WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:04.639 Welcome to Macina Island Moments, hosted by lifelong islander Jason 2 00:00:04.679 --> 00:00:08.480 saint Onge. Through conversations and interviews with follow island locals 3 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:11.160 and residents, Jason will bring you the real stories and 4 00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:14.000 characters that to find life on the island. Whether you're 5 00:00:14.039 --> 00:00:16.760 a seasoned visitor, new to mcinna Island, or even an 6 00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:19.760 islander yourself, you'll be sure to learn firsthand about the 7 00:00:19.760 --> 00:00:22.120 island with Jason on MCN Island Moments. 8 00:00:23.640 --> 00:00:27.160 And welcome to another edition of the mcin Island Moments podcast, 9 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:30.359 the only podcast brought to you from MCN Island by 10 00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:34.520 aid born and raised Mcina Islander folks. We're back recording again. 11 00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:36.960 We have another episode coming up for you, this one 12 00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:39.479 once again sponsored by our good friends at the Mustang 13 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:44.399 Lounge America, Michigan's oldest tavern, the hub of the social 14 00:00:44.439 --> 00:00:46.399 climate on mac And Island, the Dead Winner. It's one 15 00:00:46.399 --> 00:00:49.880 of the one of two places to restaurant slash taverns 16 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:53.159 that's open year round and we should appreciate that The 17 00:00:53.240 --> 00:00:58.000 Mustang Lounge on Aster Street the Locals Bar. So today 18 00:00:58.039 --> 00:01:00.479 I want to talk about something I generally I generally 19 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:03.840 refrain from discussing we're going to talk about the ice bridge, 20 00:01:03.960 --> 00:01:05.879 and it's not something I want to talk about it, 21 00:01:05.879 --> 00:01:07.359 and I'm going to tell you why I don't like 22 00:01:07.480 --> 00:01:10.319 talking about it. But we're to the point now where 23 00:01:10.359 --> 00:01:14.760 something has to be set. There is so much misinformation 24 00:01:14.959 --> 00:01:17.959 being put out there, so much misinformation being spewed on 25 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:20.920 social media, and now even the Detroit Free Press went 26 00:01:20.959 --> 00:01:24.200 there and put out an article on Friday that quite 27 00:01:24.200 --> 00:01:27.200 literally could have got people killed. And I said, it's 28 00:01:27.239 --> 00:01:30.959 time to do something. And the reason I try not 29 00:01:31.040 --> 00:01:34.000 to discuss it is because any information you give is 30 00:01:34.040 --> 00:01:38.000 old information because the ice changes so fast. And let 31 00:01:38.040 --> 00:01:40.200 me back up just a little second, and I'm not 32 00:01:40.239 --> 00:01:43.560 going to get too involved here today, mostly because, as 33 00:01:43.560 --> 00:01:44.920 you may or may not know, I'm in the middle 34 00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:47.359 of writing a book actually about the ice bridge, and 35 00:01:47.400 --> 00:01:48.879 I don't want it to be an audio book on 36 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:54.079 a podcast. So you know, some of you may know 37 00:01:54.159 --> 00:01:56.879 that in the winter, some winters, the ice between mack 38 00:01:56.959 --> 00:02:01.159 And Island and Senegmas freeze is enough to allow for passage. 39 00:02:01.480 --> 00:02:04.640 And when I say freezes enough, sometimes it's just enough. 40 00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:07.319 The last two years, and if you want to count 41 00:02:07.319 --> 00:02:09.520 this year, the last three years, there hasn't been enough ice. 42 00:02:09.719 --> 00:02:12.439 The last two years, the boats ran all year, and 43 00:02:12.759 --> 00:02:15.240 this year there is some ice floating around, but the 44 00:02:15.240 --> 00:02:18.599 wind comes up and blows it away or some holes develop, 45 00:02:18.639 --> 00:02:22.560 and it just hasn't happened. And the reason we stay 46 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:25.639 away from them. I run the Maclaland News and Views 47 00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:29.800 facebook page of ninety four thousand members. I think we 48 00:02:29.879 --> 00:02:31.759 do it what we call an ice bridge blackout. We 49 00:02:31.879 --> 00:02:34.439 just don't discuss it. And the reason