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Author Topic: Sault Ste Marie and the Soo locks  (Read 2029 times)

Offline kenz

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Sault Ste Marie and the Soo locks
« on: December 01, 2014, 12:37:00 am »
Finally able to post up pics from our U.P. vacation back on Labor Day. Spent the week before the holiday up at the Soo locks, and then came down to Mackinaw City for the holiday weekend and walked the bridge. The Soo locks were pretty awesome! I've been here a few times before and always love it. Love watching the big boats glide in and out of the locks and this time got to watch them travel up and down the river right in front of the camper! Amazing how small an area can be and still drive one of these monsters through it! Had an excellent time.

Can't get to Da' UP unless you cross the bridge.



View outside my window.



At this point in front of the campground the boats have to make a 45 degree turn for the channel around sugar island. Although done with ease, as soon as they pass the rock pile the channel narrows, and there is a 7 mph down bound current. Plus on both sides of the campground is boat launches so they have to watch out for the guys in the small fishing boats buzzing all over.







Cool shot as the boat enters the channel past the island.



Passed this guy while on the Soo Locks boat tour ferry. Highly recommend this tour if your up here. Cruises up the river, through the american locks (sometimes you get to lock thru with a freighter. Awesome and nerve racking at the same time), out into Whitefish bay, back thru the Canadian locks and down river. About 2-21/2 hours worth.



Lake Superior is 25 feet higher than the St. Mary's river/Lake Huron. The locks were built at the St. Mary's rapids so shipping could travel from the lower lakes to Lake Superior. Takes roughly 10 million gallons of water to raise or lower a ship in the locks. It only takes about 20 minutes and uses no pumps. All done by mother nature. The Poe lock is the largest of the 4, and the only one the 1000 footers can fit into. The 2 outer locks are not be used at this time due to being to small. Plans are to tear them out and replace with one large lock like the Poe. There is a very nice visitor center/observation deck to view the locks. It isn't hard to figure out why they say this is the busiest lock system in the world.





Sometimes ships heading up bound will drop off mail, laundry, etc and will pick up new mail, etc on the way downbound. These seabags are waiting for the Buffalo, which was just approaching the mouth of the river.



SS Valley Camp. Museum ship. The holds are set up with all sorts of displays, and even a section dedicated to the Edmond Fitzgerald including the life rafts. You can tour the whole ship from stem to stern, bottom to top. Pretty cool.



View from the top of the Tower of History downtown. Pretty cool views up here.



Ever vigilant guard cat always on duty protecting the camp.





Went to Brimley State Park and had to take a pic of this awesome White Pine. Crazy cool tree the way it grew.





Also toured Oswalds Bear Ranch. A sanctuary for black bears. All the bears here are either orphans, trouble bears, or for one reason or another can't be reintroduced to the wild. They say they don't have problems with bears getting out, it's the wild bears trying to get in. Yep, as a bear's life goes they got it made.



Had to stop at the Antlers Bar before heading out. Just a local bar but as you can see in the pics the whole place is covered in antler mounts, stuffed animals, fish, etc. Yes even a Alaskan fur bearing trout. And if someone is having a birthday or just on a whim, the wait staff will start pulling on what must be a dozen ropes, setting off sirens, bells, whistles, etc. Fun times.



And finally back into Mackinaw for the 4 holiday. Didn't take many pics here as I've taken many and posted them already over the last few trips. I would have to say we do like the Mackinaw area. I could see me living here (during the summer anyway. To much snow in the winter). 


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Offline Smitty

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Re: Sault Ste Marie and the Soo locks
« Reply #1 on: December 01, 2014, 01:58:31 am »
Nice pictures  :up:
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Offline NickC

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Re: Sault Ste Marie and the Soo locks
« Reply #2 on: December 01, 2014, 04:01:33 am »
As always, Ken... kick ass pictures! You seem to take advantage of whats here in our state quite often! I wish i had more trips like these under my belt...

The locks are always something i thought would be cool to see! I dont know much about them but the thought of the body's of water being at different levels baffles me?! Must be cool to be there at the middle point seeing it all come together.

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Offline lilfroger

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Re: Sault Ste Marie and the Soo locks
« Reply #3 on: December 01, 2014, 01:37:55 pm »
Very cool!
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Offline Jims1dodge

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Re: Sault Ste Marie and the Soo locks
« Reply #4 on: December 01, 2014, 01:58:12 pm »
We gotta get up there when the weather is nice.
Great pics!
Was that campground big rig friendly?  65' long etc
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Offline kenz

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Re: Sault Ste Marie and the Soo locks
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2014, 02:49:45 pm »
Nick, the cool thing about the great lakes is that none of them are at the same level. The locks were built at the sight of the St. Mary's rapids. This is were the main drop is at. They dug up the rapids and made the locks. There is still about a 1/3 of the rapids still left. You can see them from the tour boat or when you cross the bridge into Canada. The locks have been there in one form or another since the 1830's or so! Even if you don't want to stay in the Soo, it's only 50 miles from Mackinaw City. A little less than a hour.

As for the comment about being able to take advantage of what' in our state... No matter where I go, anywhere in the state, I've always seen or done something that would want me to go back to that spot. Guess I'm a regular Mort Neff.  :lol:

Jim, we stayed at the Ann Osborn Campground. Maybe a mile from town. It is a city owned campground. Clean and neat, clean rest rooms, full hook ups, and awesome views! Just no pool other frilly resort kind of things. There are sights that are big rig friendly, as there was a group of bus conversions there and they had ample room. My site was small as it was on a corner, but I had room for both my truck and trailer (roughly 50-55') with a railroad tie at the back of the sight. Since no site was behind me, I could have backed the trailer over the tie and gained another 10' or so. Also many of the sights were quite large width wise. Plenty of room to park the trailer and then park the truck along side with more than enough room to stretch out. Since my full hook up site was "on the water" I paid a little more. I think it was $29 a night.  :punk:


2005 QC Dually 2wd CTD 6-spd. SRT-6, AEM Brute Force intake, Smarty Sr., D.O.F. shift knob, 5" to dual side exit 4" exhaust, Quad Scout, road kill kat, 2011 Coachmen North Ridge fifth wheel

I MAY BE OLD, BUT I GOT TO SEE ALL THE GOOD BANDS.....

 

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