A bit grey and drizzly this morning but by the time we get
on the road it has mostly cleared. Just
13 miles to the east we get to Sault Ste Marie and chose a site at the Kewadin
Casino RV Park. For $20 a night we get
30 amp, bathrooms with a free washer and dryer and a very short work over to
the casino with buffet restaurant, café and entertainment. Plus they have a free shuttle which will take
us into town, so we can do the Soo Locks Boat Tour. We elected to not park too close to the 34
foot motorhome with the two Great Danes in the front seats!
Before the tour we had a look around the Valley Camp, a
retired ore carrier and now a floating museum.
This ship logged over 3 million miles in it’s life.
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| Valley Camp Museum |
We catch the 1.40 pm Soo Lock Tour sailing, just missing the
1pm but it worked out well as we were front row of the grid for embarkation so
got the prime top, front left seats.
Just across the channel (St Marys River) is Canada. We are so close!
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| Aulte Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada across St Marys River |
The two hour tour takes us through an upbound USA lock (one
of four) from Lake Huron to Lake Superior, a height difference of 21 feet, we
cruise under the International Highway Bridge (SH 75) which takes traffic to
and from Canada and along historic waterfronts of both Canada and US. On the way back the downbound Canadian lock
drops dramatically fast, back to the level of Lake Huron. We see three hydro-electric plants and a
steel mill as well as a close up look at some freighters as they go about their
business. It was an interesting tour,
especially the locks - the first time I had been in one!
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| Cleveland Electric Hydro Plant circa 1902 |
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| Diesel Boat Nokomis |
There were two rail bridges which swing out of the way when
the locks are being used, but they are used by rail at least four times a day.
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| Lock opening, international bridge in distance |
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| Lock opening |
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| International bridge (under repair) and swing rail bridge |
The traffic crossing the International Bridge was at a
standstill for some time and then barely moving. There were quite a few fast speedboats being
towed. Obviously the hold up is due to
the customs/immigration stations at each end of the bridge.
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| We were actually in Canada |
After disembarking we take a walk downtown Sault Ste Marie,
there is a sidewalk market happening today, a preliminary to the weekend’s
festivities which also include a car show and apparently boat racing on the
water. Monday is Canada’s Civic Holiday
and as it is just across the channel the Americans want to celebrate it too.
We noticed earlier that Friday night is the Prime Rib Buffet
at the Casino - guess where Kim wants to eat tonight? So that’s what we do. Enjoyed a fabulous feed of succulent roast
beef with all the trimmings and even managed cherry pie for dessert. Hung out at the casino for a while and then
they set up the live music to start at 9pm.
It wasn’t that great and we bailed soon after.
There is a group of Harley riders staying here, hope they
don’t start off too early in the morning, that many bikes will make a lot of
noise!
If we were here last week Kim could have enjoyed Englebert
Humperdink’s concert here. Is he even
still alive? They have monthly headliner acts here in their 1,500 seat
DreamMakers Theatre, but not this weekend : (.
By the time we get back to the RV park even more incoming
have set up, but with 75 sites, there is still room. We also get to enjoy the facilities of the
hotel, pool, spa, sauna etc. Not sure
how we can fit it all in, during the time we have available.
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