is we're not 50 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:37.199 trying to be gatekeepers here or clean the ice for us. 51 00:02:37.879 --> 00:02:40.960 What people don't understand is there's nothing you can say 52 00:02:41.599 --> 00:02:44.240 about the condition of the ice bridge and expect it 53 00:02:44.280 --> 00:02:47.520 to be true an hour later. So how can we 54 00:02:47.599 --> 00:02:51.080 possibly say, oh, the guys are crossing this morning, and 55 00:02:51.159 --> 00:02:55.879 have uninformed folks jump on in their trucks, haul their 56 00:02:55.919 --> 00:02:58.719 somemobiles up and say, well, we read this morning they 57 00:02:58.759 --> 00:03:01.199 were crossing, so we figured it fine. Because I'm going 58 00:03:01.240 --> 00:03:04.280 to tell you it's not like that. I'm gonna tell 59 00:03:04.280 --> 00:03:07.479 a few stories in this podcast to illustrate that as well. 60 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:09.560 But what you have to know is that this three 61 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:12.479 and a half to four miles where we cross, it 62 00:03:12.520 --> 00:03:16.680 is fluid, it is dynamic, and it is constantly moving. 63 00:03:16.719 --> 00:03:19.159 There is current there, tremendous current. The water is two 64 00:03:19.240 --> 00:03:22.199 hundred feet deep, the straits are always moving. It is 65 00:03:22.240 --> 00:03:24.680 not like an inland lake where once you see the 66 00:03:24.680 --> 00:03:27.800 first shanny go up, you know it's good to be on. 67 00:03:28.520 --> 00:03:31.879 And a lot of people can't understand that. I also 68 00:03:31.879 --> 00:03:34.000 want to make it explicitly clear because here's where a 69 00:03:34.039 --> 00:03:38.080 lot of misinformation has been coming from. The ice bridge 70 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:41.280 or crossing the ice is not sanctioned, it's not endorsed, 71 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:45.840 and it's not authorized by any entity, particularly not the 72 00:03:45.879 --> 00:03:48.639 City of macn Island and or its fire department, not 73 00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:51.879 this Antegna's fire department. Nobody is in charge of it. 74 00:03:52.199 --> 00:03:54.840 Nobody goes on record of saying, Okay, it's safe, it's 75 00:03:54.879 --> 00:03:57.840 good to go. That's not how it works. People. Just 76 00:03:57.879 --> 00:04:00.919 because you see people crossing it doesn't mean that, oh, 77 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:04.199 it's safe. Oh. Some of the misinformation being spewed as 78 00:04:04.199 --> 00:04:07.439 oh the fire department checks it. No, why would the 79 00:04:07.439 --> 00:04:11.879 fire department go on record as of making the presumption 80 00:04:11.960 --> 00:04:15.479 that it's safe when it's not. So there's that, And now, 81 00:04:15.560 --> 00:04:16.680 like I said, I'm i to tell you a few 82 00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:21.360 stories that hopefully it will shed some light and maybe, 83 00:04:22.120 --> 00:04:24.519 in fact, have you checked yourselves before you try to 84 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:27.040 get yourself in trouble up here? Someday that you don't 85 00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:29.000 need to. And I don't mean trouble with the law, 86 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:32.279 I mean trouble with you. Maybe make an arrangement to 87 00:04:32.279 --> 00:04:36.120 meet the Lord here. Here's a good one for it. 88 00:04:36.199 --> 00:04:38.759 One time we needed to get over and get some supplies. 89 00:04:38.800 --> 00:04:40.759 It was about five o'clock in the afternoon. It was 90 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:44.759 myself and Chummy Chummy's wasn't his wife yet, the page 91 00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:47.759 and the squirrel and the four of us we headed over. 92 00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:49.839 It had hit ace hardware and grab some stuff. Nobody 93 00:04:49.879 --> 00:04:51.639 likes to go by themselves if they don't have to. 94 00:04:52.279 --> 00:04:55.000 They certainly don't like to go after dark. But it 95 00:04:55.040 --> 00:04:57.720 was late February, maybe early March, as I recall, and 96 00:04:57.800 --> 00:04:59.879 the sun was getting higher in the sky and was 97 00:05:00.199 --> 00:05:03.120 in daylight a little bit later, and we picked up 98 00:05:03.160 --> 00:05:05.319 what we had to get from the hardware story He's hardware. 