Come join us on Mackinac Island for our 5th Annual Spring
Fling.
- WHEN: Saturday, April 30th, 2011
- WHERE: Mackinac Island/Grand Hotel
- TIME: 10:30 am until ??
- COST: $3.50 toll for the Mackinac bridge each way.
$24.00 round trip ferry ticket from St. Ignace (this is the current
price, but could also increase in the spring). $8.00 charge to take
bike to the island. Dinner on your own. Lodging fees on your own
(but we have negotiated a special rate from the Grand).
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
in the lower 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 for attendees, along with a few other goodies to
get your engines up and running! Please feel free to wear your
sweatshirts and jeans, as there is no dress code in effect at this
time of the year. There is also no admission charge into the
hotel.
The Cyclops family has about 90 caches on the island, many of
which have been placed in remote areas of the island where tourists
would not normally go. 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 ferry company charges
$8.00 per bicycle to bring your bike over to the island. It is
possible that there may be places on the island that offer bikes to
rent, but I am unable to confirm this at this early date. Dinner
will be on your own. There are several restaurants on the island
which are open at this time of the year.
There will only be ONE ferry line operating at this time of the
year (this is the current information we have at the time of this
posting, but could possibly change) - The ferry will ONLY be
departing from St.Ignace. You will need to cross the Mackinac
Bridge, which costs $3.50 per crossing. The ferry line does not
publish their ferry schedule for the 2011 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. It is likely that some fudge shops will be open, but
we can’t be certain. There are a couple of restaurants on the
island that are open year-round, and will be open to serve lunch
and dinner.
Each attendee at this event will receive a raffle ticket for a
free prize drawing, which will be held back at the Grand Hotel
group room at 7:00 pm. You must be present to win. In addition,
each attendee will also receive a special memento from the Cyclops
family for attending this event.
I highly recommend picking up an "Mackinac Island Map" from the
information booth across the street from the Arnold docks. 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. If the maps are
not in the holders on the front of the building, look on the sides
of the building. For your convenience and planning, you can view or
print the PDF file for the Mackinac Island Map. The one available at the
information booth is printed on a glossy paper and holds up fairly
well when repeatedly tucked in and out of a pocket or caching
bag.
Also for your convenience I have created some non-geocache
waypoints. These waypoints can be download as a zipped GPX file
here.
Click here for more information about this event. If you
need specific details or information about this event, please feel
free to e-mail me directly.
