I arrived last night in Marquette, Michigan at about 6:00 in the evening. There was snow on the ground when I landed, apparently from just that day, as Marquette has had an unseasonably warm winter this year.
Oddly, my flight out of San Jose was the only one delayed by weather– the planes needed to be de-iced, and apparently there is only one de-icing truck for the entire San Jose airport (big surprise). The delay was just about an hour, which meant most of the other passengers missed their connections in Minneapolis. I, however, met up with my oldest friend, Holly, and her new baby(!!!), who is adorable and looks just like Holly’s brother.
Arriving at the airport, I picked up my luggage and a rental car, then headed up to the hotel, which is located in Marquette. The airport is about twenty miles outside of town, and the country roads aren’t plowed at night. It was a long, slow drive, as I stuck to under thirty miles per hour all the way in.
I stayed at the hotel for dinner last night, preferring that to venturing out again into the cold and snow. The roads in Marquette are decent– not as clear as Chicago, perhaps, but in good shape, despite the snow storm.
The highlight of the trip, besides meeting all the great people I’m working with, so far was the drive from nearby Harvey into Marquette. Highway 41 runs along the Lake Superior shore here, and it curves gently to the south east. On the way to Harvey, the view is mainly farmland and forests. But on the way back, I rounded the corner and saw across the edge of the lake to Marquette, a lovely sight, with the slate blue waters of Lake Superior hitting the snow-covered beach.