99 00:05:05.360 --> 00:05:08.240 And someone said, hey, let's run out to Timmy Lee's 100 00:05:08.240 --> 00:05:10.480 and grab quick beer before we go back. Yeah, sounds good. 101 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:12.079 I have my car keys with me. My car's right 102 00:05:12.120 --> 00:05:13.879 over there. With piling the car, we'll head out to 103 00:05:13.879 --> 00:05:17.040 Timmy Lee's, and we just came off the ice. We 104 00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:20.360 sat down, ordered a beer. I so much as put 105 00:05:20.399 --> 00:05:22.319 that beer up to my lips, and my phone rang 106 00:05:22.360 --> 00:05:24.120 and I looked, and then the caller ID was s 107 00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:27.560 my Horn. Smile knows the late s my Horn Smile 108 00:05:27.680 --> 00:05:30.480 knew so much about the ice, spend so much time 109 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:32.120 off there, knows what to look for, and knows what 110 00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:35.319 he's looking at. He called me. I said hello, Smile, 111 00:05:35.759 --> 00:05:38.720 and he said, Jay, it's breaking up. That's all he 112 00:05:38.759 --> 00:05:41.399 had to say. I didn't say where. I didn't say 113 00:05:41.399 --> 00:05:43.399 what do you mean. I didn't say, oh, come on now, 114 00:05:44.120 --> 00:05:46.439 A guy like Smile says she's breaking up. I said, 115 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:49.360 we gotta go. Put put the beer down, never even 116 00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:51.560 finished it. Never he took a second drink, paid our tab, 117 00:05:52.040 --> 00:05:54.600 jumped in the car, went straight back, jumped on our snowbill, 118 00:05:54.639 --> 00:05:57.600 start heading back to mc and Island. The tree line 119 00:05:57.600 --> 00:06:01.560 that you follow now more on that. The second I 120 00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:03.800 noticed was no longer in a straight line. It was 121 00:06:03.839 --> 00:06:08.240 starting to make subtle zigzags. And nobody went out and 122 00:06:08.279 --> 00:06:10.519 moved those trees. Folks. The ice is moving, It's moving 123 00:06:10.519 --> 00:06:14.600 in different directions. And that was a perilous moment while 124 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:17.759 we're clipping along, we're not We're not stopping the gag 125 00:06:17.800 --> 00:06:21.079 lollies as they say, no lolly gagging. And we get 126 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:23.199 to the beach. We look back. We can tell that 127 00:06:23.240 --> 00:06:26.920 the trees are moving a bit. Jump on oursomobiles. We 128 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:29.759 head up Forest Drive. We stop at my house for 129 00:06:29.759 --> 00:06:31.839 a quick second to drop our stuff off. No biggie. 130 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:33.560 We went over to Sunset Rock to take a look. 131 00:06:34.319 --> 00:06:37.199 I'm gonna say for the minute that phone call to 132 00:06:37.319 --> 00:06:39.639 the time we got to Sunset Rock was probably less 133 00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:42.120 than an hour. And we got up to Sunset Rock. 134 00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:44.120 It's on the western side of the island. We looked 135 00:06:44.120 --> 00:06:47.720 out and there was several hundred yards of ice was gone. 136 00:06:48.519 --> 00:06:51.759 It wasn't even windy. It was a breeze, but nothing 137 00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:54.720 to write home about it. Just the current had made 138 00:06:54.800 --> 00:06:56.439 up its mind. It started to move and it took 139 00:06:56.480 --> 00:06:58.639 some of the ice with us. It was just gone. 140 00:07:00.120 --> 00:07:02.759 Imagine that we stayed in in that tavern having a 141 00:07:02.800 --> 00:07:04.879 beer till after dark and then just headed across and 142 00:07:04.879 --> 00:07:08.519 we hadn't been giving the heads up. You often override 143 00:07:08.519 --> 00:07:10.360 your headlights on a snowmobill. You know what I mean. 144 00:07:10.360 --> 00:07:13.480 You're going faster than the headlights can see, and we 145 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:15.720 very well likely could have ended up in the drink. 