The sun had set by the time Cam and Mr. Magee had pulled off the freeway and onto M-115, the two lane state highway that would take them to Traverse City. They had entered Clare County, billed by the state’s tourist bureau as The Gateway to the North. Cam smiled as he pulled into a gas station just off the exit ramp. He could almost imagine the feel of the cool northern air. So he was mildly surprised when he got out of the car to find the air was still oppressively warm, and the humidity, if anything, had increased.
“Oh well,” he said to Mr. Magee, “we did just pass The Gateway. We’re barely in the North Country. It’ll get better. I’m gonna fill up and piss, then I’ll take you for a walk.”
Mr. Magee’s tail thumped the seat.
Those things accomplished, the pair drove out onto the highway
