Michigan-upper peninsular

[timetravelers]

When we arrived at the bridge last fall going southbound, we had to wait about a half hour while the escort vehicle brought a group of traffic across. We then got in line and were escorted at 25 mph max. All this because the wind was too strong to allow any traffic to go over unescorted.

I had to watch the steering very closely and when we got behind the top of each tower, which doesn't stick up much over the roadway, the bus veered right immediately.

[pgchin]

Morey,
Yes, driving over suspension bridges with large vehicles definitely requires a "technique", the "driver assist program / escort" is a good thing for everyone!
Me, I grew up in the North and learned to drive at 16 on them with the "ole man"...... first trip out of motor vehicles with my newly minted learners permit at 16 and 1/2 hour later I was driving on a suspension bridge! The "ole man" MUST have had nerves of steel!
As promised yesterday more pictures:

Pic 3) At the city RV park where we are staying from the roof of the bird. Notice the clouds..that was the cold front that brought the rain and cooler temps to the entire Northeast last weekend. I think that may have been David's PA. monsoon front, it was up here as well!

Pic 1) A "big boy" at SOO Locks Park in downtown Water street. It is in the "high" side of the locks being lowered to travel forward. The tourist brochure says they carry grain, ore, etc... You can tell which ones are empty or full by how they "sit" in the water by reading the "depth" lines painted in the hull.

The park is free and has a "viewing tower", but no pets. We brought the "crew" so we took turns but North of the park viewing tower is actually where the big boys enter the locks and "float down". The park viewing tower is set up so you can watch the southern ships enter and "float up" .There is a steel fence surrounding the park so I stuck the camera through the fence to get that picture of the Northern end of the park locks. You can walk the entire locks with the dogs on the street side of the park/ fence both North and South. Plenty of shade to set up a chair, watch the ships and have lunch! The bridge behind in #1 is I-75 into Canada..... Yes the downtown park it is patrolled by both Homeland security and Border patrol with the usual caveat that everyone is subject to search........etc............

Pic 2 same as pic 1, same ship except is shows you the fence and gives you a better perspective of my description and the public downtown street you can walk and what you can see in case you have dogs and want to take them. Of course you have to put up with me and my two mutts in the pic as well!!!!!

FWIW the URL of the city RV park in case you are so inclined. Open 5/15-10/15:
http://www.sault-sainte-marie.mi.us/aunecamp.htm

URL of the downtown SOO Locks park:
http://www.michigan.org/property/soo-locks/

[pgchin]

This weekend's Touring, enjoy!
1)Point Iroquios Light Station: Purpose was to guide freighters between Whitefish Bay and the St. Mary's river to the Locks. Seven miles from the Whitefish bay light station in about 535 ft of water is where the famous Edmund Fitzgerald went down and lost the entire 19 crewmen back in 1975. That Lighthouse (Whitefish bay) is still in service and is the oldest in service lighthouse in the US. In 1919 the steamship Myron went down in the famous "November storms" by this light station. The light keeper would fish the "floaters" out of the water when they came ashore and the local undertaker would pay him 19 dollars a piece! A heck of a way to earn extra cash! Named after the western NY Iroquios Indian tribe who wanted to expand their trade routes and traveled the 400 miles west by canoe to set up camp and do battle with the local Indian tribe.
2) Same Light Station view from the beach
3) Same light station but from the top of the light tower. Three sets of steps..... The background view is Canada and if you look closely you can see the windmill farm on the horizon.
4) Shot of a freighter coming from the locks and making its way to Whitefish bay. That is the famous Mission Hill's observation point about 2-3 miles east of the Iriquios Light station up a single lane twisty dirt road! The Famous Mission hill Cemetery is across from the view point with some very OLD headstones dating back a few centuries
5) A shot of a Freighter making its way north to the locks from the salon window of the bus to give you a feel of what we see every time we sit on the couch and look out the curbside in the city RV park we are staying at.
6) Double rainbow for all the rainbow lovers. I'm still chasing that crazy leprechaun to make him give up his stash of loot!

Where we went to eat Pasties for Dinner at the suggestion of Jack. They are right across the street from SOO Locks Park in downtown Sault St. Marie........they were written up as having the best "upper pasties".......they did live up to their reputation!
http://www.franksplace-saultmi.com/

[davidbrady]

Hi Pete,

That's a spectacular part of the country - thanks for the trip report. I fondly remember our excursion over the "Mighty Mac" many years ago. I was a green new-owner of our LXi and had no idea what I was in for. Ignorance is bliss!