146 00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:17.399 That was the last crossing at the mac of the 147 00:07:17.399 --> 00:07:20.360 ice bridge that year. It was gone. I wouldn't say 148 00:07:20.360 --> 00:07:22.360 it blew out. It just broke up and moved out. 149 00:07:23.720 --> 00:07:26.279 Is that a once in a lifetime story. Oh hell no. 150 00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:28.759 There's lots of them, and lots of the people here 151 00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:31.720 have those stories. Another good one I like to tell 152 00:07:31.800 --> 00:07:33.600 is and all these are going to be in the book, 153 00:07:33.639 --> 00:07:37.439 by the way, But a group of Stonemasons from Sinnaganas 154 00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:40.759 Windenburg Mason r Earin Windberg owns it now. They'd headed 155 00:07:40.759 --> 00:07:43.560 across headed back I don't know, two o'clock in the afternoon, 156 00:07:44.439 --> 00:07:47.160 a squall, really heavy like effects squall had come up, 157 00:07:47.399 --> 00:07:49.079 and they're just going to follow the trees and take 158 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:51.680 it easy to get back to Saint Agnas. These guys 159 00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:53.800 have a lot of experience. Windberg has been in business, 160 00:07:53.879 --> 00:07:55.839 I don't know, twenty five years, and before that he 161 00:07:55.920 --> 00:07:59.199 worked for his dad for thirty years. You know, he's 162 00:07:59.240 --> 00:08:04.240 crossed the ice thousand times, probably from Saint Agnes. Somehow 163 00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:06.920 Windberg and his group of guys lost the trail. It 164 00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:09.720 happens when it's white out. You can't see it happens. 165 00:08:09.759 --> 00:08:12.639 They lost the trail, they pressed on, they saw some 166 00:08:12.720 --> 00:08:15.399 trees come through the you know, they saw the shore 167 00:08:15.560 --> 00:08:17.839 come through the snow. Oh, thank god, we made it. 168 00:08:17.839 --> 00:08:19.279 They thought they were up in the northern part of 169 00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:22.720 Saint Agnes called Evergreen Shores. And fact what they'd done 170 00:08:22.839 --> 00:08:25.279 is they, unbeknownst to them, made a huge U turn 171 00:08:25.680 --> 00:08:28.519 and it landed out by Devil's Kitchen, which is about 172 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:30.839 two miles to the south where they left the island from. 173 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:34.960 They were thankful, and I mean thankful to be alive. 174 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:37.559 They didn't even go home that night. They went and 175 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:39.960 got hotel rooms at the Pontiac and they stay ended 176 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:44.240 up spend on the weekend. A last close call. I'm 177 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:46.399 going to tell you it wasn't a close call. It 178 00:08:46.679 --> 00:08:50.960 resulted in the death childhood friend of mine named Bobby 179 00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:55.639 Roach stopped in the village in about six thirty, had 180 00:08:55.639 --> 00:08:57.320 his dinner and told everybody who was going to head 181 00:08:57.320 --> 00:08:59.519 to Saint Agnes, no big deal. People were crossing back 182 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:03.919 and forth routinely, and near as we can tell, he 183 00:09:03.960 --> 00:09:06.559 got caught in the squall and got off the trail, 184 00:09:06.840 --> 00:09:09.759 and he has not been recovered and that was a 185 00:09:09.799 --> 00:09:14.240 real painful one to take. And unfortunately it's not the 186 00:09:14.279 --> 00:09:17.799 only time that's happened. Another one of my childhood friends 187 00:09:17.879 --> 00:09:19.639 was lost just a couple of years prior to that. 188 00:09:20.200 --> 00:09:23.679 He ended up going in the channel and was lost. 189 00:09:23.840 --> 00:09:25.799 And so when I tell you these things that that's 190 00:09:25.799 --> 00:09:28.279 not a safe place to be out there, it grinds 191 00:09:28.320 --> 00:09:31.080 my gears. When people say things like, oh, it's not 192 00:09:31.200 --> 00:09:33.159 my bucket list, Oh, I've always wanted to do it. 193 00:09:33.600 --> 00:09:38.120 To me, that sounds so stupid. That sounds like someone saying, 194 00:09:38.120 --> 00:09:40.080 you know what, I've always wanted to walk down Woodward 195 00:09:40.120 --> 00:09:42.279 in Detroit from six mile to seven mile, or walk 196 00:09:42.360 --> 00:09:44.720 up it from six mile to seven mile, and someone 197 00:09:44.759 --> 00:09:47.480 from Detroit saying, are you crazy? It's it's not safe. 198 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:49.840 And you say, well, I saw it on the internet. 