A DAY TRIP TO SAULT ST. MARIE

Hi;

The weather is beautiful and we are not in much of a hurray so Pat expressed an interest in seeing the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie on the Canadian border, about a 50 mile drive up I-75.

The Soo Locks are located on the St. Mary River which connects Lake Superior to Lake Huron. Historically, there were rapids in the river which presented an obstacle for early voyageurs. The River drops about 20' between the two lakes. At Sault Ste. Marie an early lock system was first constructed of logs, then over time enlarged locks were built of stone and improved upon. Today, there are 4 locks with 2 large locks of 1,200' X 120' in size. The other 2 are smaller at 750' X 100'. Today's super ore carriers are just over 1,000' long and are 110' wide so these locks accommodate and allow shipping from Lake Superior to the lower lakes of Michigan, Huron & Erie. The capacity of these ships is enormous, equal to 1,400 tractor trailers, and 700 rail cars. They transport iron ore from Minnesota to steel mills along the shores of Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie along with coal, salt, and grains. Fortunately, we observed 2 of these mega-ships locking through, one upbound, one down-bound. It was quite a site to see! Plans are underway to build another 1,200' lock with completion in 2024. We learned that the new Panama locks are the same size as the Soo Locks.

It was an educational day. Tomorrow we head down the eastern coast of Michigan toward Dearborne & Detroit.

Dick