Great Lakes Adventure - Lake Superior

This was the last day of our Great Lakes tour and we got an early start

because we had some miles to cover.  We started the day at Sault Ste. Marie. 

We were just a bridge away from being in Canada, although we opted out
of crossing it, because we had both been to Canada before.

Instead, we went to Soo Locks, on the St. Mary's River.  A lock is 

an interesting feat of engineering and I could never really understand 

how it worked, until I saw it with my own eyes.  The Soo Locks consist

of two canals and four locks.  These locks allow vessels to safely traverse

the 21 foot drop in elevation of the St. Mary's River between Lake Superior

and Lakes Michigan and Huron.  This is an ariel view of the Locks.

The St. Marys River is the only water connection between Lake

Superior and the other Great Lakes.  Long ago the Chippewa Indians, 

who lived in the area, would carry their canoes around the rapids to reach

Lake Superior from the St. Marys River.  When the Europeans arrived

creating larger settlements with increased trading, the need for larger boats

grew.  They had to unload the boats, haul the cargo around the rapids in

wagons, and then reload alternate boats on the other side.  This took a lot

of time.  In the late 1700's a Canadian company built a lock on the Canadian

side of the river.  It was destroyed in the War of 1812.  In 1853, an American

company built locks on the U.S. side of the river.  Currently, the U.S. Army

Corps of Engineers operates the locks,  toll free to any vessel wishing to

pass through St. Marys Canal.  More than 11,000 vessels, carrying up to 

90 million tons of cargo pass through these locks every year.  So there you

have the history of Soo Locks.

Never having lived near large bodies of water, I am always amazed when

I see a cargo ship up close and personal.  These things are huge!!  We went

into the visitors center and could track the ships that were moving towards

the locks.  We only had to wait for thirty minutes to see a ship move into 

the lock from Lake Huron.  We were on the observation deck.  See how 

low the water is on the ship.

The ship comes into the lock and the lower gate is closed.  Then the 

water begins to fill up in the lock, until it is the level it needs to be, in 

order for the ship to move safely into Lake Superior.  It didn't take more

than ten minutes for the water level to rise and then the ship was ready to

move out of the lock into the lake.

The Robert Pierson is on its way to Lake Superior.   If the ship had been

coming the other direction, the water level would have been lowered instead

of raised.   Pretty interesting, huh?   Here is another little factoid that I liked.

One 1000 foot Laker cargo ship can carry as much cargo as six 100 car

trains or 2308 large trucks.  

Back on the road again, we were headed to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Lake Superior is beautiful and cold.  The shore is rocky and the water is 

crystal clear.

I have a beautiful rock collection of rocks from the Great Lakes.  

A few minutes in here and your feet begin to turn blue!  No one was swimming!

We took a beautiful hike to Sable Falls. and then followed the falls 

until they emptied into the lake.

We took another, longer hike to the Au Sable Light Station. This was a cool

hike that led us through the woods, where I saw all kinds of beautiful wildflowers.

The trail then took us onto the beach where we saw the remains of shipwrecks.

To get to the light house, the trail led us up these stairs.

Of course we had to climb to the top. This was Shannon's first time

         in a light house. 

The view was amazing.

In this picture you can see the sandstone shoals that extend a mile out

into the water in places.  

After our hike, we rode to Pictured Rocks Overlook and tried to get a look at 

the sandstone cliffs that tower 50 to 200 feet above the water.  The best way

to see them is from a boat, but we were running out of time.  

These cliffs were formed by glaciers and get their name from streaks 

of mineral stains, such as iron, manganese, limonite and copper.  

They were beautiful in the setting sun.

For dinner, we decided to try the Pasties,  pronounced past-ees. 

This is definitely a local food.

Mark remembers eating these when he was a little boy, so I had to 

try one to see what all the fuss was about.  I thought it was good, 

but very hardy.  This was food for the lumberman, who could hold 

an entire meal in one hand.

Mine was filled with ground beef, cubed potatoes, carrots, rutabagas

and chopped onions.  Wrapped in a pastry crust and baked, it was a

meal that would stick to your ribs.  Pasties are also made vegetarian 

and with fruit fillings.

Fishing and hunting are huge here, and everywhere we went there

were animals or animal heads to greet us.  This guy was in our hotel

lobby along with five or six other friends.

Another thing I learned while on this trip-  those brave folks who

live here year around are called Yoopers.  I can only imagine how 

cold it is here in the winter, but if you like to snowmobile, then I guess

this is a good place to be.

And here are a few other fun things I learned about the U.P. 

They made me smile.

In the U.P. -

* One day it is warm, the rest of the year it is cold.

* People who say, "I have half a mind to go to the U.P." have all the

     right equipment.

* If you fly a straight line from Sault Ste. Marie to Ironwood, you will see

     a lot of trees!

*The U.P. is the supplier of mosquitoes to the free world.

* There are two seasons in the U.P. - swat and shovel.

And I found out that Shannon and I are affectionately referred 

to as Fudgies, because we are tourists who bought massive amounts 

of fudge on Mackinac Island.

Well, this was the end of our Great Lakes tour.  The next day we 

would head back to Midland, driving in the rain, thankful for the 

three sunny days in a row with which we had been blessed.  The 

following day, I would head my car south and leave for home.   It

was a wonderful trip.  I'm so thankful for the opportunity to spend 

time with my dear friend and to see more of God's beautiful creations.

I am truly blessed.

* Summer Goals - Take an interesting road trip.

* MYOF Goals - #1 - Take 50 hikes.

                              #20 - Take a walk on a beach