My wife and I spend the week before Memorial Day on vacation and, while the itinerary changes from year to year, there are always at least two nights on Mackinac Island and dinner at the Pink Pony. One fall, we rented a cottage for four nights.

I could write 5,000 words on my favorite places on the island. Sunset from the boardwalk. The mile along the shoreline from downtown to Arch Rock. The view from Fort Holmes. Market Street when the kites are flying. The turret rooms at the Island House. Everything about Fort Mackinac. The spot that no longer hosts the terrifying Gerald Ford head. Dreamcatcher Cottage.

It’s my favorite place on Earth, and I’m going to miss it this spring. We’ll probably find a way to get there in 2020, though I don’t know when.