Aztec Treasure
Upper Peninsula

Maria (Meztli) Skollson’s POV

Bay Mills Resort and Casino

I felt better when I woke up, and ditched the wheelchair after breakfast. The first I found out about the schedule change was when I asked about checkout, and Chase said we were all staying another night. “A few of us planned a run that will allow us to escort Lana and Laura to the airport,” he said. “We added a run along the southern part of the Upper Peninsula afterwards.”

Our group got on the road at nine, heading back east. Most of the party with carry permits was now armed, so a smaller group had departed earlier to go into Canada to retrieve our people. We waited near I-75 until they were through Customs.

We formed up our column again after our people crossed back over, and headed south to the Mackinaw County Airport. A few vehicles split off to escort Lance to the Harley-Davidson dealer across the bridge in Mackinaw City. Why only vehicles? The Mackinaw Bridge was several miles long, and used a lot of metal grating which wasn’t fun to ride on, plus the winds could be gusty and dangerous. Lance was going to put his Harley on the trailer and drive it back over before he’d get back on.

I said goodbye to Possum as they loaded up the patients into the jet. It was a little painful getting onto Lance’s bike, but once I was in place with my arms around him, I felt better. We rolled out of there as the plane took off, then we headed south until we picked up Highway 2 West. This road ran along the northern shore of Lake Michigan, and some great scenery. We stopped in Naubinway for lunch, taking over three restaurants. They couldn’t seat us all, so we sent groups through the Top of the Lakes Snowmobile Museum across the street while we were waiting.

We picked up 123 just west of town, and followed it north and east until we got back to Whitefish Bay. From there, we headed north to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum on Whitefish Point, where I had guided tour times reserved for our group. I really liked this stop; the views were beautiful, though I wasn’t climbing up on the light tower with my bad leg! Lance did go and take pictures, as did many others.

I learned a lot at the museum, including how of the 550 major shipwrecks in Lake Superior, 200 of them were in the vicinity of Whitefish Point. I had picture of us taken next to the Edmund Fitgerald’s bell, and watched as Maritza and Lance searched the shore for agates.

We left in the late afternoon, stopping at the bottom of Whitefish Bay to visit the Point Iriquois Lighthouse. I enjoyed this stop as well, but kept comparing them to Split Rock Lighthouse back in Minnesota, and replaceing them a little tame in comparison. We got back on the road and returned to the casino with big appetites.

We had a section reserved in Sacey’s, the all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant. I felt bad for them; two hundred bikers and werewolves laid waste to the buffet like a locust plague. Our little girls, who got in free, did a little damage of their own. Maritza and the others all left with rounded bellies and tired faces; they would sleep well tonight.

Chase’s RV was surrounded by others in our group at the back of the RV park. Rori and her nannies took Maritza again, giving us a chance to have more adult time in our room. Hey, it is our honeymoon, right?

Lance was resting against the headboard and I was between his legs with my head on his chest as we rested between rounds and watched cable news. The anchor followed the ‘breaking news’ sounder with this. “The Ontario Provincial Police reported child kidnapper and suspected CIA conspiracist Richard Todd died this afternoon in the Sault Area Hospital. Authorities said he died of a high fever, the result of a werejaguar bite. Police confirmed that kidnapped one-year-old Maritza Meztli bit him in a struggle yesterday morning in the parking lot of the hospital which left three people in the hospital, one seriously injured with a gunshot wound.”

The co-anchor didn’t seem to mind. “I’d call this one getting what you deserve, Ann. His conspiracy group tried to take down Air Force One, and made money with drug cartels. We all heard how painful the First Husband’s death was, and I won’t shed a tear that Todd is gone the same way. Mess with kids, and you deserve this and more,” he opined.

A guest commentator wasn’t so positive. “What you all are missing is the dangers these were-kind present to the human race. Their animal forms are dangerous; even a nibble by a kitten is enough to kill a full-grown male. We know they’ve killed in the past, but can we trust them not to do so in the future? The safe thing for us to do is to isolate them to protect us all.”

The show’s female host rolled her eyes. “And what? Imprison them on reservations because of how they were born? Are we going to force them to sew paw prints on their clothing to warn us?” The guest didn’t know what to say to that. “As long as the only people dead are the ones that deserve it, I’m fine with what happened. If they murder someone, they can be held responsible in a court of law.”

“How do you hold a one-year-old accountable? The kid can’t even understand the charges, so how can you hold her accountable? No, the adults in the room, her parents, THEY should be held accountable for what the child does.”

The host just stared at him. “Nicholas, if she was here right now I’d throw her a party. Come back to me when it’s murder, not self-defense. After the break, a wind power project off Nantucket is blocked again by the rich and famous.”