199 00:09:49.879 --> 00:09:51.720 This person did it, and my buddies did it three 200 00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:53.919 years ago and they said it was fine. Blah blah blah. 201 00:09:54.039 --> 00:09:56.279 You might be able to walk up Woodward one hundred 202 00:09:56.360 --> 00:09:58.759 times between six mile and seven mile or seven mile 203 00:09:58.759 --> 00:10:01.559 and eight mile nothing happened to you, and on a 204 00:10:01.639 --> 00:10:04.519 hundred and first time that might be lights out. But 205 00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:07.519 my question is that the residents of Detroit told you 206 00:10:07.519 --> 00:10:10.240 don't go there after dark? Would you tell then, well, 207 00:10:10.279 --> 00:10:12.639 I saw it on TikTok, I saw it on Facebook. 208 00:10:13.279 --> 00:10:15.200 You listen to him and say, maybe I shouldn't be 209 00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:20.519 out there playing, And unfortunately, due to social media, that's 210 00:10:20.519 --> 00:10:25.200 not what we're getting. And the influx of tourists crossing 211 00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:28.399 the ice has just been mind boggling. When I grew up, 212 00:10:28.600 --> 00:10:30.960 it never happened. The ice is there just for the 213 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:34.159 Islanders to get back and forth, get vital supplies, make 214 00:10:34.200 --> 00:10:39.799 doctor's appointments, and do so without cost. And now a 215 00:10:39.799 --> 00:10:41.519 lot of it was due to a film that was made, 216 00:10:41.519 --> 00:10:43.879 which I'll say the film was very nicely done, but 217 00:10:43.960 --> 00:10:49.559 it didn't emphasize nearly enough how dangerous that that thing 218 00:10:49.679 --> 00:10:53.279 is out there. And just yesterday a guy stopped me. 219 00:10:53.559 --> 00:10:55.159 Hugh Rabbits has a lot of time, He's had a 220 00:10:55.200 --> 00:10:57.639 lot of close calls out there, and he said, you know, 221 00:10:57.679 --> 00:10:59.039 I want to thank you for what you said the 222 00:10:59.039 --> 00:11:01.840 other day about the ice. And he said, the only 223 00:11:01.879 --> 00:11:03.919 thing is you were wrong. You said it changes by 224 00:11:03.960 --> 00:11:06.840 the hour, It changes by the minute. And he's right. 225 00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:12.240 Conditions can change so fast out there, and yet all 226 00:11:12.279 --> 00:11:15.159 we're left dealing with is well, my friend said, all 227 00:11:15.519 --> 00:11:18.279 I read and so and so on. I'm telling you 228 00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:22.679 it just doesn't work that way. And you know the 229 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:26.559 misinformation being spewed about all well, the fire department checks it. 230 00:11:26.600 --> 00:11:29.000 And here's my favorite one. But the trees are up, 231 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:32.519 it's safe. So let me tell you about the trees again. 232 00:11:32.639 --> 00:11:36.759 No authority puts those trees up. Those trees are used 233 00:11:36.759 --> 00:11:39.639 to mark the way for the guys who did the 234 00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:41.840 initial crossing to get over and back. That is not 235 00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:45.000 set up for everyone just to use as their guideline. 236 00:11:45.480 --> 00:11:48.639 It doesn't mean anything. And what I mean by that 237 00:11:48.759 --> 00:11:52.159 is when the ice goes to heck, like for instance, 238 00:11:52.200 --> 00:11:54.320 had day Smike called me and said, there's you know, 239 00:11:54.360 --> 00:11:57.000 it's breaking up. Nobody went out there and took the 240 00:11:57.039 --> 00:12:00.279 trees down. And if a big hole opens up in 241 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:02.720 the center, nobody goes out there and takes those trees down. 242 00:12:03.080 --> 00:12:06.600 So if you're driving up from Lavonia, Michigan, and you 243 00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:08.720 had your snowmobiles with you, and you get up coming 244 00:12:08.799 --> 00:12:10.600 up over the bridge, and by god, you see those 245 00:12:10.600 --> 00:12:13.360 trees out there marking that trail. Trees are up, must 246 00:12:13.399 --> 00:12:17.759 be safe, right, Nobody told you that a big hole 247 00:12:17.799 --> 00:12:20.159 opened last night, because nobody goes out there to deal 248 00:12:20.200 --> 00:12:23.279 with those trees because it's too dangerous. We have our 249 00:12:23.320 --> 00:12:26.600 own codes. We do certain things with trees. Three across 250 00:12:26.600 --> 00:12:29.440 the trail means it's no good. And we talked to 251 00:12:29.480 --> 00:12:34.440 each other, but nobody, nobody promotes