Crayons

"Crayon." It's a term we locals use for the tourists who cross the ice, sometimes just assuming it's safe because they saw a video on YouTube, in droves once word gets out that the Straits have frozen over.  Often their colorful, branded gear matches their snowmobile - hence the name "Crayon." You can usually spot the locals by our mismatched, non-snowmobile specific gear, and our scratched up helmets. Hauling kids or supplies in a sled behind the machine? Definitely a local. Our snowmobiles are like our cars - we use them on a daily basis to get to and from work, to take kids to school, and haul trash out to the dump. Crayons often have special gear they only use for recreational snowmobiling. 

When I say "droves," I mean it. This was the pool table at the Mustang during lunch today. (We had a half day of school so a fellow teacher and I went out for lunch.)  This was Astor St, looking up the street from the Mustang door,

and this was looking down the street in the other direction. 

I do not mean to insult them! I promise I explained the lovely folks in the first picture why I wanted to photograph them. (I did have to explain that it was for a blog and not TikToc.) Tourists are great for business, but they do make getting a table as a local a bit challenging.