Oil and Water Do Not Mix

Oil pipeline under straits of Mackinac  click the link for a new documentary about Enbridge's old pipeline that is endangering the freshwater of the Great Lakes.

Mackinac Island and the Great Turtle

Riding a bike or skating around Mackinac Island is a lot of fun. You don't just go there to eat fudge.   On the way you may see wildflowers in bloom, the clear blue green water, and all sorts of birds.  Some of the birds sound like they are in a singing school.  One sings and then another tries the same notes.  Out in the water the diving ducks suddenly disappear and then reappear with fish in their beaks.  Right now the lilacs are in bloom.

Native Americans once used Mackinac Island as an important trading post and had a legend about how the island came to be. The story says the island is a great turtle that got frozen into the ice and is still there.

  Reverand Wm. Ferry, a Presbyterian minister established a mission on the island and a school. Later with indian guides he made a journey around the Great Lakes and the Grand River.  He finally settled in Grand Haven, Michigan and his church is still going strong.

Mackinac Island and the Great Turtle

The distance from Beaver Island to Mackinac Island is 50 miles. Water pours through the Straits of Mackinac like wine from a bottle.

According to Native American legend, Mackinac Island was formed by a giant turtle. Storytellers long ago said that when the world was very young and all the living creatures were wandering over its surface looking for the best place to live, a large number of turtles came to the marshy southern shore of Lake Erie. Most of the turtles liked the spot so well they settled there. But the leader of the band, a huge turtle, was lured northward from Lake Erie by strange lights he had seen moving across the distant horizon. He could not persuade the other turtles to go with him so he made the journey alone.

When he reached a point of land that partly divided Lake Michigan from Lake Huron, he could go no further because the winds were cold and ice began to form around him. Finally he could go no further and an icy barrier froze him into place, a little black spot on a waste of frozen water. When the spring returned and the ice melted, the shell of the huge turtle remained fastened in place by a tall reed. As the years passed the turtle grew into an island which the Indians named Michilimackinac which means “the great turtle.” The island has always been an important place for Native Americans who told many stories about it.

Today no cars are allowed on the island. There are horse drawn taxis and lots of bicycles. I painted the picture when I was there. It is of me riding a bike and my daughter roller blading.

Link to my books and art.My books etc.

Last summer I painted this picture while visiting Mackinac Island.
No cars are allowed so people get around on bicycles, horse drawn buggies or roller blades. As you can see on the picture, the water is a lovely shade of green at this spot where water flows into Lake Huron from Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. Wildflowers are blooming, sailboats sail and it's a wonderful Great Lakes getaway.

Read more about the Great Lakes in my book, The Dynamic Great Lakes available online at Barnes & Noble etc.