that. And speaking of which, 252 00:12:34.639 --> 00:12:38.159 I'll tell you another story. Travis Bartanian was running the 253 00:12:39.320 --> 00:12:42.120 village in when the Grand Hotel had it, and a 254 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:43.919 family would come in, a man and a woman and 255 00:12:43.960 --> 00:12:48.200 two children about eight and nine years old. And he said, oh, 256 00:12:48.240 --> 00:12:50.360 did you come across the ice to have dinner? And 257 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:52.679 he said, yeah, we didn't follow any trees though, we 258 00:12:52.759 --> 00:12:55.879 just shot right over from Macina City. And Travis said 259 00:12:56.000 --> 00:12:59.639 what he said, Yeah, we came from Macina City. Nobody 260 00:12:59.639 --> 00:13:02.279 comes from Macino City. That's not where people cross the ice. 261 00:13:02.960 --> 00:13:06.600 The reason why is the shipping channel is open, folks. 262 00:13:06.679 --> 00:13:10.000 The salt bound freighters and the coal freighters they still 263 00:13:10.120 --> 00:13:11.759 run in the winter. They don't go through the seux 264 00:13:11.799 --> 00:13:14.559 locks because those are clothes. But the runs from Detroit 265 00:13:14.600 --> 00:13:18.240 to Chicago and various ports, the salties as we call them, 266 00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:21.080 they're still running. And what had happened is those people 267 00:13:21.080 --> 00:13:23.840 didn't know any better. They just saw stuff on Facebook 268 00:13:23.879 --> 00:13:26.039 and they heard from their friends. They jumped in their stowbills. 269 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:29.200 They traveled here from Mackinaw City to the island, they 270 00:13:29.240 --> 00:13:32.440 had dinner, they were gonna leave after dark and head back. 271 00:13:34.039 --> 00:13:36.919 Thank god Travis engaged them, because what they didn't know 272 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:39.759 is while they were eating, a freighter gone through and 273 00:13:39.799 --> 00:13:43.000 reopened up that channel. That whole family of floor would 274 00:13:43.039 --> 00:13:44.240 have gone in the drink, and that would have been 275 00:13:44.320 --> 00:13:46.320 the end of them. That would have been it. Nobody 276 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:47.840 would have even have known where to look for him. 277 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:51.559 And so folks ask, you know, why are you so 278 00:13:51.720 --> 00:13:54.759 passionate about this and stuff is they don't understand. I 279 00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:57.919 have skin in this game. I'm the fire chief. I 280 00:13:57.960 --> 00:14:00.720 was a firefighter first for twenty seven years before it 281 00:14:00.720 --> 00:14:03.360 became the chief. I've got skim in this game because 282 00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:05.440 me and my lifelong buddies are the ones that have 283 00:14:05.519 --> 00:14:08.320 to go out there and enact life saving measures when 284 00:14:08.360 --> 00:14:11.240 you do something silly, or you do something stupid, or 285 00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:15.519 you listen to some social media post by someone who 286 00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:18.039 doesn't know what they're talking about telling you how you 287 00:14:18.080 --> 00:14:21.759 can and how you go out there. And you know, 288 00:14:21.840 --> 00:14:24.080 one of my college buddies, I was talking to him 289 00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:26.200 the other day, and he's an attorney. He said, I 290 00:14:26.200 --> 00:14:27.759 would just tell people you're not going out there to 291 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:31.480 save him anymore. And I said, you know, it's not 292 00:14:31.600 --> 00:14:33.679 like that. We don't have the luxury when a run 293 00:14:33.720 --> 00:14:36.000 comes in to say is this a tourist or is 294 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:39.159 this a local? It doesn't work that way. We took 295 00:14:39.159 --> 00:14:42.080 an oath to protect and defend and do all we can. 296 00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:45.960 And while I would like to say, if you're dumb 297 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:49.720 enough to watch something on TikTok or social media or 298 00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:52.240 a vine or whatever the hell those are called, and 299 00:14:52.320 --> 00:14:54.399 put your family in jeopardy and jump on a snowbill 300 00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:56.200 