- WHEN: Saturday, April 28th, 2012
- WHERE: Mackinac Island/Grand Hotel
- TIME: 10:30 am until ??
- COST: $4:00 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
your 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 (Heritage Hall) 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 100 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 own 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.
At the time of this publishing, we are told that there will only
be ONE ferry line operating at this time of the year (this is the
current information we have, but may possibly change by the end of
April) - The ferry will ONLY be departing from St. Ignace. You will
need to cross the Mackinac Bridge, which costs $4.00 per crossing.
The ferry line does not publish their ferry schedule for the 2012
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 (layers are
suggested).
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 (they
have been every year in the past). There are a few restaurants on
the island that are open year-round, and they 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. We will also be holding another
raffle for some larger prizes, and those tickets will be for sale
at the event. The proceeds from the sale of the raffle tickets will
be used to help offset the costs of the 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 is fairly flat, offers several
caches for those who prefer a less strenuous adventure. 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.
