Mother Nature nominates car for 2018 ice-bucket challenge (2 photos)

A frozen car parked outside The Galley restaurant in St. Ignace is a hot item on social media tonight.

Pictures of the ice-coated vehicle were snapped by Donna Lasley LaLonde, who works days serving up breakfast and pizzas at Java Joe's Cafe, then evenings delighting diners with The Galley's sautéed whitefish livers.

Lalonde was at The Galley Sunday night preparing the waterfront eatery for its upcoming spring opening when she noticed Lake Huron waves spilling over the breakwall into The Galley's parking lot.

Then, she noticed ice building up on an SUV parked against the breakwall. 

Lalonde snapped a photograph around 8:30 p.m.

"I wanted to show it to a friend of mine who lives in Florida," tells SooToday. "She's always sending me nice pictures from there."

When Lalonde returned to The Galley around 11 a.m. this morning, the vehicle was still there, now completely encrusted in heavy ice.

The vehicle was still there early this evening and Lalonde figures it most likely belongs to someone who works on Mackinac Island.

The Galley is handily nestled between two Star Line Mackinac Island Ferry parking lots and it's not unusual for island-bound drivers to use the parking lot behind the restaurant, she says.

Lalonde has lived more than half a century in St. Ignace and can't remember anything like this, with freezing April temperatures and strong winds gusting from the east, pushing water over the breakwall.

In a recent article, Popular Mechanics warned that ice-coated cars should never be left unattended.

"If the coolant is improperly mixed and the radiator is frozen, it will overheat and destroy your engine," the magazine said.