MACKINAC ISLAND, MI -- Vice President Mike Pence isn’t hoofing it on Mackinac Island.

Motorized vehicles have been prohibited on the island since 1898, with the exception of snowmobiles during winter, emergency vehicles, and service vehicles owned by the local government. Travel on the island is usually restricted to foot, bicycle, or horse-drawn carriage, but Pence broke with the old tradition to travel from the Mackinac Island Airport to the Grand Hotel to speak at the Michigan Republican party’s biennial leadership conference Saturday.

The island was buzzing Saturday morning with questions about how Pence would travel to the 4-square-mile land mass in surrounded by Lake Huron. Hours before the vice president was set to arrive, members of the Secret Service and local law enforcement were posted outside the Grand Hotel.

At 12:15 p.m., Pence’s motorcade traveled down Cadotte Avenue flanked by Michigan State Police on bicycles.

Pence is the first sitting vice president to attend the event since its inception in 1953. His visit is historic -- and shows the administration’s commitment to winning Michigan again in 2020, said MIGOP Chairman Laura Cox said -- but the stop created some logistical challenges while planning the long-running conference.

Shepler’s Ferry revealed it transported Pence’s fleet of emergency vehicles to Mackinac Island.

“Regardless of your political views, we hope you’ll understand the logistical intricacies involved in securing our leaders while visiting,” the company wrote on Twitter. "We were happy to assist.

It was our honor to transport the @VP’s emergency vehicles to Mackinac Island this weekend. Regardless of your political views, we hope you’ll understand the logistical intricacies involved in securing our leaders while visiting. We were happy to assist. ⛴🙌🏽🇺🇸 #RideSheplers pic.twitter.com/yqYrrrHhrn — Shepler's Ferry (@sheplersferry) September 22, 2019

The use of motorized vehicles is among other unique circumstances that go along with safely transporting the country’s second-in-command to a small plot of land surrounded by Lake Huron. Pence didn’t travel to the island by ferry, the most common way tourists use to get their fudge fix.

The Mackinac Island Airport has a 3,500 foot, lighted, paved runway that is capable of handling small aircraft year-round. But that’s not nearly large enough for Air Force Two, said Mackinac Island State Parks Manager Myron Johnson.

The Office of the Vice President announced Friday that Pence landed at Pellston Regional Airport, which is around 20 miles from Mackinac Island. The White House did not indicate how Pence would make it from the airfield to the island, but several helicopters flew overhead shortly before Pence’s motorcade arrived.

Some took to Twitter to voice their disdain for Pence’s mode of transportation. Cox said the vice president’s security is more important than any local traditions.

Pence really should have gotten into a carriage. Not only would he have respected the Mackinac Island tradition, but also for a moment it would have seemed his political beliefs and the era he lives in would be congruent. https://t.co/uxxVxkvz2g — Dan Centers (@DanCenters) September 21, 2019