And away we went! Over the next two days we planned to travel from the Porcupine Mountains to Sault St. Marie, and back over the Mackinaw Bridge, cutting through Canada into upstate, NY for a quick overnight before our last leg of the trip home. The weather has turned incredibly hot, an actual heat wave spreading across the midwest. Poor Kevin is always running – as we drive, the generator thrums, running the air conditioning.
To ease the pain of the end of our vacation, we always like to squeeze in a few more fun stops just to make it last as long as possible. On the way out of the Porcupine Mountains area, we made one ridiculous side-quest at Da Yoopers Tourist Trap, which is exactly what it sounds like… souviners, a rock shop and a lot of “The World’s Largest… (chainsaw, rifle, etc.)”. Super kitchy and great for a couple of laughs!
The six-hour drive to Sault Ste. Marie was interrupted by one planned stop at Palms Book State Park (another chance to use our Recreation Passport), in Manistique, to see Michigan’s largest natural spring, Kitch-iti-kipi, Mirror of Heaven in the Ojibwe language. Locally known as “The Big Spring,” Kitch-iti-kipi is a crystal clear freshwater spring that pumps 10,000 gallons per minute through fissures in the limestone at the bottom.
The four of us were glad to get out and stretch our legs at the park and we walked the short path down to the raft. The pool of water is a brilliant teal and the bottom a more emerald green. A cool breeze drifted off the water, providing relief from the sweltering heat. The water is a consistent 45 degrees year round. No swimming or fishing is allowed, but there are large fish that live in the lake: brown trout, lake trout, and brook trout. We boarded the large wooden raft to go out to the middle of the spring. It is on large cables and passengers aboard the raft turn a large captains wheel to move the raft along the cables. Thankfully, our raft was full of eager children all competing to spin the wheel, so we just enjoyed the cool air coming off the water and peered over the opening in the middle of the raft to get a clear view of the fish and rocks down below. A quick stop, we spent about 30-minutes at the spring before heading back on the road.
By 7:00 PM, we were set up at our next overnight stop, The Original Soo Locks Boat Tours, a Harvest Host in Sault Ste. Marie, MI. We chose a spot looking out over the St. Marys River, which connects Lake Huron and Lake Superior and is also the border between the U.S. and Canada (If you look across the river, you are looking at Sault Ste. Marie, ON – sister city). The river creates a 21-foot drop in elevation between the two bodies of water, creating rapids that make it impassible. To allow commercial freighters to navigate from one lake to the other, the Soo locks were created.
After a much needed night of sleep in air-conditioning (thanks, heat-wave), we boarded the Bide-a-Wee tour boat for a two-hour tour of the Soo locks. Although we do not pay to stay at Harvest Hosts, one of the conditions of the membership is that you support the small businesses of the hosts, and we also wanted to take a close look at the locks. It just so happened that our tour was on July 1st, which is Canada Day, so the boat was decked out in red, white, and maple leaves.
Currently, there are two working locks: Poe Lock (Canada) and McArthur Lock (U.S.A.), with a third lock being built and projected to open around 2030. The Poe Lock is significantly larger and can accommodate freighters of around 1,000 feet. The McArthur Lock is much smaller and is primarily used for smaller cargo vessels and recreational water craft – this includes jet-skis and kayaks! We started our boat tour by passing up through to Lake Superior via the Poe Lock. Vessels are tethered to the lock via a rope. When the gates at the St. Marys River end close, water is let into the lock and the vessels are raised. Then, the gates at Lake Superior open and the vessels are untethered and exit the lock. The locks are maintained and operated by the Army Corps of Engineers and there is no cost to use the locks.
As we toured the areas between the Poe and McArthur Locks, we were able to see how the area continues to develop in order to respond to the growing economic demands and keep the Great Lakes region competitive in global markets. The new locks will allow for fewer delays in passing through, which will increase the amount of goods that can pass through the region on their way to the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, the Soo Locks make their own electricity – actually, they only need 5% of what they make and the excess is sold to the local power companies.
It was a gorgeous day to be out on the water. I think Alyssa and I were both a little wary of getting on a boat your since our last boat tour in Acadia resulted in horrific seasickness, but the size of the boat and the stillness of the waters made for smooth sailing! We departed Sault Ste. Marie and began making our way toward Buffalo, NY.
Buffalo is about nine hours from Sault Ste. Marie (add 2+ hours in an RV for gassing up and just being big and slow). Our dilemma was where to spend the night. We will absolutely pull over at t truck stop or a rest area and make camp for the night, but whenever possible, we prefer a safer option, like a campground or Harvest Host. We are members of Kampgrounds of America, so a KOA is usually available. After looking at the KOAs near Buffalo, and finding no availability with full hookups, we found a Harvest Host located at the Premier Dog Sports Event Center just outside Buffalo, in Lancaster, NY. Bonus – it offered spaces with full hookups! Yes, please!!!
On the final day of our trip, we drove an easy six hours home. We detached Elizabeth and drove her, fly-covered and dusty, the 25-feet into the driveway. Tomorrow, she will get taken apart and we will assess the radiator damage (*sigh*). Back home – greeted by all the pets and feeling grateful for another eventful trip. How lucky we are to see the country from our home on wheels!
Wandering, But Not Lost 