Hooters & Ice Fishing ... OH MY!

Loaded into our 2 cars, armed with walkie talkies, we hit the road.  I had been following the weather for our ultimate destination, but there was NO WAY I could fathom -45 degrees.  The coldest I had ever been was 4 years earlier when I had lived in Chicago, and that didn't even come close to what I was reading about the Great White North.  Having grown up in California, our idea of a winter jacket was a joke compared to what I had to buy upon arriving in the Midwest.  Now I felt that our heavy gear for the Midwest was laughable to what was needed for the Great White North.  Either way, I was thrilled and scared spit-less about where we were heading. If there is one thing I knew at the time, it was that I did NOT like being cold. Following my engineer, both physically and metaphorically, like the Roman god, Janus, I was looking back on a past life and forward on the unknown to come.

The drive out of Missouri seemed to take FOREVER!  When I am on a long road trip, I normally don't mind enjoying the sites as I go.  But I had read that a storm front was preparing to sweep over the Great White North, and I could feel the pressure to get there as soon as possible.  My cat, Cinnamon, was thrilled to be in the car.  She explored and got into trouble before finally settling in on my lap. I would talk, she would purr, the scenery would fly by, the trip seemed to be going well.  Then we left Missouri...

Our entry into the flat states was abrupt.  All of a sudden the wind was fighting us.  The whole landscape had gone into hibernation for the winter.  What was probably beautiful during the Spring and Summer months was brown, gray, and foreboding.  Desolate. The sun stayed hidden behind the thickening clouds.  The ground was covered with a glimmering frost that caused my mind to escape to the beaches of my home.  The further north we drove, the heavier the feeling of apprehension grew. Though the land was not dressed in snow, the gray, frost, and sleeping earth screamed COLD to me.

For two days we drove through the cold, sleeping flat states.  The further we drove, the colder it got.  By the time we hit the southernmost border of our new home state, ice coated the roads and windswept snow was EVERYWHERE!  Because we had been driving for 6 hours by the time we hit the first town over the border, we had no idea just how cold it was.  We drove around the town for a while looking for a place to stop for lunch, only to find that Hooters was the only place.  Now, looking back, I know that if we had driven just a bit further off the interstate, we would have found more restaurants.  But our travel rattled minds were almost non-functioning at that point. So, Hooters it was.

I will never forget driving into that ice skating rink of a parking lot.  There was a distinct white haze EVERYWHERE!!!  At this point, I still had no idea just how cold it was.  It looked cold.  The ice under the tires sounded cold.  But it wasn't until I opened that car door and got hit by a wall of dry, freezing, frigidity that I was introduced to what cold really was.  "Laura, meet Lose-a-Limb Cold.  Lose-a-Limb Cold, meet Laura."  My lashes froze.  I could feel the tiny hairs in my nose become needles.  I wanted to just stop breathing to prevent any of it from entering my body.  My goodness!!  Has Hell really frozen over?!?!  It certainly felt like it had.

My engineer, ever the gentleman, lovingly took my arm and helped me across the parking lot.  Because Cinnamon was in the car, we had planned on going out every 10 minutes to start up the car and warm it up for her.  She also had a blanket cave that I had made that was warmed by the heater in the back seat.  Going into that restaurant, I wished, with all my heart that we could just keep driving.  But we had to stop, eat, and rest a little.

Hooters...in the Great White North.  That was my first glimpse of the people that made that cold, barren place home.  What I saw were strong, robust, resilient people. Heavy winter gear shed at the door, lining the wall at the entrance.  The rustic feel of the bar & grill seemed quite fitting for the patrons who seemed to scream hardiness.  Me?  My coat stayed on!  I was just too cold to even think about taking it off.  I marveled at the waitresses in their shorts and t-shirts.  How on earth could they do it?  There I was shivering in my winter wear, and they had close to nothing on!  My respect for those women went through the roof.  To this day, I marvel at their fortitude.

After our lunch, which included frequent trips to check on Cinnamon, we, with great hesitation, continued our journey.  We had six hours left of our trek, if all went well.  At the gas station, poor Cinnamon made an attempt to leave the car, only to discover that the ground was more than her old paws were willing to take.  As soon as her front paws hit the ground, she immediately regretted her decision...just as I regretted having to breath in the icy air.  From that point on she stayed curled up on the front seat, having decided that she wanted nothing to do with that nasty, biting cold outside.

The deeper we drove into the Great White North, the more mysteriously beautiful it became.  It was so cold that the snow refused to stick.  Instead, it swirled through the air in distinct shapes.  As I drove, I marveled at the amazing way it swept and swooped over the interstate and the surrounding, flat landscape like the water of the tides back home.  Instead of being in the ocean, it flew through the air on the wind, ethereal and surreal.  It was very hypnotic. The land was white.  Only the occasional stand of trees were silhouetted against the gray of the horizon. Those were cloaked in white.  I had officially moved to a snow globe!

After four more hours on the road, driving cautiously through howling winds and snow, we came to something that I had only read about.  On either side of us was a vast expanse of flat ice and snow.  And there, in the middle of it all, were 1 ton pick up trucks and tiny houses!  With great excitement, I saw ice fishing for the very first time!  I could not believe it!  I just could not fathom driving ANYTHING onto a frozen lake!  And here, in front of me, were at least 10 huge trucks AND houses!! Cinnamon responded to my excitement by standing with her paws on the passenger side window, looking out and "talking" too.  My engineer would later tell me that I looked like a kid on Christmas morning, bouncing in the car the way I did.  The amazement that I felt upon seeing that scene has stayed with me...and has revisited me numerous times through the years as the USAF has sent us to various places we had never dreamt of living.

A handful of hours later, we FINALLY arrived at our hotel.  It was only five pm...but it was dark as midnight.  The parking lot was one vast slab of ice and snow.  While there may be lines during the summer, there were no lines when we arrived.  After checking in, my engineer sent me and Cinnamon in while he unloaded what we needed.  Exhausted and worn by all the "new" in our lives, we slept.  "Welcome to the Great White North!  You are now home!"  Home had never been colder or whiter.