A step back in time

Ferry rounding the bay

This summer I had the privilege of visiting Mackinac Island for the first time. A small 3.8 square mile island sitting in Lake Huron between the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. For those of us not from the area it is interestingly pronounced mack-in-aw. A mistake I made a few times before I realized that the locals were not happy that I was butchering their island's name.

Mackinac Island, Michael Barera

Things are pretty tranquil on Mackinac Island, but it is no stranger to excitement. During the American Revolution it was home to a large British fort. Later during the War of 1812 two different battles were fought on its shores. Now the entire island is a National Historic Landmark. From the Victorian period onward it has mostly been a summer resort town. A quiet place on the water for those living in the surrounding areas to summer. To this day the entire island has banned motorized vehicles of any kind, with residents instead relying on horses and bikes.  Surrounded with horse drawn carriages and Victorian architecture. A step onto Mackinac's shores is almost a step back into time.

What struck me as most interesting though, is the island's heavy reliance on ferries to support their daily lives. Every hour on the dot ferries pull away from the docks of Mackinac and make their way out of the bay. In a single file line they pass by the lighthouse. Then in a shape resembling a spider's web they split off at full speed to their various destinations. It almost seems like they are all fleeing some great calamity. Yet like clockwork, 30 minutes later they return filled with more people and supplies. During the summer the ferries are the only tie the island has to the mainland. Anything from groceries to new washing machines, the ferries carry it all.

At the end of the summer season the island's horses return to the mainline to winter in some warm barn. The ferries take the 500 different horses on the island a few at a time, sharing space with their usual cargo. Once the horses have been returned to shore it is only a matter of time till the winter ice causes the ferries to return to the mainland as well. At this point the island is on their own until the ice hardens enough for snowmobiles to cross back and forth. Year round residents will get all of their supplies via snowmobile until the warmth of spring breaks apart the ice. Then once again, the ferries of Mackinac will sail again.

The docks of Mackinac Island hearken back to a different time. Filled with supplies being unloaded by boats and carted off to their owners. It is easy to imagine what the sea ports of old must have been like. A time when things were not only an Amazon click away. For now though the past lives on off the coast of Michigan on sleepy Mackinac Island.

The voyage of the Kon-Tiki

 

Many people have come up with new and unorthodox ideas throughout history. Whether it be Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution or Steve Jobs and his idea to put a personal computer in our pockets. But few have committed to their ideas so wholly to then voluntarily risk their lives. One of those people was the Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl. Shortly after World War II, Thor had a rather unconventional idea. That the inhabitants of the Polynesian Islands had traveled by boat from South America instead of coming from the Asian mainland. His theory was not accepted by academia and laughed out of most circles. But Thor was not swayed, instead he dreamed up a way to prove them all wrong. He decided to build a balsa wood raft and sail across the Pacific himself, proving the voyage was possible with primitive means. 

Thor Heyerdahl

He scrounged up a small amount of funding from various sources and convinced the navy to donate some old food rations. Then, with his small team of close friends, he traveled down to Peru to begin construction. Thor was adamant that no modern techniques or materials be used. The raft consisted of nine balsa wood tree trunks each about 45 feet long and 2 feet across. Holding this all together was nothing more than 1 inch hemp ropes. Not exactly what one would call the most sea worthy of vessels, especially for a transpacific crossing. What is even more incredible is that Thor couldn’t even swim. As a child he fell through the ice of a pond and almost drowned. This developed a fear that kept him from learning how to swim. 

Nevertheless on April 28th, 1947 the Kon-Tiki (named after the Incan sun god) set sail. With nothing more than the currents and wind to carry them, it was slow goings. During the voyage they braved through storms, fought off sharks, and almost wrecked a few times. All told the crew of the Kon-Tiki spent 101 days at sea traveling 4,300 miles. But on August 7th, 1947 the Kon-Tiki crashed onto a reef off the coast of Raroia atol in French Polynesia. Arriving more or less in one piece, all of the crew swam ashore safe and sound. A ragtag group of friends had successfully crossed the Pacific Ocean using nothing but a balsa wood raft. Thor had proved the possibility of his theory. 

The Kon-Tiki

The crew of the Kon-Tiki enjoyed a mild case of celebrity afterwards and made the rounds on different radio shows. The public latched onto Thor’s theory and story of his voyage. Unfortunately academia still for the most part ignored his theory. It wasn’t until recently that DNA research has proven that there was some contact between South America and the Polynesian islands. Although this research also showed that most settlement of the islands still came from Asia.

The voyage of Kon-Tiki and Thor Heyerdahl still leaves a lasting legacy. Thor captured the public’s imagination and lit an interest in anthropology as well as exploration with many people. His book about his voyage titled simply Kon-Tiki was a best seller for some time. A movie portraying the crossing was released in 2012 and was nominated for an Academy award. I recommend the movie. The trailer is embedded below.