The SOO Locks–Sault Ste. Marie–Michigan and Ontario Canada

The Soo Locks raise and lower ships 21 feet between

Lake Michigan and Lake Superior and are located on the St Mary’s River

between Sault Ste Marie Michigan, and Sault Ste Marie Ontario

with the International Bridge spanning the St Mary’s River between the two. . .

The Canadian border crossing was the typical. . .

so. . .you’re from Texas. . .why are you here. . .

do you have guns. . where are your guns. . .don’t you travel with  guns?

hand back the passports. . .have a nice day. . .off we go!

I had researched TripAdvisor before we headed over. . .

nothing extremely captivating. . .but we did explore this boardwalk,

located at the park across the street from the mall. . .

Dave caught this fortuitous shot of the Canadian Coast Guard

with the Boardwalk and the Mall in the background. . .nice!

another thing on the TripAdvisor List. . .

my favorite thing of the day was watching this

Coast Guard Cutter go through the locks

from this observation tower at the Soo Locks Visitor Center. . .

located on the American Side of the Locks.

and being able to see this aerial view of the locks,

also at the Visitor Center. . .

the four locks on the left are the American Soo Locks

with the Original Canadian Lock, completed in 1895. . .

closed in 1987, rebuilt and reopened in 1997

 

We learned a lot in the Soo Visitor Center. . .

if you go to the locks I recommend it more than

I recommend the Boat Tour. . .

For those of you interested here’s the album

Soo Locks Visitor Center - Sault Ste Marie Michigan VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

the Soo Canal Boat Tour. . .what can I tell you?

we went in the American Lock. . .

they raised us up 21 feet to the level of Lake Superior. . .

there was a ship in the lock next to us. . .

that was interesting!

we rode around Lake Superior for a bit. . .not much to see over there

the International Border Marker

I found it interesting that some of these rolls of steel weigh 40,000 lbs,

which is approximately the same weight as our entire motorhome. . .unloaded, of course!

back through the Canadian lock,

which was rebuilt inside the frame of the original lock. . .

an original gate from 1895. . .no longer in operation

a beautiful park alongside the Canadian Lock. . .

Canadian Lock entertainment. . .

they lowered us back down 21 feet to the level of the St Mary’s River

we went back to the boat dock. . .

DONE!

 

That’s what Dave and I decided. . .one and done. . .

we are horrible tourists. . .right?

 

We thoroughly enjoyed exploring the locks in Seattle. . .

walking down along them, and reading all the signs. . .

and we enjoyed the locks on the Erie Canal in Ohio. . .

walking along them,

watching the boat traffic. . .reading the signs. . .

 

taking a boat tour through the locks. . .mmmm. . .not so much,

but if you think it’s something you would enjoy,

then by all means. . .please. . .you must. . .absolutely!

Soo Locks - Sault Ste Marie, Michigan VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

 

til next time,

Janice and Dave

Check One Off The Bucket List–Mackinac Island

What a fabulous, beautiful, air conditioned sunshine day

to tour Mackinac Island, long awaited and anticipated. . .

we chose Shepler’s only because our RV Park owner

told us that was the one they preferred. . .

a combo Ferry/Mackinac Carriage – $46 PP. . .

our view of the island from the ferry – panoramic style. . .

and of course. . .the show place – Grand Hotel

a pretty view as we pulled into the harbor. . .

our chariot. . .I highly recommend the carriage ride,

as it is a long way to several places you want to see,

and it is very steep in places. . .

there were a lot of people pushing bikes up hills. . .

after each ascent, the carriage was stopped to give the horses a breather. . .

(as cheap as I am, I paid the $10 for this pic. . .how else would I get one?  I love it!)

at Surry Hill, we changed carriages,

and went from the 20 seat, drawn by two Belgian Draft Horses,

to this 35 seat, drawn by three Belgian Draft Horses

weighing 2000 lbs each. . .we were in the third row. . .

they were high octane. . .let me tell you (smile!)

our first stop after changing carriages is Arch Rock. . .

which is located inside Mackinac Island State Park. . .

we are allowed seven minutes to see this phenomenon. . .

it is quite lovely. . .