and cross three and a half to four miles of 301 00:14:56.200 --> 00:14:59.039 ice that you haven't even checked, then yeah, I don't 302 00:14:59.039 --> 00:15:00.919 think I should have to go out there. But that's 303 00:15:00.960 --> 00:15:02.879 not the way it works. We do what we do, 304 00:15:02.960 --> 00:15:07.000 and we always do so, as you can tell, there's 305 00:15:07.039 --> 00:15:09.480 a little there's a little passion in my voice today 306 00:15:10.399 --> 00:15:13.600 because this is getting out of control. On Friday, the 307 00:15:13.639 --> 00:15:16.200 Detroit Free Press ran an article that said the shipping 308 00:15:16.279 --> 00:15:19.399 lane has been closed, You're free to head across the ice. 309 00:15:19.679 --> 00:15:21.600 I couldn't believe it. I was reading it, and I 310 00:15:21.639 --> 00:15:25.240 couldn't believe it. Now is the shipping lane closed? Absolutely 311 00:15:25.320 --> 00:15:28.480 every year. Every year the Coastguard closes the shipping waters. 312 00:15:28.759 --> 00:15:31.840 And all that means is no freighters or cutters or 313 00:15:31.840 --> 00:15:34.799 anything like that, or fairies can go in the area 314 00:15:34.879 --> 00:15:38.840 between Saint Agnes and Macken Island. That doesn't mean anything 315 00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:42.200 about the ice or its thickness. But someone saw that 316 00:15:42.240 --> 00:15:46.080 press release and they decided to write an article and anymore, 317 00:15:46.120 --> 00:15:48.320 I'm sorry, I'm digging on the press a little bit. 318 00:15:48.360 --> 00:15:51.120 They're aren't journalists anymore. There's people who I swear to God, 319 00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:54.200 they peruse Facebook and they write articles around it. They 320 00:15:54.279 --> 00:15:56.240 see something on Facebook and they write an article to 321 00:15:56.279 --> 00:15:59.799 match without doing any fact checking. And so the article said, 322 00:16:00.120 --> 00:16:02.440 and I posted it on my page with a big 323 00:16:02.600 --> 00:16:04.919 SMH next to it, and that said, you know, the 324 00:16:04.960 --> 00:16:06.919 Coastguard has closed the water, so you can head out 325 00:16:06.919 --> 00:16:09.080 to mc and Island this weekend on foot, our snowmobile 326 00:16:09.159 --> 00:16:13.279 or something that extent. And I emailed the reporter immediately 327 00:16:13.320 --> 00:16:15.399 and I said, you need to take that down or 328 00:16:15.679 --> 00:16:19.279 edit it because you're going to get somebody killed. And 329 00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:22.320 I told that reporter that there is currently a mile 330 00:16:22.360 --> 00:16:26.200 of open water separating mac And Island from Saint Agnas. 331 00:16:26.360 --> 00:16:28.480 There's ice in Stagnas, there's ice by down there's a 332 00:16:28.519 --> 00:16:31.039 mile of open water, and you're telling people they can 333 00:16:31.120 --> 00:16:34.480 just head out there. So this is the stuff I'm 334 00:16:34.519 --> 00:16:38.240 faced with, folks, And I'm passionate because I, for one, 335 00:16:38.440 --> 00:16:40.960 know how it feels to lose a friend out there 336 00:16:41.440 --> 00:16:44.159 in that ice, and it feels awful, and I don't 337 00:16:44.159 --> 00:16:45.759 want anyone else to have to feel that. I don't 338 00:16:45.759 --> 00:16:47.639 want the families here to ever go through that. Again, 339 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:50.360 I don't know any of the tourists that are coming here, 340 00:16:50.559 --> 00:16:52.320 but I don't want their families to go through that. 341 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:56.240 So I've been there, and you may be asking, you know, 342 00:16:56.360 --> 00:16:58.759 why is this Why is this episode called the Ice 343 00:16:58.799 --> 00:17:03.799 Bridge and the Bully? Well, when I try to correct 344 00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:07.720 these folks that are giving misinformation, they say that I'm 345 00:17:07.720 --> 00:17:10.440 bullying them, and you know, they want me to sit 346 00:17:10.480 --> 00:17:12.799 for an interview and tell them everything, and it's it's 347 00:17:12.839 --> 00:17:16.559 not like that. And so I'm hopeful you glean something 348 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:21.279 from this podcast. You know, I'm not going to be 349 00:17:21.319 --> 00:17:23.559 all doom and gloom. Are there are there days when 350 00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:27.240 the ice is run all day without incident? Sure? Is 351 00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:29.359 there ever a day where I take it for granted, 352 