June 26, 2019, Wednesday Day 38
We woke up in Canada. Had a breakfast of smoked whitefish, yogurt and fruit, Delicious. It had stopped raining and the sky held the prospect of a rare, for us on this trip, a warm and sunny day. With the permission of the very cooperative owner I drove the car to the back of the house and plugged in directly to the electrical outlet. That worked and we charged up a few miles before departing.
As usual, we got out late, this time about 10:30 and I found the way back to Sault Ste Marie USA without mishap by again crossing the International Bridge. The bridge is long, it has two suspension spans, and just two lanes. Traffic is restricted to 30 mph so one can get a nice view of the St. Marys River and its rapids and the locks below.
Unfortunately, near the end of the bridge we encountered a long line of vehicles waiting to pass through US immigration. That wait was about 20 minutes. Most of the vehicles were Canadian. I recall a time when as a US citizen you did not need a passport to cross between the US and Canada. Then we again had to pay the $4 bridge toll, the price of getting lodging in Canada.
We drive into and around US Sault Ste Marie. Lots of old buildings, virtually no new ones and weather beaten houses of varying sizes, but most well maintained. The city owes its existence to the rapids in the river. From the beginning when various Indian tribes gathered at this site, which is the wheelhouse for the upper Midwest since it is where three Great Lakes meet, to trade, to the establishment by the French of the first permanent European settlement in the upper Midwest, to the nexus of the boundary dispute between the US and Great Britain, to the establishment of the first lock by the British to facilitate the fur trade and finally to the building of ever larger locks by the US to facilitate the passage of iron ore from the mines in the then west to steel mills in the east.
The French ruled the area for 140 years. They administered a single community on both sides of the river as did the British who followed them. However following the War of 1812 during which the Americans established Fort Brady on the southern side of the river, in 1817 the US-UK Joint Boundary Commission (which I subsequently leaned through a book by an author who traversed the entire US Canadian border, continued its existence for several decades and ultimately peacefully established the US Canadian border west to the Pacific Ocean and eastward in Maine.) established the boundary as the St. Mary's River. Whereas in the past the fur traders and Indians roamed freely throughout the area, the US forbid Canadians traders, trappers and Indians from operating in the US. That disrupted trade and commerce and lead to the establishment of the Sault Ste Marie town on the Canadian side of the river.
We parked on the outskirts of downtown.The US city has been losing population for 50 years and is now down to about 13,500 residents. It is the second largest city in the UP and is the northern terminus of I-75 which runs uninterrupted down to Miami, Florida. The US city has been losing population for 50 years and is now down to about 13,500 residents. Beside the locks, the only other significant employers in town seem to be Lake Superior University and tourism.
Initially took a side trip to the Post Office to mail in my electric toothbrush rebate and then walked downtown to the Canal Park. This is maintained by Homeland Security as the locks are considered a vital national asset. The Park is fenced off and bags are checked at the entrance. We were lucky that a large, but not the largest, freighter would be passing east through the lock in a short time. We climbed up into the multi tiered viewing area along with two score of other visitors that is placed right next to the Poe lock and gazed westward looking for the ship. As it appeared in view it was moving incredibly slowly and with a tug to guide it. After a about 10 minutes it began to slide into the lock. There was less than a yard between the edge of the ship and the edge of the lock, but the captain skillfully nudged it forward until its stern had cleared the rear lock. Crew and lock staff walked alongside of the ship holding ropes that were attached to the ship in what to me at first appeared to be a ridiculous activity. How could they hold back the ship if that was needed? When the ship finally came to a halt 4 small metal like anchors were ejected from the ship that were attached to these lines and they were used to secure the ship to the deck of the lock. Then very slowly, almost imperceptibly the water level in the lock began to fall. Over the next 10 minutes the deck of the ship fell below that of the lock until the water level in the lock, initially at the level of Lake Superior, fell 21 ft.to that of Lake Huron. Then the front, east, lock was opened, the ship's engines began to churn the waters and the ship slowly began to move and slipped out of the lock. From first sight of the ship to its disappearance down the St Marys River the process took about an hour.
We then watched a tug push a crane barge into the lock where it participated in some maintenance work on the deck of the lock.
The lock system is pretty basic and while the technology has improved over the ages, these locks, the largest in the world in terms of tonnage passing through, still basically operate the same as locks have throughout history. Gravity does most of the work. There are two gates, one at each end of the lock box. Ships sail in at either the higher or lower level depending upon whether they are going upstream or downstream. The locks are then closed and pushed by gravity, the water either flows in or out thorough pipes raising or lowering the water level to the adjacent waterway. Then the gate is opened and the ship sails out. About 1000 ships pass through the locks each year (the locks are closed from January through March due to freezing weather and ice.) and although they generally do not dock there. the US Post Office maintains a marine postal station in the middle of the locks to service the passing ships. There are much smaller locks on the Canadian side that primarily service recreational vessels.
