Our first stop this morning was at the Soo Locks Visitors Center. Much to our disappointment, no ships were scheduled to come through the locks for several hours. After lunch at the Goetz Lockview Restaurant (everything has either Soo or Lock in its name around Sault Ste Marie), we headed to the Soo Lock Boat Tours for a two hour ride through the locks and several miles of the Saint Mary’s River. Only two of the four locks are presently being used. A new super lock is planned to replace the two smaller locks and preliminary work has started. The completion date for this project is about 10 years away. Cheryl and I plan to ride through it when it is finished.
The gates on the two locks pictured hold back 21 feet of water. This is the difference between the elevation of Lake Superior and Lake Huron. We traveled through the lock on the left. Note the freighter in the right lock. It is 1004 feet long and 105 feet wide. It is traveling downstream and is being lowered while in the lock.
Several bridges span the Soo Locks. The black bridge on the left is a swinging bridge for the Canadian National Railroad. It is a two piece bridge that swings to each side when open and locks together in the middle when closed. The black bridge on the right is a lift bridge that is also part of the same CNR track. These bridges close and lower 2-3 times a day to let trains pass between the US and Canada. The white bridge in the background is the International Bridge for vehicles that connects the US and Canada.
Algoma Steel is located in Ontario and it the producer of rolled steel and plate steel made to customer specs. This is one of the largest employers in the area.
The gold building in the photo is the civic center of Sault Ste Marie, Ontario and is located on the banks of the Saint Mary’s River.
This is the home of Charles Ermatinger (a fur trader who worked in the Mississippi region for the North West Company in the late 1700’s), and is the oldest home west of Toronto. It was built in 1812 and was the only house left standing after the Americans attacked and burned all the British homes in Sault Ste Marie Ontario (1814).
Our sign of the day is from the Voyageur Cookhouse in Batchawana Bay, ON. As you can see in the background, the trees in Canada are starting to show their fall color. Time to sit back and enjoy it!
P.S. The food was great!!!!!
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