Nats, Nats, Nats!
Monday, while approaching our Mackinac Island slip, two waiting dock hands were energetically waving. "Friendly group", I remember thinking. On closer inspection each young man was engulfed in a life threatening swam of nats. Soon, Nellie was too. "They just hatched", yelled one of the guys in-between gasps for air. His compatriot, meanwhile, was turning blue and on the verge of fainting. Death by bug asphyxiation isn't a good way to go. That's why we wished the dock hands luck as we closeted ourselves safely inside Nellie. They got Nellie tied up and ran for clear air. We wondered what we'd gotten into.
Dead Calm Today on Lake Huron
The dock hands had the last laugh. For the next two days, at both dawn and dusk, they got to watch Bicki and me run the bug gauntlet.
Checking into Canada this afternoon the customs agent asked if we had any fresh fruit, vegetables, meat or pets aboard. Completely missed was the question "Have you carried 10,000,000 nats into the country?"
Mackinac Island, MI to Thessalon, ON
It was 63 very pleasant miles from Mackinac Island to Thessalon, Ontario. We're now 1403 water miles from Minnesota and have finally made it to Canada and to Lake Huron's North Channel. Yahoo! DBH