We then toured the visitor center. Among other things it has computer screens showing in real time the ships approach to and departure from the locks. The largest ships that can pass through the locks are 1,000 ft long and 105 ft wide. Ships of such size cannot pass through the Welland Canal between lakes Erie and Ontario.They are land locked and are called "lakers." Ocean going ships that pass through the canal and get to the Atlantic Ocean by the St. Lawrence Seaway are called "salties".
After getting our fill of information about the locks we exited the park area and strolled down Water Street and did some window shopping and had lunch and drinks at the 1668 Winery and Lockside Brewery. Continuing east on Portage Street we went to the Tower of History. Construction of this 210 ft tower was begun in 1968 by the Church. It was conceived as a monument to Catholic missionaries and a tourist attraction. It was supposed to be the cornerstone of a complex of buildings which were never built. The project quickly ran into financial problems and passed through several owners and is now owned by the historical society. The lower floors house a museum which has exhibits on local history, the missionaries and the local Native Americans. We declined the opportunity to pay $12 and climb the tower.
We started going back west and passed City Hall, formerly the federal building, walked along the waterfront and quickly toured the River of History and Historical Society museums. We passed a lot of bars. The Ramada Inn downtown is in an Art Deco building that was completed in 1927. It has been nicely restored and has hosted Presidents and boxing champions Joe Louis and Jack Dempsey. Not your typical Ramada.
Our last stop was a Farmers Market where we bought provisions for dinner including grass fed buffalo steaks. We had a long chat with a local couple. They are long tine residents of the area and bemoaned its decline. In their words tourism was the only game in town lead in part by a local Indian casino.
We then drove back over the International Bridge, $4 toll again back to our Airbnb in Canadian Sault Ste. Marie. The views from the bridge are magnificent and since the speed limit is 30 mph I could it all in. There is a parallel railroad bridge owned the Soo Line which is the US subsidiary of the two major Canadian railroads.
We did some more food shopping in a Canadian supermarket and then went back to the Airbnb. Cooked and ate dinner and watched the Democratic Presidential debate.
We woke up in Canada. Had a breakfast of smoked whitefish, yogurt and fruit, Delicious. It had stopped raining and the sky held the prospect of a rare, for us on this trip, a warm and sunny day. With the permission of the very cooperative owner I drove the car to the back of the house and plugged in directly to the electrical outlet. That worked and we charged up a few miles before departing.
As usual, we got out late, this time about 10:30 and I found the way back to Sault Ste Marie USA without mishap by again crossing the International Bridge. The bridge is long, it has two suspension spans, and just two lanes. Traffic is restricted to 30 mph so one can get a nice view of the St. Marys River and its rapids and the locks below.
Unfortunately, near the end of the bridge we encountered a long line of vehicles waiting to pass through US immigration. That wait was about 20 minutes. Most of the vehicles were Canadian. I recall a time when as a US citizen you did not need a passport to cross between the US and Canada. Then we again had to pay the $4 bridge toll, the price of getting lodging in Canada.
We drive into and around US Sault Ste Marie. Lots of old buildings, virtually no new ones and weather beaten houses of varying sizes, but most well maintained. The city owes its existence to the rapids in the river. From the beginning when various Indian tribes gathered at this site, which is the wheelhouse for the upper Midwest since it is where three Great Lakes meet, to trade, to the establishment by the French of the first permanent European settlement in the upper Midwest, to the nexus of the boundary dispute between the US and Great Britain, to the establishment of the first lock by the British to facilitate the fur trade and finally to the building of ever larger locks by the US to facilitate the passage of iron ore from the mines in the then west to steel mills in the east.
The French ruled the area for 140 years. They administered a single community on both sides of the river as did the British who followed them. However following the War of 1812 during which the Americans established Fort Brady on the southern side of the river, in 1817 the US-UK Joint Boundary Commission (which I subsequently leaned through a book by an author who traversed the entire US Canadian border, continued its existence for several decades and ultimately peacefully established the US Canadian border west to the Pacific Ocean and eastward in Maine.) established the boundary as the St. Mary's River. Whereas in the past the fur traders and Indians roamed freely throughout the area, the US forbid Canadians traders, trappers and Indians from operating in the US. That disrupted trade and commerce and lead to the establishment of the Sault Ste Marie town on the Canadian side of the river.
