Sophia says …
After a long hiatus from writing, I finally have the time to put pen to paper again (or fingers to keyboard, I suppose). For the past three months I’ve been back in the USA, but not here in southwest Minnesota. From June to September, I was working on Mackinac Island in Michigan, driving horse-drawn carriages and giving tours.
It was absolute insanity. The island, which sits between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas, has a ban on all motorized vehicles. Everyone gets around on foot, by bike, or horse-drawn carriage.
It wasn’t my first choice for a summer job, but having grown up riding and driving horses, I always knew about the island and kept it in the back of my mind. So, when I needed a last-minute summer gig, I applied to work for the carriage tour company. Honestly, it was a blast. They were 12-17 hour days, but it was work hard, play hard.
If you’ve been to the island, you know that it feels like an alternate reality; like stepping back in time. There are only about 500 year-round residents because the winters are so harsh, but during tourist season — May to October — 2,000 seasonal employees also And if the rest of my life completely falls apart, I can always go back to driving horses on magical pony island.
