angry moose

 We drove across Canada to Michigan. The moose on the warning signs look more aggressive than the moose signs in Maine. Here they look like they're charging at ramming speed.  But the 'deer crossing' signs look more cheerful--like reindeer prancing.
We crossed the 60 year old Mackinac Bridge, still the longest suspension bridge in the US.  At the observation point on the north side we could barely see the bridge and it's backed up construction-traffic because of the fog. Those Michiganians who live north (above) the bridge are called Uppers (pronounced you- pers) and those who live south of the bridge (below the bridge) are called Trolls. Judd always wanted to meet some and when shoe shopping (a different story) met one of each. The ladies made the recommendation of where to have dinner and what was good to eat. The area is famous for whitefish, perch and walleye fish which we tasted for dinner. And their other cash crop is apparently fudge.  We saw no fewer than 5 shops devoted to fudge and 2 where fudge had its personal neon sign in the window as an adjunct to multi colored popcorn.

In Mackinaw City we met up with Maine friends, John and Nancy, on their bike trekking-wedding-going travels.  Mackinaw City is like York Beach, ME in the summer:  touristy, shopping, busy, busy.  It rained in the late afternoon, enough that we didn't want to take the ferry to Mackinaw Island.  We had a great happy hour, happy dinner and happy after hour, trying out our new camp chairs and camp coffee table in their hotel room. Nice break in the grueling travel.

the different story:
We've been wearing flip flops for 2 days because it was warm (and sitting all day in the car did not require proper foot wear. ) Yesterday when we arrived in Mackinaw and saw the storm clouds rolling in, Judd went to get his sneakers out of the car.  He rifled through every day bag and pack back: the swim bag, the foul-weather gear bag, the duffle of back up clothes bag, even my shoe bag.  He thought I packed his shoes and Birkenstocks in the shoe bag and I told him I thought, back in Maine, I informed him, 'there's the shoe bag' intending he would stock it himself.  BOTTOM LINE: his sneakers and Birkenstocks are back in Maine, thus, the shoe shopping.