We parked on the outskirts of downtown.The US city has been losing population for 50 years and is now down to about 13,500 residents. It is the second largest city in the UP and is the northern terminus of I-75 which runs uninterrupted down to Miami, Florida. The US city has been losing population for 50 years and is now down to about 13,500 residents. Beside the locks, the only other significant employers in town seem to be Lake Superior University and tourism.
Initially took a side trip to the Post Office to mail in my electric toothbrush rebate and then walked downtown to the Canal Park. This is maintained by Homeland Security as the locks are considered a vital national asset. The Park is fenced off and bags are checked at the entrance. We were lucky that a large, but not the largest, freighter would be passing east through the lock in a short time. We climbed up into the multi tiered viewing area along with two score of other visitors that is placed right next to the Poe lock and gazed westward looking for the ship. As it appeared in view it was moving incredibly slowly and with a tug to guide it. After a about 10 minutes it began to slide into the lock. There was less than a yard between the edge of the ship and the edge of the lock, but the captain skillfully nudged it forward until its stern had cleared the rear lock. Crew and lock staff walked alongside of the ship holding ropes that were attached to the ship in what to me at first appeared to be a ridiculous activity. How could they hold back the ship if that was needed? When the ship finally came to a halt 4 small metal like anchors were ejected from the ship that were attached to these lines and they were used to secure the ship to the deck of the lock. Then very slowly, almost imperceptibly the water level in the lock began to fall. Over the next 10 minutes the deck of the ship fell below that of the lock until the water level in the lock, initially at the level of Lake Superior, fell 21 ft.to that of Lake Huron. Then the front, east, lock was opened, the ship's engines began to churn the waters and the ship slowly began to move and slipped out of the lock. From first sight of the ship to its disappearance down the St Marys River the process took about an hour.
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| Freighter entering th lock |
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| Gate opening to permit ship to exit the lock |
The lock system is pretty basic and while the technology has improved over the ages, these locks, the largest in the world in terms of tonnage passing through, still basically operate the same as locks have throughout history. Gravity does most of the work. There are two gates, one at each end of the lock box. Ships sail in at either the higher or lower level depending upon whether they are going upstream or downstream. The locks are then closed and pushed by gravity, the water either flows in or out thorough pipes raising or lowering the water level to the adjacent waterway. Then the gate is opened and the ship sails out. About 1000 ships pass through the locks each year (the locks are closed from January through March due to freezing weather and ice.) and although they generally do not dock there. the US Post Office maintains a marine postal station in the middle of the locks to service the passing ships. There are much smaller locks on the Canadian side that primarily service recreational vessels.
We then toured the visitor center. Among other things it has computer screens showing in real time the ships approach to and departure from the locks. The largest ships that can pass through the locks are 1,000 ft long and 105 ft wide. Ships of such size cannot pass through the Welland Canal between lakes Erie and Ontario.They are land locked and are called "lakers." Ocean going ships that pass through the canal and get to the Atlantic Ocean by the St. Lawrence Seaway are called "salties".
After getting our fill of information about the locks we exited the park area and strolled down Water Street and did some window shopping and had lunch and drinks at the 1668 Winery and Lockside Brewery. Continuing east on Portage Street we went to the Tower of History. Construction of this 210 ft tower was begun in 1968 by the Church. It was conceived as a monument to Catholic missionaries and a tourist attraction. It was supposed to be the cornerstone of a complex of buildings which were never built. The project quickly ran into financial problems and passed through several owners and is now owned by the historical society. The lower floors house a museum which has exhibits on local history, the missionaries and the local Native Americans. We declined the opportunity to pay $12 and climb the tower.
 |
| Tower of History |
Our last stop was a Farmers Market where we bought provisions for dinner including grass fed buffalo steaks. We had a long chat with a local couple. They are long tine residents of the area and bemoaned its decline. In their words tourism was the only game in town lead in part by a local Indian casino.
We then drove back over the International Bridge, $4 toll again back to our Airbnb in Canadian Sault Ste. Marie. The views from the bridge are magnificent and since the speed limit is 30 mph I could it all in. There is a parallel railroad bridge owned the Soo Line which is the US subsidiary of the two major Canadian railroads.
We did some more food shopping in a Canadian supermarket and then went back to the Airbnb. Cooked and ate dinner and watched the Democratic Presidential debate.
What was the name of the book to which you referred above?
ReplyDeleteNorthland, a 4000 mile journey across America's forgotten border. Author Peter Fox. We listened on audiobook as we traveled.
DeleteI like the title. It feels wild.
ReplyDelete