The Road That Beckons: It's a sh*tty job but someone has do do it....

Horses, Bicycles, or your own

two feet are the only way to get

around Mackinac Island

What would you rather have - a truly sh*tty job in paradise or a great job somewhere else? Well, there are some special folks we came across after our Michigan bike tour that had definitely made their choice. And who am I to argue with them?

Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Island sits several miles north of the northern tip of lower Michigan. Mackinaw City is the gateway to both Mackinac Island as well as Michigan's Upper Peninsula region and its from there that you catch a ferry to the island as there is no bridge and short of having your own boat that's the only way to get there. The island is approximately 8.2 miles in circumference and a couple of hundred folks call the island home yearlong (the Island school system boasts about 80 students). During the summer however the island hosts thousands of tourists who flock there for its beautiful harbor, spectacular homes and churches, as well as a small downtown (just a couple of blocks) full of shops that will happily sell you just about any touristy trinket you can imagine. Oh, and fudge - lots and lots and lots of fudge, Really, really good fudge. But I digress...

Pick your steed: two-wheeled or four footed!

The thing that sets Mackinac Island apart from many other islands like it is that the only way to get around once there is by your own two feet, by bicycle, or by horse. No - and I mean NO - motorized transportation is allowed on the island. Getting off the ferry (we caught the early-bird first ferry of the day that left Mackinaw City at 7:30 sharp and put us on the island by 8) two things immediately grab your attention. Row upon row upon row of rental bicycles of all kinds just waiting for folks who probably haven't sat on a bike seat in years who can't wait to plunk down $16 per hour for the privilege of subjecting their nether regions to unfamiliar torment as they ride about the island.

The second thing that grabs your attention are the horses. They are everywhere. Pulling carriages, pulling wagons laden with luggage (you can spend the night on the island at some truly spectacular hotels, inns, and bed and breakfasts), pulling freight to supply all the fine food and beverage establishments. UPS? FedX? Yup, all delivered behind a horse. The U.S. Mail? That too is handled by a horse-drawn mail wagon. There are some 300+ horses on the island to accommodate all this heavy pulling and they have the right of way over everything. If you're a pedestrian or on a bike woe to you for getting in the way of all this equine grandeur. And grand these horses are. Most are Percherons which make Clydesdales look like undernourished cousins. They are massive, and can haul loads of 3 to 6 thousand pounds each (apparently Clydesdales, of Budweiser fame, can only pull about 1,000 pounds each) which means two or three hitched together can easily handle the wagon loads of tourists meandering over hill and dale. There are also Friesians, Hackney, Welsh Cob, and Standard bred for pulling some of the smaller 2 and 4 passenger carriages around town.

Getting up close with Jenny and Martin

during a horse-drawn tour

So back to my original question regarding sh*tty jobs in paradise. You may be catching on by now to where this is going but if not, here's a hint - what by-product do 300+ horses produce? Yup, and lots of it. I mentioned horses were the second thing to grab your attention. Well, perhaps the third thing is the pungent aroma of their droppings on all the roads. Now, if you're looking for a summer job on the island there are lots to choose from - bike attendants, waiters/waitresses, shop staff, even people to drive all the horse wagons and carriages (known on the island as drayers). But perhaps the single most important, yet most under appreciated job on Mackinac Island falls to those brave souls who diligently wander behind all these horses, brooms in hand, sweeping up what Mother Nature has left behind. These are the unsung heroes of Mackinac Island. It is they who truly have the sh*ttiest job in paradise yet they don't seem to mind and never a complaint did we hear as they went about swoosh, swoosh, swooshing their way along the thoroughfares. I don't know where they fall on the island's pay scale, but it can't be enough.

Jenny and Martin mean business as they trot

down Main Street, Mackinac Island

So, if you're in the area, Mackinac Island is a beautiful and special oasis unlike most of the tourist traps more typical of summer fare. Bring your own or rent and ride a bike along the 8.2 mile perimeter road. Take a horse-drawn tour to see and hear about all the must-see sites. Spend a night in the Grand Hotel if your pocketbook allows (ours didn't - rooms start at around $890 a night). But whatever you do watch where you step. As the islanders say, every visitor to Mackinac Island goes home with a free souvenir, and its right there on the bottom of your shoes!