Soo Locks

The Soo Locks, located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, are a remarkable feat of American engineering and a cornerstone of Great Lakes shipping. First constructed in 1855 by the State of Michigan, the original lock—known as the State Lock—was built to bypass the 21-foot drop caused by the St. Marys River rapids between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Prior to its construction, ships had to unload their cargo and portage it around the rapids, a laborious and inefficient process that limited trade. In 1881, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers took over operation and maintenance, expanding the system to meet growing commercial demands.  Today, more than 7,000 ships pass through annually, transporting tens of millions of tons of essential cargo such as iron ore, coal, and grain, making the Soo Locks an enduring artery of North American industry and commerce.

The Saint Marys Falls Hydropower Plant is one of the oldest continuously operating hydroelectric plants in the United States. Completed in 1902, this historic facility was built to harness the power of the St. Marys River as it drops between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. The powerhouse stretches over 1,300 feet and features striking Romanesque architecture made from locally quarried sandstone. It was built to contain 74 generators under a single roof, making it one of the largest hydro plants of its time. Water is diverted from the river through a two-mile-long power canal to drive turbines that generate clean electricity, supplying a significant portion of the Eastern Upper Peninsula’s power needs. Recognized as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, the plant remains a vital and impressive example of early 20th-century engineering.

Each stone was individually cut and hand layed

The Museum Ship Valley Camp, moored in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, is a retired Great Lakes freighter built in 1917 and now open as an immersive maritime museum. Inside the holds are four impressive 1,200-gallon aquariums showcasing native Great Lakes fish, crew quarters including the captain’s cabin and more modest crew bunk rooms, and detailed shipwreck artifacts, models, paintings, and maritime memorabilia. 

Our captain and narrator guided us through the journey with expert knowledge bringing the history and operation of the locks to life

Very large ship heading down river

Tying off in the lock

The Canadian tour boat tying off behind us

Lock gates closing 

Going up. 

It takes about eight minutes to raise boats 21 feet through the lock, as water rushes in at an incredible rate of one million gallons per minute.

Lock gates opening

Algoma Steel, located in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, is Canada’s second largest steel producer and a vital part of the country’s industrial landscape. Algoma specializes in manufacturing hot- and cold-rolled steel sheet and plate products, serving industries such as automotive, construction, energy, and manufacturing. 

The stock piles of the three ingredients need to produce steel, iron ore, coke, and limestone. It takes 2.5 tons of these material to produce one ton of steel

Rolls of steel waiting for transport 

Returning down river we navigated the Canadian locks

Going down

Heading back to port. 

It was interesting learning how the locks worked. 

St. Ignace Car Show

 I attended the St. Ignace Annual Car Show, one of the premier automotive events in the Midwest, and it was nothing short of spectacular. Held along the picturesque downtown streets.  The event brought together over 800 classic, custom, and specialty vehicles from across the country. From immaculately restored vintage models to bold custom builds and high-performance muscle cars, every block was lined with rolling works of art.

Some were old .....

many were custom .......

The show went on for a couple of miles

and this one was all bling

Grateful for another great day discovering the beauty and stories of our incredible country.

Fort Michilimackinac

Perched at the northern tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, Fort Michilimackinac was a vital 18th-century French—and later British—fort and fur trading post at the strategic Straits of Mackinac. Originally constructed by the French around 1715, it served as a bustling center of commerce, diplomacy, and military activity until its abandonment in 1783. Tensions flared after the British took control, particularly when they ended the French tradition of giving annual gifts to local Native tribes. On June 2, 1763, amid the broader uprising known as Pontiac’s War, a group of Ojibwe staged a game of baaga'adowe (an early version of lacrosse) outside the fort. The match served as a clever ruse to gain entry—once inside, they attacked and killed most of the British garrison. The Ojibwe held the fort for nearly a year, relinquishing it only after the British agreed to reinstate and enhance their gift-giving practices to maintain peace with the region’s Indigenous peoples.  

Today, Colonial Michilimackinac is a meticulously reconstructed historic site, brought to life through more than 60 years of archaeological excavation and research. As you walk through the palisade gates, you're transported to the year 1775, on the brink of the American Revolution.

Explore the bustling fur trade village, watch live cannon and musket demonstrations, and engage with historical interpreters portraying British soldiers, voyageurs, and French-Canadian families. These reenactors don authentic period attire and share stories, skills, and daily routines from a time when cultures converged and history was made at the edge of the Great Lakes.

Watching the film on the fort's history

Guard house

The trader’s homes doubled as warehouses and offices, these British traders also imported furniture, fine ceramics and glassware, and other luxury items with which to decorate their homes. 

Typical trade goods

The Priest's house

Door to the cellar 

The roofing material is tree bark

This young lady in a merchant's house is mixing cake 

batter which she will bake in a dutch oven in the fire place

Light, agile, and remarkably durable, birchbark canoes were the essential vessels of the fur trade era, gliding silently across the vast inland waterways of the Great Lakes. Crafted by Indigenous peoples using birch bark, cedar frames, and spruce roots, these canoes were perfectly suited for navigating both open waters and narrow rivers. Their lightweight construction allowed voyageurs and traders to easily portage them between waterways, making them ideal for transporting trade goods, supplies, and valuable bundles of fur across immense distances.

That is an amazing 4 tons of material in the large Montreal canoe

When the British troops abandoned Fort Michilimackinac for the safety of Mackinac Island in 181 they burned all remaining structures. Very little of the original fort survived. As flames consumed the power magazine, the earthen roof collapsed extinguishing the fire. The charred and buried ruin remained well preserved until 1975 when archaeologists began to unearth this hidden treasure.

Every summer archeologists uncover more the fort's treasures 

Some of the thousands of artifacts uncovered here.

Lt. Clowes' home

The comander's house

Rank has its privileges.

The parlor was the heart of social life in the home—a space reserved for receiving guests, sharing news, and marking life’s important moments.

The bedchamber

The kitchen 

A must see site if you are ever in the area.