We had started out from Jackson, Michigan and headed our way up to
Mackinaw. By about
2 pm in the afternoon, we were approaching the Mackinac Bridge.
The Mackinac Bridge
(This section of the page is under construction)
The Mackinac Bridge is the longest
suspension bridge in the World.
The total span is 5 miles long and its length outranks
California's
Golden Gate Bridge by 968 feet.
Each main suspension cable is made
up of 12,568 separate wires.
The size of each wire is .192 inch (smaller than a pencil) are
bundled up
to the total of 24 1/2 inches in diameter.
On windy days, the center of the
span can swing far as twenty feet.
This slow swinging motion is not easily felt while on the bridge
but
can be seen from the end of the bridge.
We started at one end of the bridge. We
see two huge support towers holding two
main suspension cables. We continued traveling north over the bridge.
To our left we saw
Lake Michigan and on the right Lake Huron.
We continued heading north to the campground in Sault Ste Marie,
Michigan. This
campground is situated along St. Mary River. This River runs between
Lake Huron &
Lake Superior. One mile from the campground to the west are the Soo
Locks.
The ships are raised or lowered in these locks. The water level in
Lake Superior is
20 ft higher than St. Mary River.
The Soo
Locks
We took a boat ride through the Soo locks in
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. When we
approached the locks, the gates opens allowing the tour boat to enter
the lock. Once the
boat is in the lock, the gates closes. While we were in the lock, all
we could see are
concrete walls. We were in low water level when we entered the lock.
The gate valves
(located under the lock), opens up to let the water in from Lake
Superior side thus raising
water level in the lock. We can see the walls going down as the boat
rises with the rising water
in the lock. When the water level reaches to the same level as Lake
Superior.
Lock gate opens towards Lake Superior Side.
On one side, we saw a freighter, Roger Blough, going halfway into
the lock.
We continued touring Lake Superior side
and headed toward Algoma Steel Mill
on the Canadian Side.
Algoma Steel Mill
We cruised closer to the steel mill.
Iron ore are piled high here. Freighters brings the
iron ore and coal to the steel mill. On the left, is an electric
bucket crane which rides
along the tracks, bringing the ore to the blast furnace.
Roger Blough
858' long, 105' beam
This picture was taken about one hour before we got on the Soo
Lock boat ride.
Roger Blough was cruising on St. Mary River at about 3 MPH.
Back at the campground, we were relaxing at the shore of St. Mary river. We watched
the superfrieghters passing by. Some of these were over 1,000 ft in length. One night,
before I went to bed. I stepped outside the trailer and saw a superfreighter going by
with the lights along the railings, showing it entire length. A supply ship was at its side,
delivering supplies to the freighter. When the supply ship moves away from the freighter.
The supply ship blows its horn, then the freighter blows it horn in return.
The Antlers
Talk about a place to eat which was quite an experience. This place called, the Antlers.
It is located on Portage Avenue in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
When we stepped inside the restaurant, I could see how the place got
its name. There were stuffed animal heads hanging all over the walls, deer & elk antlers
hanging on the beams. A stuffed python snake was seen by the bar. Looks like a 16 footer.
Even the ceiling lamps were made of deer antlers.
We sat down and joined with friends who were staying in a motel in Sault Ste. Marie.
I was startled when I heard the fire alarm horn going off. I counted the number of blasts
each time it sounded. It turned out they use it as a waitress call signal to pick up orders.
A while later, loud noises erupted from the bar. A siren was screaming, bells clanging,
horns blowing and flashing lights. I don't know what's going there but sounded like fun.
The food was good.
By the way, keep your hands off those pretty waitresses. The signs says so!
Munising
The next stop is Munising, Michigan. This town is about 90 miles west of Sault Ste. Marie.
We camped in the campground and most of the campsites are in the wooded areas. This was
a nice campground as we would get back to nature. We went to the Kewadin Casino and
played a few rounds with the slot machines. I won some money in the end.
Late in the afternoon went around and saw some Christmas decorations in this small town,
Christmas, Michigan. We stopped in to say hi to Santa Claus. (just kidding!)
We parked the van off the road so we can to walk along the shore of
Lake Superior. As you look out in the horizon, all you see is water. It's like looking at the
ocean, you hear the waves gently hitting the shoreline, seagulls flying around and the
sun has started to set. I find it very relaxing.
The next day, we took a ride on a glass bottomed boat which tours
the shipwrecks in
Lake Superior. Most of these shipwrecks we saw were freighters and
were in
the depth of 20 to 25 feet. On our way to a shipwreck, we saw this
old lighthouse...
 |
Built in 1868, abandoned in 1908. It is on the endangered lighthouse
list. The above photo shows water lapping on its foundation.
The next stop is Thompson, Michigan. The campground where we stayed is situated
along the shores of Lake Michigan.
This is a very small town with a small population. The surrounding towns are small and sparse.
The nearest shopping center from Thompson, Michigan as far as I know is 30 miles away.
We walked along the shore of Lake Michigan for a total of two miles. Looking out in
the horizon, I could see a large island from the distance. We head back to the trailer and
had supper. When we finished supper, it was getting dark outside and we were sitting
by the campfire.
I took a walk out to the shore in the dark and saw a lighthouse in the distance. This
lighthouse is on Beaver Island.
Back to Mark's Home Page