May 11, 2016. Brrrrrrr! Oddness on Mackinac Island and a Lock Named Fred.

May 11, 2016.  Brrrrrrr!  Oddness on Mackinac Island and a Lock Named Fred.  We came too early in the season.  It is cold on Mackinac Island.  Well, it isn't freezing, but it is uncomfortable.  The temperature was in the low 50s and a 20 MPH wind exacerbated the cold.  It was biting.  But, the oddness didn't stop there.  We witnessed motorized vehicles on the island as maintenance workers hustled to ready the streets for the high season.  In all our visits here, we've never seen a motorized vehicle on the island. 




But, there are advantages to the low season.  Our favorite restaurant, Seabiscuit, wasn't busy and we were able to pick our own table.  Moreover, the trail around the island was an open road.  There were very few bikers and walkers on the road.



There was one other odd event; a snake crossed the road in front of us.  We've never seen a snake on Mackinac Island.  I think he was looking for a place to sun, but he scurried into the brush as we approached.  What kind of snake was it?  If you are asking me, I don't know.  It looked like a small grass snake or a garter shake, perfectly harmless.  If you are asking Annie Farkley, it was an eight-foot long, hissing cobra with a hooded head unfolded at two feet off the ground, striking and spitting venom both right and left.  Funny how people filter the same information through different lenses. 




We left our bike cable lock at home so we purchased a new lock along the way. Instead of numbers as combination options, the lock has letters.  The combination which was on the lock when we bought it was "SHED,"  However, the lock allows its owner to set his own combination to a word which is easily remembered.  Annie and I decided to change the first letter from "S" to "F" as a tribute to our longtime friend. 




The weather will be about the same tomorrow with rain mixed in.  We had planned to spend two days on Mackinac.  After today's uncomfortable experience, we've decided to move on to Door County tomorrow.  It won't be much warmer there, but it isn't supposed to be raining.  Are you ready for some more barn pictures?  Sure you are.