In a fog

We awoke at 5:30 this morning to the sound of a ship's foghorn.  We couldn't see the ship out the window because the fog was as thick as pea soup.

Fortunately we took some pics of Mackinac Island last night because we couldn't see anything of the town this morning thru the dense fog.

No cars. Just horse drawn carriages and bicycles. 

We walked to the Grand Hotel, the largest seasonal hotel in the world. They also have the worlds longest front porch. 

We stopped for a cocktail at the cupola bar on top of the hotel. Non guests are supposed to pay $10 to enter the hotel and jackets and ties are required for men after 6:00pm.  We did neither.

Here's the view from atop the hotel; ice on Lake Huron is visible.

We stopped at a seasonal-only Starbucks this morning for a latte and met the nicest baristas who loved Daisy and Poppy.

We decided we weren't in the mood to shop for fudge and t-shirts today so we caught the first ferry back to Mackinaw City.

This was our drive this morning over the Mackinac Bridge, the third longest suspension bridge in the world.  The speed limit was 20 miles per hour today because of high winds. Cars have been blown off it into the lake in the past.

And then our drive after the bridge:

I think we've found a place where the weather is worse than Seattle. 

It cleared up briefly in Munising so I could get a pic of the ice bound marina on Lake Superior

This ship was ice bound in Marquette:

Cross country skiing is very big here evidently.

I think he could have just taken his real skis out on the frozen lake.

The skies cleared briefly three quarters of the way across the U.P. so we could finally see the beauty of the northwoods.

We crossed into Wisconsin and detoured to see Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate

Thirty miles outside of Duluth the wipers quit, deader than dead, probably from overuse.  It's not the fuse or motor because we hear the motor running just fine in the dash. 

Here they are stuck, just before it started to rain:

So we limped into downtown Duluth in the rain and parked at the Sheraton. Vanna promptly leaked her coolant fluid:

I had no idea she was incontinent.

The gentleman who checked us in to the Sheraton loves Vanna and Westys.  He reads "Drive Nacho Drive".  He could not have been nicer or more helpful. He called the VW shop in Duluth and confirmed that they could see Vanna tomorrow, a Saturday.  And he took pity on us and gave us keys to the Sheraton club room.   He really went out of his way to help us; he's a genuinely kind man.  His name is Eric, and here he is:

I think there truly is something special about Midwest people. They have been so warm, open, and kind; even the manager I spoke to at the VW dealer was  unbelievably nice on the phone, and he promised to look at Vanna first thing in the morning. 

So tomorrow I drive (or tow) Vanna to the VW dealer in Duluth to see if they can fix her. We may be stuck in Duluth a few days, but the Sheraton is lovely and the people here couldn't be friendlier or more helpful.

This is the view from our hotel room we will enjoy while waiting for Vanna to be fixed:

And yes, that is Lake Superior still frozen over.  

Maybe it's the cold that makes the people so warm?