Pullin' Chocks

Aune Osborn Campground at Sault Ste Marie, Upper Peninsula Michigan

Our first ever visit to Michigan's Upper Peninsula (UP) we landed in "Soo Saint Marie".  The campground was situated right on the Saint Marys River and a little more than a mile from the famous shipping locks where the freighter traffic makes their way to and from Lake Superior into Lake Huron and points further south in the Great Lakes.  The setting of the UP is natural and quaint, and the people are gentle yet ruggedly outdoorsy.  We can tell that the winters are cold here with plenty of snow.  Not a place we would want to be in cold weather, but many others love to ride the snow machines here as the abundant advertising suggests.

Even the pilot is tickled to be leaving the mainland and crossing onto the UP!

Driver's eye view of the toll bridge connecting the UP to the mainland of Michigan.  We crossed for $10 with our 5 axles.

We made a quick pit stop at the rest area on the north side of the bridge.  We stretched our legs with a little walk and took in some of the natural and man-made beauty.  Along the path down to the waters edge.

Steve just barely on the UP's southern shore.  That's the toll bridge behind.

The entrance to our campground.

The place filled up on the weekend.

We had a great view of the giant ships passing the campground.

One loaded ship heading south and an empty vessel heading back north for the next load.

We took a bike ride downtown to visit the Soo Locks.  There's Gari at our starting point in the campground.

But first we met a man flying an aerobatic kite.  He was Roger and was awesome with that thing.  He told us he was using a shorter line, 40 ft, and also had four control lines which both gave him greater control.  Roger is in a club that flies these things in formations of four!  We would have liked to see that!

There's Gari below on the very old Water Street.

Gari stops to observe one of the historic homes on old Water Street.  Sault Ste Marie has long been a trading way point and hub established by native peoples hundreds of years ago.  European people came later and helped to build the city today.  Roughly translated from French, Sault defines a drop, this case in water, resulting in rapids.  Sault Ste Marie in other words is the Rapids of Saint Marys (River).  This is the John Johnston house, who was an early (~1779s) Irish settler and fur trader.  Johnston established a fur trading post and was Justice of the Peace in Sault Ste Marie for many years

There's one of the hints below that it gets cold here in the winter!

Giant prop, tiny lady.

Big guy dwarfed by bigger buoys and ship.

The hydroelectric plant near downtown.  The water is clear and clean and the current extremely swift there.  There is a fish cam near the tower at the right side.

Fish Cam - you can click on the words Fish Cam and go to the camera web site.

These boats are tied just ahead of the power plant, the wake is from the strong current!

Gari at the Soo Lock Information Center

Aerial view of the locks.  US is the left side and Canada is the right side of the photo below.

Gari standing at the concrete cast plaques commemorating the US CoE Project.  Thses are actually the third set of locks that have been constructed on site and the second by the CoE.  There is scuttlebutt around town that there are planning discussion going on for a fourth project.  It is said that Detroit would run out of steel in three days if the locks were impassable.  The biggest ships now only fit in the larger lock by mere feet.

Steve on the viewing platform overlooking the smaller lock.  No ships right now.... we will be back!