Photos from the drive

Our favorite store for carvings, about 50 miles North of SSM.

It's near Pancake Bay

Even on a bright day on mid-May a zipped-up jacket was a good idea near the water.

My "Car Commercial" shot

Further North

Rugged landscape.

Cars and trucks are few and far between on the way North. Of the trucks you will see most are carrying huge logs. There is (or was) a paper mill in SSM. Steel working is the main industry there.

There is no shortage of trees in Ontario.

Nor fast-flowing rivers

Nor sandy beaches

Not a soul for miles

There are usually rustic toilets (sheds) at these roadside beach entrances. Some of them ask for a few dollars for visiting-the honor system at work. There is no staff on site.

We had lunch here-our Starbucks sandwiches, chips and some cold cokes from the cooler we carry. We sat at a large picnic bench on the beach. We were about 120 miles North of SSM and it was time to turn around and head back to the hotel. Speed limits are 50 to 55 mph on silky-smooth roads. We were in no hurry anyway as the scenery along the way was pretty.

This beach was Old Woman's Bay

Sault Ste Marie, Ontario

Sault Ste Marie is not a particular pretty town. Once away from the St Mary's River and the view of the two Great Lakes you could be anywhere in the USA on those wide streets that are littered with billboards, car dealerships (mainly U.S and Japanese brands as you don't see many European cars up this way), fast food restaurants and hotels/motels.

Regardless, we have always come here for the proximity to the Locks, one of the Great Engineering wonders of the World. We have to have a bed for the night and on our first trip I chose the Algoma Water Tower Inn. I chose it as it was on the main drag (Great Northern Road) and had suites with a fireplace and an enormous bathroom with the Jacuzzi of the Gods! There's a coffee maker and a fridge and those are precious to us. The rooms are big and fully furnished and it's quiet.

There's a restaurant or two serving basic, not particularly tasty food and drinks.  There's a breakfast buffet for guests where they have toasters that the "chefs" always forget to plug in so that the bread remains virgin white and unable to melt butter. As long as there are some potatoes and bacon and drinkable coffee (marginally so) I can stop the hunger pangs for a while. There's a Starbucks in the hotel where you can get sandwiches made up and we take advantage of this for our road trips.

The people who work in the hotel are all very nice-they are Canadians! Good simple salt-of-the-Earth folks you could have a beer with. There's not a lot to do in SSM at night. There's no theater district, no entertainment hub, so it's good for having an early dinner (which you will soon forget) then up to the hotel room to light a fire (Duraflame logs) run the amazing jacuzzi, read a little then hit the sack for a nice long sleep, for tomorrow there will be a drive up the coast of Lake Superior to enjoy, on smooth traffic-free roads amidst some of Nature's finest scenery.

Here are a couple of indoor shots from the hotel-the lobby area...

We'll see the exterior later on in a video and later still in another video  we visit the room we stayed in.

We had dinner that night in Casey's Bar in the hotel. A sports bar configuration with multiple flat screen TVs showing ...well, sports I guess. It may have been Ice Hockey which the Canadians are fond of. I did go to a game once in Vancouver when the Canucks played some team from Washington DC. It was a good spectacle indeed as are all live sports events but I don't follow any team nor could care less if they all went up in a puff of smoke tomorrow. If I have a ticket and am in a packed stadium among the cheering fans then I am happy enough but don't go out seeking such adventures often-it is usually someone else's idea. I doubt if I could even stand up wearing ice skates so I admire the skills of the players. It's certainly a fast and furious game, unlike, say , soccer, where the object of the game would seem to be "not to lose" and at least draw. American Football on the other hand is-apart from being a "game of inches"- a thrilling spectacle indeed. I have been to many a game when I lived in New Jersey and had season tickets to the New York Jets back in the late 80's.

Prior to Casey's and going back to our first trip back in 2005 there was a Longhorn Steakhouse  on the premises but that is now gone. It wasn't very good anyway so none are crying. Canadians are very easy going and affable and maybe not the kind to complain about lame food, lacking in seasoning or passion in the kitchen. SSM is a culinary backwater. You probably knew it wasn't Paris, Lyon or new York City. Restaurants come and go with alarming regularity. So many get it wrong. Meats need seasoning and salt and pepper are at the top of the list. A hot pan comes next. Then the chef just has to pay attention and focus on turning out another good meal for the paying customers. I know it's not easy...but I'm hungry and willing to pay for a meal that delights the senses.

Armed with some made-to-order sandwiches from the Starbucks in the hotel we set out on a drive North along the coast of Lake Superior....(video)

Soo Locks/Two ships!

Here's video of our first visit on this trip to the locks in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan before we entered Canada and took up residence in the Algoma Watertower Inn (we have never stayed anywhere else).

If you are an unashamed Boat-Nerd (like us) then this will literally "float your boat". If not then it may be a very long video indeed.

There is in fact a site devoted to the Great Lakes ships and it's Boatnerd.com if you need more background on the vessels.

Voices off-camera are other ship lovers who stopped by at the right time. Carol is talking to them.

There will often be a lot of wind noise-note the fluttering flags!

Video......