“That was interesting,” Lance said. “He’s probably not the only one freaked out by Maritza.”

“More reason to keep her protected. Some whacko might take a shot at her and claim self-defense.” I linked the news to the rest of the Pack as I thought about what it meant. The Internet was forever, and it would show Maritza to be a killer kitty. “I’m glad Maritza isn’t old enough to understand what she did.”

“Our daughter fought like a fierce little warrior,” Lance said.

“She did,” I said. “I just wish she hadn’t had to.” We made love twice more before falling off to sleep.

The next day, we headed back out on our updated schedule. We had a nice ride along the southern shore of Lake Superior, stopping for lunch in Grand Marais, the Michigan one! We made it to the docks a Munising by four in the afternoon, where I had a special treat for everyone. We’d seen some of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore from the land side, and now we’d see it from the water. I’d chartered two boats, each capable of holding a hundred people.

Maritza loved big boats, so we dressed her and the other young ones in warm clothes with waterproof outer shells. The afternoon sun was still warm, but the breezes off the lake were freezing! We started out on the top deck in the wind, but moved inside after we got out of the harbor. The cruise was a big hit with everyone, and we took a lot of pictures of the sandstone cliffs and formations that make this such a special place. Lover’s Leap, a point with a passage underneath, and Indian Head were my favorites. Best of all, it was a social time for the Club while we watched the scenery go by. Many people stopped by to talk to us and to see our fierce little warrior, who if I didn’t hold her, was usually in Three Tequila’s lap.

We got back to the docks and headed to the hotels to check in. It was a challenge to stay in larger groups, as none of the hotels in town could take us all, and the RV parking area was down by the water. “Stay in groups of twelve,” Chase had told everyone. “Maria, your group size is twenty-plus.” I just had to laugh at that.

A bunch of Ladies decided to stay with in the RV park and get pizza delivered from a place near the docks while Lance headed out with the boys. Others hit the smaller restaurants, or got take-out food and brought it to the East Channel Brewing Company, which didn’t serve their own food. After the kids were asleep, the girls got out the wine, and the party really started. I don’t know if I’ve ever blushed as much in my LIFE! Get a bunch of Steel Ladies together with a case of wine, and you realize just how innocent and sheltered you really are.

The next morning, we were heading north for one of my favorite stops, Copper Harbor. It was a fun ride, and we arrived in the early afternoon. The RVs and some of the group set up at the Fanny Hooe Campground, on a lake a few blocks from the big lake, while others scattered into available hotel rooms. The nice thing about the lake was that it wasn’t FREEZING COLD, and Maritza and the kids got to swim and play on the small beach. No restaurant in the small town was big enough, but that didn’t matter to the Brotherhood. They sent prospects to buy all the fixings for a steak cookout, and brought out the grills to add to what the campground had.

We ate and talked and played into the night. We’d pretty much taken over the campground, and the owners didn’t mind us shifting, so a lot of us did. Maritza and I shifted, and she promptly fell asleep in Three Tequila’s lap. I couldn’t talk with the Steel Ladies in cat form, so I shifted back soon after. The wolves ran around the woods or played frisbee with their biker friends.

The prospects headed out early the next morning, returning with coffee, mountain dew, and lots of baked goods from Jamsen’s Fish Market and Bakery. We spent the day on a series of short, unhurried rides, stopping for pictures or to shop as we made our way back down the long peninsula. We wanted to take our time on this part of the trip, so we stopped for the night at Houghton. The RVs went to the city park, while the others checked in to hotels on either side of the river bridge. Dinner was, of course, at The Den. The owners were thrilled to have us there, even taking pictures of our Pack members for their wall of fame. The overflow ended up at one of the other restaurants on the street, with many ending up at Keweenaw Brewery, within walking distance of the hotel.

We were isolated from the others at the RV park, but we planned for this. We had all the RV’s parked together, with guards working shifts to keep us safe. Maritza, Brenda, and I ended up in a puppy pile in the sleeping area above the driver’s seats, with the other children snuggled into our fur.

The rest of the trip went the same way; lots of good riding, camaraderie, food, and fun. When our group pulled into Arrowhead on our last day, I felt sad it was over. The rest of the Pack was waiting and welcomed us home.

Lance pulled into Roadkill’s driveway and inside the open garage, parking next to my Harley. I left my gear in the garage as we headed to the Pack House for our welcome home dinner. The Brotherhood riders who hadn’t left us at Duluth were going to stay the night before heading back home, but Lana and Laura were both here.

What I didn’t know until we walked in was that the “closing meal” was actually a wedding reception, complete with cake and a band.

My blush could have lit up the night sky.