Mackinac Island Arch Rock VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

 

while we are seeing the Arch. . .the horses are taking a break. . .

being watered and offered oats. . .

they are given three coffee cans full of oats per day,

and all the hay they can eat. . .
(Jason’s instructions as we exited, “children. . .

do not play in the puddles. . .it has not rained today. . .LOL!)

our next stop. . .if you wish to exit the carriage,

is the Governor’s Summer Residence. . .

the Governor is in residence today, and a soiree is being held. . .

there are folks everywhere. . .we choose not to exit.

the next stop. . .Fort Mackinac. . .where tours are available for an extra fee.

Mackinac Island - Fort Mackinac VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Everyone exits but us. . .we choose to return to Surrey Hill,

where we can once again change carriages and be taken to the Grand Hotel. . .

at Surrey Hill we were also give the opportunity to tour

the Grand Hotel Stables where these beautiful Hackney Horses reside. . .

the Stables also serve as a show place for several antique carriages. . .

Mackinac Island Grand Hotel Stables VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

 

and if you so choose

you may tour the Butterfly Garden for an extra fee. . .

of course the Surrey Hill Tourist shops are available

for your viewing pleasure, and a couple of snack shops

are also available. . .we browse a bit and enjoy the antiques

on display while waiting for our carriage to the Grand. . .

ah. . .here it is. . .the Pièce de résistance. . .

the GRAND HOTEL at Mackinac Island. . .

this is what I have been waiting and planning for. . .

the tour. . .$10 each to be allowed on the porch,

and inside to tour the fabulousness. . .

The Grand Hotel - Mackinac Island VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

 

BUT WAIT!. . .STOP RIGHT THERE. . .

the Governor is in residence on the island. . .

there is a Conference at the hotel. . .

The Grand is CLOSED to TOURS. . .

WHAT?  are you kidding me?

as you can imagine. . .I was NOT a happy camper. . .or tourist. . .

WHY. . .oh WHY did they not have a notice posted

at the ferry terminal where we purchased our tickets. . .

we could easily have rescheduled our day. . .

OH WELL. . .nothing to be done about it at this point. . .

so on we trudge back into town. . .

thoroughly disappointed by this turn of events. . .

perhaps some fudge will ease my heartache. . .

we choose Maple Walnut. . .it is fabulous. . .

but not really helping. . .sad. . .sad, sad, sad. . .that’s what I am!

a few more things we really enjoyed. . .

the famed phone booth located on the first nine of the golf course. . .

all the beautiful carriages, Governor’s Residence in the background. . .

The Carriages of Mackinac Island VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

 

one little tidbit we learned about the porches of the Grand. . .

the ceilings are painted sky blue to fool the birds

into thinking it’s the sky. ..

which discourages nest building. . .

is that true?  Don’t know. . .but it makes a good story. . .right?

as stated in several articles I read. . .bikes were everywhere. . .

worker wagons. . .stuff has to get places. . .

and no tour would be complete. . .PO for me. . .

Fire Trucks for Dave. . .emergency vehicles are the only motorized vehicles on the island. . .

I thoroughly enjoyed all the art, and the gardens of Mackinac. . .

and even with the disappointment, we really enjoyed our day!

Would we have enjoyed it more, had I been able to tour the Grand. . .

absolutely. . .will I return at some point to make that happen. . .absolutely!

The Art and Gardens of Mackinac Island VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

We hope you have enjoyed sharing our tour,

and will be encouraged to visit this beautiful place for yourself. . .

 

We’ll see you next time at the SOO Locks where we have a boat tour planned. . .

‘til then,

Janice and Dave

 

A FEW EXTRA THINGS. . .

some winters, an ice bridge forms across

the Straits of Mackinac, allowing you to

walk or snow mobile the five miles to the island. . .

Would I want to do it?  NO. . .

Does it seem interesting?  YES. . .

Here are some pics and references about it:

Weekend Explorer Mackinac Island

Mackinac Straits Ice Bridge

Mackinac Ice Bridge Movie

More Blog Posts about Mackinac Island

Gypies @ Heart

more by Gypsies @ Heart

Living Our Dream

a very well written blog with great pics inside the fort:
Michigan Exposures