We are
planning to meet at the Gatehouse for our early dinner between 3:00
and 3:30 pm on Saturday afternoon so that day-trippers can eat and
have enough time to catch the last ferry. Door prizes will be
awarded at the Gatehouse during our gathering. You must be present
to win. If you would like to donate a prize for the prize table,
this would be greatly appreciated, but not necessary.
We will have access to a large refrigerator at the Grand, so if
you want to bring any food or pop with you, we will have a place to
keep it cold. I recommend doing this, as the grocery store on the
island is small, not well-stocked, and is very expensive.
FOR COIN COLLECTORS: We are having an event coin made
specifically for this event, and it will be available for sale on
the island for $9.00 each. It is being manufactured in two metals -
Antique Bronze and Antique Silver. We will sell only one coin per
person, until everyone who wants one has a chance to purchase one.
These coins are very limited in quantity.
I will continue to update this page as more information becomes
available.