Mackinaw Bridge, Michigan

There used to be ferry boats to take you across the choppy water from the tip of lower Michigan, across the Great Lake which bears that name, to dry land on the other side where Michigan resumes.

In 1957 that all changed with the opening of a mammoth suspension bridge which sits 200 feet above the water to allow big ships to sail under. The towers stand 552 feet above the lake so can be seen for some miles as you approach. You can wait, as we do, until you are across it and are visiting the museum on the Northern side, to take your photographs. You pass through a $4 toll at the Northern end. A small price to pay.

It handles an average of 11,000 vehicles a day, come rain or shine. Speed limit is 45 mph.

Driving North above the lake

View from the Visitors Center/Museum

Carol finds a bench to soak it all in from

A monument to the brave steelworkers who toiled for 3 and a half years (not in winter!) to build the bridge. 5 of them died on the job, 2 of whom perished on their first day at work. R.I.P

A well-earned rest for the car. I picked him up from the factory in Germany and he has been driven in Germany, France, the USA and Canada. Best car I have ever owned and will not part with him.

In the building behind are restrooms (hooray!) and many photos of the bridge under construction with a detailed written history of the achievement. The bridge is 26,000 feet  long from ramp to ramp-approximately 5 miles but much of that is taken up in gaining altitude to the center span. You are 200 feet up on a deck above the icy waters of Lake Michigan on a metal truss that is 38 feet deep. Ship's below have a guaranteed clearance of 155 feet.

We always stop here for a half hour or so to admire the bridge but we are driven North by hunger and a desire to get where we are going and that means the Soo Locks! We always stop there before going into Canada to see if any big ships are scheduled to pass through.

The drive North from the bridge is fast as the highway passes through beautiful forested countryside on smooth roads. You'll be cruising at 80 mph but watching out for large beasts crossing the road.
Another bridge will loom on the horizon and it's the International Bridge over the St Mary's River.

You don't have to pass through U.S customs on the way over to Canada so just bypass that and head down to the waterside to the right of the bridge. This will bring you to the Locks Welcome Center where there is a covered viewing platform. It's not sheltered from the wind though. In the Welcome center is an information desk and behind it a list of the ships expected to pass through. It will list their size and expected time. If there is nothing imminent you can get on with your life and maybe catch a bite to eat.

In Karl's Restaurant where the food, like most we have eaten in this part of the world, won't set your taste buds a dancing' but will allay the hunger pangs.

Back to the locks as there were some ships scheduled to pass through....

The view towards Lake Superior with the bridge in the distance.

Lake Huron in the distance.

We didn't have to wait long before the first ship approached from Lake Huron. She would be lifted 21 feet. Her lock will be drained until it reaches the Huron level, the gates will open and she will slowly glide in. The gates close and the water level will rise until she can sail out on Lake Superior.

Meanwhile another ship has approached from lake Superior so we get to see both in the Locks simultaneously ! Bonus!

The Herbert C Jackson was built in 1960 so had been working for 52 years already! She is 690 feet long and carries 25,000 tons of cargo, including coal. She has her own crane on board to use in offloading where needed. It has a jib that is 250 feet long.

She's sinking lower as the water from her dock is allowed to drain into the one next to it.

Two ships in the locks at once.

The 2nd ship is the Edgar B Speer which has been in service since 1980. She is 1,004 feet long and carries 74,000 tons of cargo. She can also unload herself.

The light was fading and there were no more ships scheduled for a few hours so it was time to move on and cross the bridge into Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, where our hotel was waiting patiently for us to arrive.

You will stop at a Canadian Customs post at the end of the bridge and show your passport and explain why you are there. To those of you who smoke American cigarettes-take them with you as you will be hard-pressed to find them among the British brands for sale in Canada.

I'll take up the story again when we are on Canadian soil....

Day 2....Off to Canada!

After a good night's sleep I was up by 7 a.m and was greeted by sunshine perfect for a long drive North.

During my previous evening's walk on deserted streets I had spotted a possible breakfast place called Heather's and once Carol was up we headed over there, maybe 5 blocks away to fuel-up for the drive.

We met the owner sweeping the sidewalk outside and  asked for a table in the window. There was just one other couple dining there at the time.

Heather's was a good choice and we had a delicious and filling breakfast.

His

and Hers

Excellent service and we would go back!

After breakfast we took a walk and some photos. The City Hall stopped and posed for some of them..

rear view

Imposing front view

Time to go back to the hotel and pack up

The DoubleTree lobby

Our suite was very roomy and the balcony was a great plus as I spent a lot of time out there with coffee from the in-room machine which used coffee-pods. The balcony however was a poor piece of concreting by local artisans as it was bubbled-up at one corner like the surface of the moon and I had to wonder why Hilton never got that rectified. 

The room was blighted by some huge plastic plants or dust-magnets and they hadn't seen a duster in a while. No plants are a better option than plastic ones.

Good bathroom and bed so we were refreshed and ready for adventure!

Lovely driving day as we headed North towards the Mackinaw Bridge. Open farmland and each time we saw the words Scenic Overlook and Toilets we pulled over for a leg stretch or some coffee.

Next....the Mighty Mackinaw Bridge!