[pgchin]

Last week's touring! My apologies for the delay, the upper peninsula has terrible internet access and I have the two largest providers! Ugh! We are out of the Sault and have a "killer view" for the next two weeks....."million dollar" views........ somewhere.........stay turned for more pics and the answer to "where's Waldo"!! The bus has a "water view" from road side to front to curb side(all windows) and we are pulled in head first like Carabelle, Fl!
1) Sunrise at the Sault RV park
2) Lower falls, Tahquamenon State park
3) Upper falls, same park
4) Upper falls, same park
5) A 500 footer entering the locks and will be floated up 20-25 feet at SOO locks park!

Yes, with all the recent rain, the falls were spectacular!!!!! The hiking path under the lower falls was flooded and closed so we had to hike on other trails. The upper falls has an on site micro brewery and food pub with AWESOME red ale and food especially the fried white fish!

[davidbrady]

More Pete, more pics please! Photography is definitely your second calling. Those are truly spectacular shots! What a slice of paradise!

[pgchin]

David,
Thanks, you really are too kind. Just messing around with a 6 year old pocket camera............. So "waldo" spent last weekend at the 36th Annual Les Cheneaux Islands Antique wooden boat show in Hessel,MI....... Fabulous event if you like to admire vessels or restoration work!!!! They even had 4 fiberglass boats including a rare "Barracuda" (pic 4) and one all Aluminum run about! Here is just a "small" sampling, I'll try and post more later but the internet service truly is terrible in the UP,.......good signal but poor connectivity...................... I'll get more up as we travel back down to civilization..........been trying to post and email ALL morning with poor results!

[pgchin]

FINALLY,
After being among the "yoopers" as a true tourist, I got 4G coverage!!!! So, the boat show had 120 entries and a racer named "Antoinette" won best of show, it was built in the mid nineteen hundreds for the mayor of Detroit to race with.
First 6 more shots from the boat show, this time some eye candy for the engine heads! yes that is a floating picnic table!
7- shot out my front window at Loonspoint RV park 4 miles from the show in Cedarville, we had a great view of the lake from our lakeside spot and watched all the wooden boats "play" in the water after and before the show all week long- where Waldo was staying
8- Freighter passing between Drummond Island and the town of De Tour on its way to the SOO locks
9- Some "fog" rolling off the lake at Detour
10- The Mac bridge from "Castle Rock", on I75 Yes we climbed it with the Dogs and they got a biscuit as a treat from the attraction owners, well, 1 climbed, but the disabled one got a Taxi Ride from me!

---

And,
at the request of David for some more pics that I am just mess'in around with the camera while being a tourista.........
11-Lighthouse and Marina in the old town section of St. Ignace. We got a couple of fish baskets to go and sat in the marina picnic tables eating lunch with the "boys" with a killer view of Mac Island
12-14 Mac bridge from the "straits" state park overlook after our picnic.......we purchased an annual state park pass for 30 bucks so we could go into any park we want.....8 bucks a time so you may want to consider that if you do the tourist thing up here. Last one was a freighter passing under the Mac, we got really lucky this trip and saw freighters EVERYWHERE!
15-17 Sunset last night at our new place, another lakeside park....stay tuned for the answer next week! hint we are on Lake superior.......
last - this am a view from the salon of the bus, I posted these to show even though we DO NOT have a lakeside spot this time, with a bus and the "high Floor", just about ANY spot has a view! Yep...... BIRDS ROCK!!!!!!!

FWIW, I usually do not do a trip report but I wanted to show the power of WAGU..... we threw this trip together in 1 day after I got the PTO done, no planning, never been here. We were just going to stay home this summer. We looked at the US weather and I told Donna, if we go SOMEWHERE, I WANT A COOLER TEMP, she said Michigan was the place to be as the Pacific Northwest was twice the fuel cost!!!! Only two places cool this year............ I casually asked a question about Michigan on WAGU, Jack kindly responded...... last minute reservations or none at all..........result "killer spontaneous unplanned vacation"!!!!!!! A big THANKS to Jack, David, and Mike and the members!!!!! This can happen to you!!!!!!! All you have to do is ask a question on WAGU!!!!!

[pgchin]

OOPS!
Forgot MY boat show favorite! As you can see this is a "twin screw" boat built during the prohibition era for the city of Detroit police department to chase after boot leggers! I thought the name was cool.... she "was a fuzz", now retired!

[mikebulriss]

(08-19-2013 13:03)pgchin Wrote:  OOPS!
Forgot MY boat show favorite! As you can see this is a "twin screw" boat built during the prohibition era for the city of Detroit police department to chase after boot leggers! I thought the name was cool.... she "was a fuzz", now retired!

Simply "Wow!" on those wood boats. Thanks for sharing the travel pics.