00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:34.160 absolutely not. And you know, to watch someone pull a 353 00:17:34.319 --> 00:17:35.920 you know, to be in said Agnus and see someone 354 00:17:35.960 --> 00:17:37.759 pull a SNOWEBI a lot of a trailer that they 355 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:40.680 drove up here four hours and then put their children 356 00:17:40.720 --> 00:17:43.200 on the back of that snowbill then head across this ice. 357 00:17:43.799 --> 00:17:46.240 It sometimes covers up to two hundred feet of water, 358 00:17:46.920 --> 00:17:50.319 two hundred feet deep of water. I just shake my 359 00:17:50.359 --> 00:17:53.119 head and then say, you were you were asking, you 360 00:17:53.359 --> 00:17:55.880 were doing the same thing if that was me taking 361 00:17:55.920 --> 00:17:59.640 my kids down to go down Woodward between seven mile 362 00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:02.160 and eight just because I could, because it's a bucket 363 00:18:02.200 --> 00:18:05.559 list I always wanted to do it. You know, there's 364 00:18:05.640 --> 00:18:07.880 a lot of things that maybe bucket list. But you've 365 00:18:07.920 --> 00:18:10.240 got to know you're taking your life in your own hands, 366 00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:14.319 and more importantly to me and to my two daughters 367 00:18:14.319 --> 00:18:16.279 and my wife, you're going to be putting my life 368 00:18:16.319 --> 00:18:20.160 in jeopardy. And God knows I'm there to help. I 369 00:18:20.200 --> 00:18:23.480 truly am. But I don't think it's my position to 370 00:18:23.599 --> 00:18:25.880 risk my life because you did something dumb by not 371 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:29.720 check facts or listen to something. By people who don't 372 00:18:29.720 --> 00:18:33.000 have any idea what they're talking to. Does this leave 373 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:36.039 a problem of well, how are we supposed to know? Yeah, 374 00:18:36.079 --> 00:18:39.000 it does. It does. The locals know. The locals tell 375 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:41.599 each other what's going on out there. We don't go 376 00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:44.920 on broadcast ice conditions just because of the stories. I 377 00:18:44.960 --> 00:18:49.279 told you. Change is too fast and there's no way 378 00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:52.200 you know it's scared. The reason we did a blackout 379 00:18:52.279 --> 00:18:55.440 on my Facebook page about it is people tend to 380 00:18:55.519 --> 00:18:59.119 hit the share button weeks later, days later, sometimes a 381 00:18:59.160 --> 00:19:03.000 year later, will be reshared, and folks reading that tend 382 00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:05.640 not to look at the date and the time. And 383 00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:07.839 so if we were to post a picture of people 384 00:19:07.920 --> 00:19:11.359 cruising across the ice, and you didn't bother to look 385 00:19:11.400 --> 00:19:13.680 at the date and realize that that was a month ago, 386 00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:15.720 or that was three weeks ago, or read all the 387 00:19:15.759 --> 00:19:17.759 comments saying, hey, you know that ice has moved since 388 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:22.240 you're gonna get yourself in trouble. And you know, I 389 00:19:22.359 --> 00:19:25.960 know many of you listening may have extensive snowmobile experience, 390 00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:28.640 and you may have been ice fishing your whole life, 391 00:19:28.799 --> 00:19:31.960 and I'm going to tell you it doesn't matter. The 392 00:19:32.039 --> 00:19:35.039 Big Lake is indiscriminate and doesn't care who you are 393 00:19:35.160 --> 00:19:36.920 or what you know. When it's ready, for that ice 394 00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:39.400 to break up. It can break up. You know. I've 395 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:42.759 been out there foraging my way across with a needle bar, 396 00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:44.720 a spud, a big piece of steel, checking the ice 397 00:19:44.759 --> 00:19:49.160 to get across, and we often check the current. And 398 00:19:50.160 --> 00:19:51.920 you know, the way to do that is you push 399 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:53.759 them snow into the hole you just chopped and you 400 00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:57.200 see how fast and which direction it goes under the ice. 401 00:19:57.559 --> 00:20:01.240